Pursuing Travel Therapy as a Pair with a Partner or Friend

July 9, 2024July 9, 2024 ~ Travel Therapy Mentor ~ Leave a comment

We at Travel Therapy Mentor often get questions from prospective travel therapists about traveling as a pair, either with a partner/spouse or with a friend. We have traveled as a pair since we were new grads in 2015, and we know lots of other travelers who travel with a partner or friend! There are a lot of pros and cons to consider with traveling as a pair, and some specific logistics too! We’re excited to share this guest post from our friends and fellow travel couple, Hailey and T.R. Jamar, a travel OT/PT pair, about their experience traveling as a pair!

What’s better than getting to see the country, getting experience in multiple work settings, living in a variety of desirable locations, having flexible opportunities for as much time off as you want between contracts, all while experiencing countless adventures along the way?? — Doing it with someone you love! Whether it’s your spouse, significant other, or your best friend – traveling as a pair has such great opportunities and benefits!

We are Hailey (OT) & T.R. (PT) Jamar, also known as the Tie Dye Travelers. We have been doing travel therapy together since August 2021, and six out of six of our contracts together so far were not only in the same state, not only in the same town, but all six contracts were actually at the same facility with the same schedule! When we landed our very first contracts together, our recruiter was so excited and told us that this was a “unicorn” situation to be able to be at the same facility together. Little did we know that that unicorn situation wasn’t so rare after all, and we would be able to work the next five contracts together again at the same facility.

Being at the same facility together each time meant we were always able to carpool. We enjoyed sipping coffee together on the drive into work, getting ready for the day, and unwinding from the day’s events together on the drive home. This also opened our options for choosing housing locations. We didn’t mind living 30 minutes away if necessary for a better housing option since we knew we got to make the drive together.

We realize this amount of “together time” isn’t for everyone, but we have absolutely loved it. We also live in an RV (again, not for everyone) — so we get asked all the time “Don’t y’all get sick of each other?” No, turns out we love each other, and we enjoy spending as much time together as possible– that’s why we got married!

How Did We Get Started?

As soon as I learned in occupational therapy school that travel therapy was a thing, I knew that was the route I wanted to go eventually. Then as my husband was finishing physical therapy school two years later, we knew that would be our plan. So, we renovated an RV and prepared ourselves to start living life on the road! As soon as T.R. took his board exam, we loaded up the RV and headed out west without a job at the time, but excited for the adventures ahead and confident that something would work out along the way – and it did!

When we first began this journey, we didn’t really have a clue what exactly it would look like or how hard it would be to find travel therapy jobs close to each other. We assumed we would just try to find an OT job for myself (since the OT job market is a little more competitive/challenging than the PT job market) and then find a PT job for T.R. within a reasonable distance of each other, and live somewhere in the middle so that we could each commute easily.

The Job Search

When searching for a travel therapy contract there are three main factors to prioritize: location, setting, and pay. You’ll have to decide for yourself what is most important to you based on your goals with travel therapy. For us, the whole reason for doing travel therapy was not to make as much money as we could, but for the opportunity to get to live in lots of amazing places and experience as much as possible along the way. With this, our hope has been to be able to decide where we want to eventually “settle down” one of these days. So for us, location is always our top priority. We are willing to work in any setting and take any reasonable pay packages, because the opportunity to live somewhere appealing with ample outdoor opportunities all around is by far the most important thing to us. Additionally, we would always rather take lower paying jobs (if necessary) if it means we’d be at the same facility, vs. higher paying jobs in two separate locations. We haven’t had to make huge financial sacrifices in that regard, but it is something to consider as a pair.

A huge key to this whole process is having a recruiter who you trust, and who understands what your preferences are. We have primarily worked with the same recruiter throughout the entirety of our travel therapy career, and we love that consistency. We will usually just send her a list of states that are appealing to us for that timeframe, and she will send us all the jobs she has available for both OT and PT in those states. From there, we just start looking places up on the map, see what adventure opportunities are close by, and inquire further about ones that seem to be appealing.

One of the biggest things we have learned throughout this process is that just because there is not a job posted, does not mean there is not a job available. While interviewing for our very first contract in Oregon, T.R. just mentioned in passing that his wife was an OT. Just like that, I was on board too with the facility manager excited to hear that and responding “Oh really? We have an OT need as well, we’ll take her too!” This has been the case multiple times, so even if we only see one job listed in a place that seems awesome, we still submit for that job and ask in the interview if there is a need for the other discipline as well by chance. It doesn’t hurt to ask, and it has worked out for us several times!

Perks of Traveling as a Pair

The benefits of traveling as a pair are endless.

You always have someone you know with you for exploring a new area. It can be intimidating to get out there and explore new places if you’re completely solo, but when you have a travel partner there are no limits! You have the support of your friend or partner when moving to an unknown place and coming into an unknown job environment. This can make a huge difference in your experience. Also, when traveling as a pair, you can often cut your housing costs in half, so there are financial benefits too.

When you’re able to work together at the same facility, there is a significant amount of money saved by carpooling each day (assuming your schedules are the same). Another perk when working in the same facility is that you have a built in co-worker who you know you love, which makes the work day so much better. It’s so nice after a busy morning of seeing patients to get to come together on our lunch break for a nice little reset. Additionally, it’s always reassuring to have someone you trust in the workplace to bounce ideas off of, or help to problem solve any difficult situation that arises. Sometimes we don’t know what kind of place we’re walking into as travelers- if we’re the only therapists there, if the place is a wreck, if management turnover is high, etc. But all of that is so much more bearable when you know you have a companion by your side.

Another factor that we usually always take advantage of is working on holidays. When we work in the same facility, we still get to spend the day together, we get to help make the day special for the patients, and we get paid time and a half to do it, so it’s a win all the way around.

Conclusion

Our personal opinion is that life is more fun when we get to do it together, so we have absolutely loved getting to share each of these contracts with each other and wouldn’t have it any other way! We would absolutely recommend traveling as a pair to anyone, as it has made our first 2.5 years of travel therapy so memorable. You may have to take into consideration some different challenges and logistics compared to traveling solo, but to us the benefits far outweigh any possible cons. We’ve been able to make it work out really well for us, even as an OT/PT pair.

However, our days of being travel therapy coworkers are on a temporary pause as we just welcomed our daughter Hatcher into the world a few months ago. We will continue doing travel therapy for the next several years as a family, but for now only one of us will be on contract at a time. Eventually, we hope to find some childcare options to be able to go back to work together again!

ABOUT HAILEY & T.R.

We are the Tie Dye Travelers! We are adventurers and nature lovers to the core, and we love all things involving movement in the outdoors. Moving our bodies in the simplistic beauty of nature is our happy place – whether that’s trail running, paddleboarding, fast packing, rock climbing, wakeboarding, or any variety of other outdoor activities. We have lived full time in an RV since 2017 and are travel therapists (Hailey- Occupational Therapist, T.R.- Physical Therapist) traveling to various states in this beautiful country, providing therapy to patients in a wide variety of settings, while having endless adventures all along the way. We love nature, we love each other, and we love squeezing as much adventure out of this life as possible! We recently added a tiny Tie Dye Traveler with the birth of our daughter Hatcher Rae (named after our favorite place to explore while on contract in Alaska, Hatcher Pass) and we are so thrilled to get to take her along for the adventure of this thing called life! Follow us on Instagram @tiedyetravelers as well as our (occasionally updated) YouTube channel to keep up with all of our adventures. One of these days we’ll be better about posting updated blogs on our website, but for now we’re just enjoying the ride! Feel free to reach out to us on Instagram or by email at hcblanchez@gmail.com with any questions!

If you’re looking for additional resources for your travel therapy career, check out Travel Therapy Mentor’s Traveler Resource Hub. If you’re ready to get started with travel therapy and want to connect with vetted travel therapy recruiters, fill out our Recruiter Recommendations Form. Feel free to message us with any questions!

Travel Therapy as a New Grad in 2023

July 24, 2023July 24, 2023 ~ Travel Therapy Mentor ~ Leave a comment

Is travel therapy as a new grad a good idea in 2023?

In the summer we get lots of questions about whether it’s a good time to travel as a new grad. This is because most students graduate in May and take their board exams in either April or July, then plan to start their careers sometime between May-September.

PTs, OTs, and SLPs considering starting their careers as travel therapists has gotten a lot more popular since we began traveling as new grad physical therapists in 2015. There are a variety of reasons for this, including more exposure to the concept from social media. But, in my opinion, the biggest reason is increasing tuition costs, and subsequently higher student loan debt. With salaries for permanent therapy jobs remaining very stagnant, many therapists are very disillusioned with the debt to income ratio they face upon graduation.

Since almost everyone understands that you can earn significantly more money as a travel therapist, taking travel therapy assignments is enticing for those wanting to pay down their loans quickly or just invest money for their future. Some new grad therapists who are willing to hustle as travelers are able to make multiple six figures in their first year out of school.

The travel therapy job market can swing wildly from year to year, which can make a big impact on the feasibility of traveling as a new grad therapist. So, each summer is a good time to revisit this topic.

Is Traveling as a New Grad a Good Idea?

Before we get into the travel therapy job market and the outlook for travel therapy as a new grad in 2023, let’s address the elephant in the room. Is this actually a good idea for new grads?

Nearly every student considering travel therapy as a new grad is told by professors and/or clinical instructors that it’s a bad idea. This was certainly what we heard when we were physical therapy students. The interesting thing about this is that the majority of those opinions come from therapists who never actually traveled themselves. They’re usually just relaying horror stories that they’ve heard over the years about bad travel contracts. While there are certainly bad contracts out there, it’s easier than ever to avoid those contracts with all of the information available now.

With thorough interviews and asking the right questions, we’ve been able to largely avoid bad contracts in our years of traveling. After traveling as new grads ourselves and mentoring thousands of other new grad travelers, we’ve learned that the truth is that the vast majority of new grad travelers have a great experience, with there being many more pros than cons.

I recently wrote an article for the MedBridge blog discussing the three major reasons that new grads should consider travel therapy, which I encourage you to check out if you’re on the fence about pursuing this path.

With all of that being said, pursuing travel therapy right out of school certainly isn’t for every new grad. You need to be confident in your evaluation and treatment skills, and adaptable to new and changing situations. If you are uncertain or don’t feel comfortable in your final clinical internships, then there’s no harm in working for a year or two in a permanent position prior to embarking on your travel therapy journey.

If you’re on the fence about it, then this article should help you determine if travel as a new grad is right for you.

Pursuing Travel Therapy as a New Grad in 2023

The travel therapy job market has been pretty strong for the past two years, for both new grads and experienced therapists. Many therapists left the field completely in 2020 due to a sudden drop in caseloads, with many being laid off or fired from their jobs, and they then decided to retire or pursue other career options. Once patient census returned to normal levels, this left the healthcare industry with staffing shortages. The shortage of healthcare workers, combined with increasing demand in all settings as the population ages, has meant a huge increase in need for therapists.

We saw record numbers of travel therapy jobs at the end of 2021 and into 2022, which gave travel therapists lots of room to negotiate due to the supply/demand imbalance. It became common to see much higher pay packages during this timeframe than in prior years. At the end of 2022 into the first half of 2023, things began to stabilize, with slightly fewer jobs and slightly lower pay, but still elevated compared to the norm. All in all, the travel therapy job market remains strong with lots of open jobs for travel therapists and high pay packages.

To hear the full scoop on the current travel therapy job market, watch our most recent Travel Therapy Job Market Update from July 2023.

Because the travel therapy job market is currently very strong, this summer is a great time to start traveling as a new grad! Facilities are eager to fill open positions, and many will be willing to train and/or mentor new grads as they get started in their careers.

Differences Across Disciplines for Traveling as a New Grad

It’s important to note that the demand for travel positions is not the same across all disciplines. Currently, the demand is the highest for physical therapists, followed by speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapist assistants, and last being occupational therapy assistants.

With this in mind, it means that the disciplines which have lower demand will have higher competition among candidates for travel therapy jobs. This makes it particularly challenging for new grad therapists to out-compete experienced clinicians for travel jobs in these lower-demand specialties.

PTAs & COTAs

This is particularly the case for PTAs and COTAs who have the lowest availability of travel jobs. This makes it a lot more challenging for new grad PTAs and COTAs to find consistent work as travelers, resulting in unwanted and unpaid time off. It also means they may potentially be put into bad clinical environments, because they are desperate to accept any job that will take them.

Because of this, we encourage new graduate PTAs and COTAs to gain experience at a permanent job for at least 6-12 months, if not longer, before pursuing travel therapy. This will allow them to gain valuable experience and boost their resumes, making them more competitive for travel therapy positions. It will also allow them to build up some savings in case of gaps between travel jobs or unexpected cancellations because a travel job becomes filled with a perm candidate.

For a more in depth look at the travel therapy job market for PTAs and COTAs, I would encourage you to read this article from 2020 which discusses the obstacles that PTAs and COTAs have faced in the last few years with staffing. The job market has improved some since 2020 for these disciplines, but this gives a good overview of where the job market has been in the past leading up to now.

PTs, SLPs, and OTs

We do not have these concerns as much for newer graduate PTs, SLPs, and OTs, because the demand for these disciplines is higher, and there will be more opportunities to choose from. This means that the candidates are more likely to have consistent work, and they will also have the opportunity to choose among a lot of job options to find a clinical environment that is a good fit for them as new grads.

I will add that since the demand for OTs is slightly lower than that of PT and SLP, new grad OTs may have to be a bit more flexible on settings and locations when looking at travel therapy jobs. There are currently fewer open positions for travel OTs compared with PT and SLP, so the competition is slightly higher for new grad OTs.

Last, it’s important to note that when we discuss opportunities for “new grad SLPs,” we mean after they have received their CCC’s. Once an SLP has received their full credentials and is an SLP-CCC, the opportunities are numerous, and the new SLP-CCC will have many jobs to choose from. However, when SLPs are in their clinical fellowship year, travel therapy jobs are more limited. There are only certain travel therapy job opportunities that will allow the supervision hours necessary to complete the requirements of the CFY. I would recommend reading this article to further help you decide if traveling during your clinical fellowship year is a good choice or not.

Summary

If you’re considering travel therapy as a new grad in 2023, and you’ve determined that it’s a good option for you based on your own personality as well as the job market prospects for your discipline, then go for it! If you don’t like it, then there will always be permanent jobs to go back to. But, you may end up loving it and traveling for much longer than you anticipated, like we have.

Pursuing travel therapy provides a unique opportunity to explore the country and have new adventures, while setting yourself up for financial success in the future.

Before you jump in, be sure to check out the six ways to ensure success as a new grad travel therapist. Then, when you’re ready to dig deeper into your research, you can check out our free Travel Therapy 101 Series to learn all the essentials to beginning your travel therapy journey!

If you’re ready to get started traveling within the next few months, be sure to fill out our Recruiter Recommendation form so we can help get you connected with the best travel therapy recruiters and companies to help you along your way!

Best of luck to you, and feel free contact us with any questions!

Written by Jared Casazza, PT, DPT – Jared has been a traveling physical therapist since 2015. He has become an expert in the field of travel healthcare through his experience, research, and networking over nearly a decade.

Category: Travel Therapy Strategies