Tag: travel therapy in an rv

Choosing an RV as a Healthcare Traveler

~ Travel Therapy Mentor ~ Leave a comment


We often receive questions from travel therapists about how to set up housing as a healthcare traveler. Some therapists and other healthcare professionals (nurses, etc.) choose to live in an RV during their travel healthcare journey. We at Travel Therapy Mentor personally lived in a fifth wheel camper for about 3 years during the beginning of our travel PT careers.

There are a lot of pros and cons to consider when deciding if the RV route is right for you, and when comparing RV life to finding short term housing. But if you’re fairly certain you do want to pursue the RV life, the next thing you may be wondering is how to find the right RV for you. We’re excited to share this guest post from Travel PT Kayla who lives full time in an RV with her husband and pets.

As traveling healthcare workers, we are often moving all around the country. Living full time in an RV can be a great way to have a permanent home on the road that can help to provide comfort and stability. It can also provide fun and adventurous journeys.

If you’re a traveling healthcare worker considering pursuing the RV life, you may be wondering how to choose the right RV. Here are some tips to help you find an RV that’s right for you.

Background

My name is Kayla Eldridge and I am a traveling Physical Therapist. My husband, Ryan, is a remote software developer who travels with me, and we have been living full-time in our 5th wheel camper with our two cats since 2020. We chose RV living because we found it to be difficult to find affordable, pet friendly short-term housing. We also want our cats to be happy and comfortable in a permanent living space where we don’t have to worry about them ruining other people’s furniture. We bought our 2021 Grand Design Reflection 31mb and 2014 Ford F350 truck in June 2020. 

Overview of Different Types of RVs

If you’re new to RVing, you might be unaware of the different types of RVs. There are two main styles, each with different classes within them. Motorhomes are drivable RVs with an engine, and towables are towed behind a truck.

Motorhomes are broken up into 3 classes:

  • Class A are big rigs with panoramic front windows. These drive like a bus so there can be a bigger learning curve.

  • Class B are vans. These can get you into smaller campsites easily and quickly. Driving them can be more familiar and easier. They have a very small living space which can be challenging but not impossible for some people.

  • Class C is between class A and B in terms of size. They tend to have more beds than Class A so it can be better for families. Like Class B, they typically use gas instead of diesel, making it more cost effective.

Towables are generally broken up into two categories with a wide range of different options in each:

  • The first is a travel trailer. These are lighter, shorter, and smaller (though, not always). This makes them easier to fit into locations that have height restrictions from bridges or trees. They are towed behind the vehicle using a trailer hitch. They are sometimes referred to as a “pull-behind.”

  • The second is a fifth wheel which is bigger, heavier, and taller. These offer more living and storage space but will require a bigger truck to tow (maybe even a dual rear wheel). They are easier to maneuver than a travel trailer (especially in reverse) since the pivot point is closer to the midpoint of the truck. These are towed from a hitch that is installed in the truck bed. This means you’ll need to install the special fifth-wheel hitch and can’t tow with just any regular trailer hitch.

Within each category, there is a wide array of different layouts and the potential for a number of slideouts which can create extra space. For example, a “toy hauler” model has an opening on the back of the trailer that opens up like a garage, which can allow you to haul extra equipment like motorcycles or have extra space for an office or extra bedroom.

There are many considerations, so it’s important to look at each of them and determine which style would best suit your needs.

Process of Searching for the Right RV

Searching for an RV can be a long and daunting process, but if you put in the time and do your research, you can find the right one to call home. It’s important not to rush the process and make uncalculated decisions, especially if you plan on living in the RV full time. 

There are many considerations for navigating through this process. They all overlap, making it difficult for this to be done as a step by step procedure. You will likely go back and forth among each area multiple times until you figure out what works best for you.

Lifestyle

Start thinking about your lifestyle and what you need in a home to be happy and comfortable.

When you search for RVs without making these considerations, it’s possible that you could get caught up in the moment and let the excitement cloud your judgment. Having a list of your wants and needs can prevent forgetting necessary qualities. 

Motorhome vs. Towable RV

Deciding between a motorhome or towable RV depends on a few factors. Would you rather drive your home and tow a smaller car behind it, or drive a truck that tows your home and use the truck as your in-town vehicle after unhitching? Who will be driving and what type of vehicle are they comfortable driving? Not just when you’re moving the RV but after the RV is parked and you need to drive to work or around town. 

Motorhomes can be easier to park, especially in reverse, because there is no pivot point. This makes them great for a single person. Towables can be more difficult to back into spots, often needing two people. It requires good communication, time, and patience, especially for the challenging spots. A backup camera could help for either type of RV. Pull-through spots would make parking easier, but these usually cost more and are only available at some RV parks.

Motorhomes allow you to tow a small, fuel efficient car, which is easier for around town; whereas with towables, you only have the towing vehicle. If you choose the motorhome and car, you will have two engines to maintain, which can be costly. Whereas the towable and truck only has one engine.

If a motorhome engine requires maintenance, you may have to find a hotel to stay in while it is being repaired. Towables can be unhitched so that you can stay in your RV while the tow vehicle is repaired.

Both motorhomes and towables have options for slideouts which provide more living space. We felt that towables had a larger variety of floor plans giving more options for living spaces.

Additional vehicles

If you purchase a towable RV, make sure to check the RV and Trailer towing guides to determine what size/type of truck you will need to safely tow the RV.

If you buy a motorhome, you can tow a small car behind it, but you have to make sure it’s compatible for towing as not all vehicles are.

If you already have a vehicle you’d like to keep that can tow or be towed, this might help you decide on the type of RV you get. Otherwise, you will have to consider getting a new vehicle along with your RV purchase.

Finding the Right Floor Plan

View as many varieties of floor plans as you can to figure out what you like and what meets your needs. Being inside the RV is drastically different than looking at floor plans online. On top of seeing them at dealerships, try to go to an RV show or rally if there is one near you. Just don’t let the salespeople tempt you into a purchase before you are ready.

If you plan on staying in parking lots or truck stops on travel days, check if you can access your refrigerator, bathroom, and bedroom with the slides in. Most of the time you will not be able to open the slide-outs in parking lots, so plan accordingly. If you can’t access the fridge, you could also use a cooler or a mini-fridge in an outdoor kitchen for meals on travel days.

If you have pets, you will need space for crates, litter boxes, and food/water. Make sure these are also accessible with the slides closed during travel days. We built a tunnel into a storage compartment to store the litter boxes. It keeps the RV from smelling and tracking litter on the floor while also providing us with more space inside. When we travel, we move the litter boxes to the shower since the cats can’t access the tunnel with the slides closed. A second bathroom would also work.

If you travel with a partner who works from home, they will need a work space. Using the kitchen table could be a nuisance if they have to keep moving everything. Having a good setup will help them to be more successful when working from the road. Finding a floor plan that has additional space such as a bunkhouse, mid-bunk room or toy-hauler garage will allow them to set up a permanent desk space. We built a desk in our mid-bunk and we have seen many great renovations to turn the garage of a toy-hauler into really cool office spaces.

Some smaller details to consider include location of the windows, whether you’d prefer a booth or dinette, the color scheme and decor, and storage space. Check if you can see the TV comfortably. If you plan on bringing bikes, make sure the hitch is rated to carry them.

Finances

You will need to come up with a budget to follow. Consider the above categories when you create your budget and remember that the budget should include cost of the RV, insurance, extra vehicle (if applicable), hitch or tow device and accessories. Repairs can also be expensive, so it is important to set money aside in your emergency fund for when unexpected things happen.

You’ll need to consider if you can buy the RV in cash or will need to finance. If you decide to finance, it is a good idea to get pre-approved to know how much you can afford.

Purchasing RV from Dealership or Independent Seller

Buying a new RV from a dealership can guarantee that you know how well it has been taken care of, if you don’t mind taking the depreciation hit. Depending on the brand though, big issues are often seen right as you take them off the lot, so make sure it’s a reputable brand that is known for good customer service. In our experience, Grand Design has proven to have good customer service.

Dealerships provide inspections to make sure the RV is in working order, but they can often miss a lot. So don’t be surprised if there are issues even after buying brand new from a dealership.

Dealerships can also provide a bigger range of RVs to see in person and provide financing options, which can be beneficial.

When buying from an independent seller, you will have to provide your own financing, but you can find good deals if you search around. Keep in mind that if you buy used, many RV parks do not allow RVs over 10 years old to stay in their parks, so consider the age when you’re buying it plus how many years you plan to use it.

When buying used, you will want to do a full inspection of the RV to assess if there is any damage prior to buying it. You can either do it on your own or hire a professional. This cost will be out of pocket, but it can be worth the added expense to ensure you made a good purchase.

When assessing an RV, there are a few things to look out for. Look for any water damage or mold, as fixing it can be costly and difficult. Check that the appliances are working properly. Make sure the furnace, air conditioners, water pump, and water heaters are in working order. Also, if possible, check underneath for water leaks in the pipes as that can be a common issue as well. 

Conclusion

The process for choosing an RV to live in can be overwhelming, but when done correctly, it can be extremely rewarding. We have lived in several different types of housing, but our RV has been our favorite place to live by far.

We have been to a lot of incredible places and have enjoyed many adventures throughout our travels that we wouldn’t have had without our RV. We hope our advice can help you to also choose a wonderful home to take on the road!

Written by Kayla Eldridge, PT, DPT – If you would like to read more about how Kayla and her husband Ryan got started traveling, living in the RV or about their adventures, check out their website at www.eldridgeexpedition.com or follow them at EldridgeExpedition on Instagram and Facebook. They have pictures of their RV when they first bought it and pictures of all the updates they made to it over the years to make it feel more like home.

Thank you Kayla for providing your insights to healthcare travelers making decisions regarding housing and RV living!

If you’re new to travel therapy and have questions, be sure to check out the resources we have available at Travel Therapy Mentor, including getting connected with our Recommended Recruiters. Feel free to contact us with any questions!

Finding Short Term Housing vs. Living in an RV as a Traveling Healthcare Provider

Finding short term housing vs. living in an RV
~ Travel Therapy Mentor ~ 1 Comment

*This is a Guest Post that Whitney wrote for Furnished Finder where she discusses the differences in housing options for travel therapists, including some of the pros and cons of each! This post should be helpful to those of you trying to decide what’s the best housing choice for you as a travel healthcare provider!

Finding Short Term Housing vs. Living in an RV as a Traveling Healthcare Provider

One of the major concerns for many healthcare providers looking to pursue travel careers is how they will set up housing. There are many housing options out there for those of us who travel for work, from using sites like Furnished Finder to secure short-term furnished housing, to having the travel agency set you up at an extended stay hotel, to choosing some form of tiny living on wheels like an RV!

During my 5 years as a traveling physical therapist, I have utilized a few of these housing options and have had the opportunity to weigh the pros and cons of each. (And let me tell you, any option is going to have pros and cons!)

So let’s dive in to some of those pros and cons to considering these different options for housing, and maybe some of my insight will help you along your own travel healthcare journey!

Logistics and Considerations

When you’re considering what option to choose for housing, you will first need to take into account your own personal situation. Are you traveling solo, with a significant other, with children, or with a pet? Do you feel comfortable sharing accommodations or would you rather have your own place? If you’re thinking about tiny living/RVing, do you feel comfortable with the maintenance and upkeep involved with owning a home on wheels, plus towing it around the country?

In addition, you need to consider the location of your potential travel contract(s). Are you interested in traveling to big cities or more rural places? Some quick internet searches can reveal a lot for you as to how easy or difficult it’s going to be to secure short term housing on your own vs. having the travel company assist you with the process. It will also give you an idea of whether finding campgrounds/RV parks in the vicinity of where you might travel will be feasible.

For me, I am a traveling physical therapist and travel with my significant other who is also a traveling physical therapist, so after weighing lots of options, we decided to buy a camper and lived in it for about 3 years! This worked well for us overall as a pair, rather than finding short term housing for the both of us; however, we did end up renting a short term furnished place on a couple of assignments. More on our journey below and how we chose between short term housing and the RV life!

Company Provided Housing

This is actually the only housing option I have not utilized. Generally speaking, it seems that most travel healthcare providers choose to accept the housing stipend from the travel agency and then set up their own housing, rather than letting the company handle housing. There are some travelers who choose to let the company set up housing for them though.

I think generally the best time to let the travel company set up housing for you is if in the area where you’re traveling, you are having a lot of difficulty finding housing on your own, or you are short on time to be able to set this up yourself. Also, some travelers may just find it easier to have this weight lifted off their shoulders and let the company handle it.

The pros of letting the company set up housing for you would be that you have less worry and headache in getting the housing set up. You also probably won’t be on the hook for any rent/lease issues, in case your contract gets cancelled early. However, the cons are that, you may have less control over your accommodations, and you may end up losing money on your weekly pay because they take out a lot for housing instead of giving you the housing stipend!

Finding Short Term Housing On Your Own

I would say this is the option that the majority of travel healthcare providers choose! In your pay package, you will have the company allocate part of your pay as a housing stipend (hopefully tax free if you qualify by maintaining your tax home– hooray!). Then you will utilize different websites, like Furnished Finder; ask around in online forums and groups; call realtors and apartment complexes; and so forth until you can identify some good short term housing options!

The pros here are that you can usually find housing that’s cheaper than what the travel therapy company would take out of your paycheck, so after you pay your rent, you should come out ahead by keeping the extra money! (Who doesn’t like extra money?!) You also have more control over choosing your accommodations, such as proximity to work/attractions, as well as how many bedrooms/bathrooms, and other amenities at the accommodation!

Cons are that it is sometimes difficult to find places that offer short term rentals near where you’re going to be working. I’ve definitely run into this in the times that I had to search for short term housing. A lot of apartment complexes and personal ads for housing do not allow any shorter than 12 month leases. Also, lots of the places you find won’t be furnished or have utilities included, which leaves you with another problem to solve.

I will say that Furnished Finder has solved a lot of these problems for us. They only list places that offer short term leases (or even better, month to month!) for us as healthcare travelers. And all of their listings are already furnished. I can’t stress how much hassle this removes in terms of setting up leases, getting stuck in leases if your contract is cancelled, setting up utilities, and furnishing a place for only a couple months!

But, unfortunately there is never a guarantee that a property on Furnished Finder will be available for the location and dates that you need, so alas we must sometimes use the other options like Craigslist, Airbnb, VRBO, apartment complexes, extended stay motels, realtors, etc!

In my experience, I’ve rented two different places I found off Craigslist for two different assignments. Both were semi-private, meaning that they were part of someone’s home, but we had our own “suite” if you will. One was an over-the-garage studio apartment, but we had to share the kitchen and laundry in the main house. The other was a fully furnished basement with our own kitchen, but we had to enter through the main door and share the laundry upstairs. Overall these were good experiences, and we were very lucky to find furnished, short term rentals, with utilities included in the price, on Craigslist! Because Craigslist can definitely be hit or miss, and sometimes sketchy!

But unfortunately during our searches, we did find that there were extremely limited options for short term housing in the areas that we needed, with the criteria we wanted in an accommodation. When searching for short term housing as a traveler, you are definitely at the mercy of what’s available. So sometimes you’re either going to have to skimp on your ideal setup, or raise your budget, or possibly both.

Another consideration when choosing to set up short term housing as a traveler (whether on your own or with the company’s help), versus choosing an RV, is packing and moving often. This was a big thing we were trying to avoid by buying an RV. In an RV, you always have all your stuff with you, so you don’t have to constantly pack and move in and out of places. But, those travelers who do choose short term housing (again- the majority of travelers) do end up becoming pretty good at packing their cars and being minimalistic! And although it can be a headache sometimes, it’s just part of the traveler lifestyle and you get used to it!

Tiny Living or RV Life

Tiny living, van living, and RVing are definitely becoming more popular options for traveling healthcare providers. There is certainly some appeal to having your own home on wheels with you all the time, and traveling from place to place. To be honest, a lot of RVs now are just like little apartments, and you are by no means “camping outdoors” when living in an RV! However, tiny living is very much a lifestyle choice and not to be pursued by just anyone! It’s difficult to even compare it side by side with the alternative short term housing options, because it’s so different! I recommend not looking at this like option number 3, but like taking a left turn and pursuing a completely different path!

We chose to buy a camper pretty early in our travel PT careers, and there were several reasons why we thought this would work out better for us.

  • First, we thought it would make life easier to leave all of our stuff in the camper and just move it from place to place, without having to always pack, move in, and move out of places every 3 months or so!
  • Second, we thought finding campgrounds/RV parks would make the housing location search a lot easier than finding short term housing accommodations.
  • Third, we thought we would save a lot of money by buying the camper, staying cheaply at campgrounds, and then selling the camper when we were done.
  • Fourth, we thought it would be a cool adventure!

All of those were true, to some extent. However I don’t think it was exactly the all-around-perfect life choice that we envisioned when all was said and done.

Not having to pack and move all the time, and having all of our stuff in the camper with us all the time, was for sure a huge perk! We only had to do minimal “packing up” each time to make sure things didn’t fall down inside the camper. We could usually easily load up and move to a new place (if it was within driving distance) on a weekend, then get set up within an hour or so at the new place, and be back to work on Monday if we wanted!

The campground/RV Park finding process was easier than short term housing to an extent. However, it does sometimes limit the locations you can travel to. For example, it’s not as common to see RV Parks that allow long term (month to month) stays near bigger cities. We had pretty good luck finding them in suburban and rural areas, but it did limit us from going some places. The way we maneuvered this was, when presented with a potential contract to apply for, we instantly did a quick Google search to see if there were even any RV parks nearby before we submitted our applications for the job. That part made it a little more feasible. Because as compared with short term housing, you can’t always do a quick search to know whether there are places to rent readily available for the dates you need, before submitting for the job.

Financially, having the camper usually saved us on our monthly rent costs, with most campgrounds we stayed at costing between $300-900 per month. Whereas depending on the area, short term rentals could run you anywhere from $500-2500 per month! But, with an RV, you still have to account for the upfront cost of buying an RV, the costs for maintenance and repairs, and the depreciation on the vehicle if you plan to sell it afterwards. When all was said and done after factoring in these costs once we sold it, we probably about broke even over the course of 3 years. If you planned to keep it for shorter than 3 years, you’d most likely come out behind financially based on our calculations.

As far as adventure goes, it was certainly a fun experience and something we will be able to talk about for the rest of our lives! But it’s not for everyone. The part we didn’t really take into account were the maintenance and repairs. It’s like owning a house, but one that’s on wheels, with little parts that can break, and you can’t always easily find the part to replace or a repair person who knows how to fix it like at a normal house!

All in all, we are glad we chose to do the RV life for 3 years. But it did not come without its hassles and headaches. In the end, we were glad to sell it and not have the responsibility anymore! So this is a huge thing you need to take into consideration for yourself. Are you going to be the type of person who wants to maintain and upkeep your home on wheels? Or would you rather just rent short term housing and not have a place to worry about all the time?

What Type of Housing Is Best for You?

So what’s the best choice for housing as a traveling healthcare provider? I don’t think there’s one answer to this question. You really have to consider what type of person you are, and what you’re comfortable with. As I mentioned, most travelers will choose to go with short term housing and set up their own accommodations. But there’s always the option of letting the company set up housing for you for an assignment and seeing how that goes. Or if you’re feeling really adventurous, or already know you like the camper lifestyle, maybe you decide to jump into RVing/Tiny Living, but just make sure to do your research before making any big purchases!

I hope this information has been helpful to you in terms of deciding what types of housing will be best for you as a traveling healthcare provider! Happy Travels, and enjoy the journey!

 

Written by, Whitney Eakin, PT, DPT, ATC

Whitney has been a traveling physical therapist since 2015 and travels with her significant other and fellow Travel PT, Jared Casazza. Together they have a personal blog titled “Fifth Wheel PT,” which got its name from their 3 years traveling and living full time in a fifth wheel camper! Whitney and Jared have traveled for PT work up and down the east coast, and in their time off between contracts have traveled all over the world! Together with Jared, Whitney also mentors current and future travel therapists at their website TravelTherapyMentor.com. You can follow their travel journey on Instagram or Facebook @TravelTherapyMentor.