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Housing

Travel Nursing Housing

Top 3 Travel Nurse Housing Sites

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We’ve put together a list of our favorite Travel Nurse Housing Sites!

One of the most common questions we get from new travelers is “where do I find housing?”.
Well, look no further!  Here’s our top Travel Nurse Housing Sites:

Furnished Finder

Furnished Finder was designed specifically for traveling nurses and healthcare professionals, which makes it our top pick for Travel Nurse Housing Sites.  Furnished Finder is unique in the sense that they rent out for the entire month, making it the perfect fit for travel nurses who typically take 4, 8, and 13 week assignments.  Furnished Finder is safe and easy to use.  You can even set your monthly budget before searching, so you don’t need to waste your time sifting through options that are too expensive!

Every Furnished Finder host must pass a background check before listing their properties, making this a safe and affordable option for travelers.

Furnished Finder Logo

Airbnb

Airbnb has quickly become one of the leaders in the temporary housing space.  They have a desktop version as well as an easy to use phone app.  Just plug in your dates, location, and number of travelers, and you are free to explore your options!  Here’s a few quick tips for getting the most out of Airbnb:

  1. Choose the “Entire Place” option while searching if you want a more private experience.  While many Airbnb properties offer separate rooms/bathrooms/etc, choosing this option will only list properties that you will have all to yourself!
  2. Many Airbnb rentals will offer discounts the longer you stay.  Double check the price of the listing after entering your dates to double check that the property offers an extended stay rate!
  3. Don’t forget the fees!  Airbnb has it’s own set of fees, including cleaning fees, service fees, and occupancy fees and taxes.  These fees are listed upfront before you book the reservation, so be sure to double check these prices.
  4. Leave a review!  Airbnb operates using a “review” system.  Your host will also leave you a rating, and future hosts will look at your rating when determining if they will rent out their property to you.  The only way to unlock the review from your host is to leave a review of your own, and vice versa.

AirBNB travel site

VRBO

VRBO is a long time player in the temporary housing industry, starting out in 1995.  Very similar to Airbnb, VRBO connects travelers with 2+ million homes all over the world.  VRBO offers 24/7 customer support, a well designed and easy to use website, and top notch safety/security.  Just punch in your dates, location, and begin your search!

VRBO is a good option if you plan on traveling with your pets, just be sure to check with the listing to see if it is pet-friendly!

Vrbo travel site

These were our favorite Travel Nurse Housing Sites.

If you have questions or would like more resources to use, get in contact with a recruiter and ask about Travel Nurse Housing. You can also fill out our quick contact form and a recruiter will get to you!

Use caution or avoid the following:

  1. Facebook Groups – Facebook groups can be a good way to cut out the middle man and connect directly with property owners, however you should always exercise caution whenever exchanging information with anyone found on Facebook.  Be sure to check out their profile and never give out any more information than necessary.
  2. Craigslist – Craigslist is well known for scammers, fake posts, and a host of other issues.  There is little to no moderation on craigslist, so you can never be too sure who you are speaking with.  If you do run in to issues, Craigslist support will be minimal.  We recommend avoiding Craigslist altogether and sticking with a more secure and up to date website.

We have more resources for travel nurses, medical professionals, and more here! 

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Travel Nurse Housing

Travel Nurse Housing: How do Traveling Nurses find Housing?

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As a Traveling Healthcare Professional, the pay you receive for your work is often given to you in a few different ways.

Think of your salary as a pie, and each piece of the pie is a different form of income granted to you by the agency you’re working for. This generally includes the base pay rate of the agency, housing stipend, meals and incidentals stipend (M&IE), and other benefits that may be offered by your agency. 

In this blog post we’ll be discussing the various parts of this ‘pie’ that make up your salary; specifically, your Housing stipend.

For more Travel Nurse Housing Help, Check out more of our housing help blogs or helpful resources here!

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Travel Nurse Housing Options, Apartments

How are Housing Payments Determined?

It’s important to remember that all travel packages begin with a pay rate, or the minimum amount of money per hour that the agency is willing to pay you. Keep in mind that this number often varies greatly depending on location and the length of your assignment.

However, this isn’t the only way you will be reimbursed for your work. Another slice of your payment is received through housing stipends, and M&IE stipends (Meals and Incidental Events). These amounts are set by the General Service Administration (GSA) of the Federal Government and are “the maximum allowances that federal employees are reimbursed for expenses incurred while on official travel,”.

Summed up, it’s the maximum amount of money the agency can reimburse you for housing, per day. For example, right now (June 2021), Denver, Colorado’s GSA is $199/day. That means your expected housing allowance for the month is roughly $6000 ($199 x 30 days).

However, many companies might pay slightly lower/higher than this depending on your specific package. It’s important that you meet with a recruiter to discuss payment packages in depth before signing a contract, as they can get quite confusing.

If you’re curious to find out how much money you can expect for housing in different locations, visit this link.

Travel Nurse Housing
Travel Nurse Housing

What are my Options?

Wherever you decide to go, housing will be provided via the company’s housing contract, or you will be given Housing/M&IE stipends on a fixed schedule to cover costs of living should you chose to find your own housing.

Many apartments offer short term leases, and some hotels have discounts on extended stay packages. Often times travelers take advantage of this housing stipend by finding a place cheaper than the allowance given to them, allowing them to pocket the extra cash; yes, it’s that simple.

For example:

  • Company A can offer you $50/hr and $2,000 per month for housing.
    If you find a place for $1,200/month, that’s an extra $800 in your pocket.
  • Company B on the other hand, can offer your $80/hr plus a free rental car if you chose to stay with their company housing.
  • No two companies are the same, and you will likely encounter various opportunities with different benefits. Again, it’s important to meet with a recruiter to discuss the fine print.

Things to Consider

Whichever travel package you go with, there will be fees involved. The recruiting agency, the company you’re working for, and often times a ‘middle-man’ company will be sure to throw their 2-6% fees onto your payments. Should you choose to take the stipend, you are putting yourself at a risk in a few ways. For instance, if you sign a lease, and your contract gets cancelled for whatever reason, you’re still left to pay the remaining balance on the lease.

Furthermore, there is typically a “guaranteed hours” clause within your contract. Meaning that you are required to work a certain number of hours and any number of sick days/hours over this amount can significantly impact your stipend amounts. Agencies will often push you to take the stipend for this reason, as you will be the one left to clean up the bills.

There are many benefits to being a Traveling Healthcare Professional; money usually being the eye-catcher. The travel stipend is generally one of the largest parts of a traveler’s salary, so it’s very important to do you research on travel packages to find one that suites you best. By searching message boards and blogs across the internet, you can read about different experiences travelers have had taking different packages.

For the best information, and for the last time, meet with a recruiter today to discuss travel package details!

Packing Checklist for Download

Here’s a checklist for when you are ready to travel to your next assignment!

Download Traveler Packing Checklist
Traveling with pets blog

Traveling With Your Pets

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Thinking of traveling with your pet?

Here are some things to consider!

As it becomes increasingly common for medical professionals to travel with their pets, there are a few factors that you should carefully mull over before deciding whether or not to call a sitter. Traveling to new locations can innately carry newfound stress into your life, and having someone (in this case, your four-legged best friend) there to accompany you can be comforting.

We’ve put together a list of realistic aspects to consider before you should make this decision.

Travel/Lodging

Before deciding on whether you want to bring your pet with you, find out if you can first. Wherever you are going to stay, it’s important to know the facility’s pet policy, as well as your airline’s pet policy – should you decide to fly.

Second to considering where your pet will sleep, how are you both getting there? Air travel has been known to cause a great deal of stress to animals and in rare cases has resulted in death.

It’s important to have your pet examined and up to date on all vaccinations to ensure your pet’s safety. Furthermore, this information will likely be needed by an airline a few days prior to your departure, so be sure to plan accordingly!

Budget

While bringing your pet along shouldn’t completely drain your wallet, you should consider whether you will have the time and money to support your pet while traveling. It is also likely that you could be charged a pet fee by the facility you are staying at. Ensure you have enough budgeted for both you and your travel buddy!

Time

Finally, how long will you be away from home? Many travelers decide to bring along their pet for a sense of ‘home’, in light of new unfamiliarity. The length of your trip and intensity of your new travel assignment are important factors to consider, as your pet will likely be left alone in an unfamiliar setting for long periods of time while you are at work.

These are just a few of the many factors to consider when deciding to leave your pet safe at home – or bring them along as the family member that they are. When in doubt, just ask your recruiter while going over your contract!

Looking for more information about traveling with your furry friends?  Check out Barking Embarkers, a blog run by one of our travelers!

Traveler with Dog
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