At the beginning of each year, we here at Travel Therapy Mentor get a surge of interest from physical therapists who want to start travel physical therapy. It seems that when January rolls around, it’s human nature to reflect on the past year and consider embarking on an exciting new journey in the new year.
As far as physical therapy jobs go, there’s nothing more exciting than the thought of taking a high paying job in an exotic location. Meeting new people, going on fun weekend adventures, and being able to take long periods of time off of work, all while setting yourself up to be in a good financial position in the future– what’s not to be excited about?
Since we first started Travel PT as new grads in 2015, we’ve done all of the above. While we’re clearly biased, it’s hard to deny the benefits of the travel physical therapy lifestyle.
1. Very Strong Travel Physical Therapy Job Market
The Travel PT job market has been strong for a couple of years now, and 2024 looks like it will be no exception. We work closely with the management and owners of more than a dozen different travel therapy companies, and they are all very optimistic that the strong job market will continue for at least another year.
In our most recent travel therapy job market update, we covered the number of open Travel PT jobs, and they’re at or near all time highs currently. While the PTA, OT, and COTA job markets still haven’t fully recovered after 2020, the Travel PT market is back and better than ever.
After watching the trends and being heavily involved in the travel therapy world for almost a decade, we’re continually shocked at how many great job options are out there for Travel PTs currently.
2. High Travel PT Pay Packages
A byproduct of the strong job market is a plethora of high paying travel physical therapy jobs. Travel PT pay is heavily influenced by the supply and demand dynamics at any given time. When there are a lot of therapists looking for jobs and not many jobs available, pay rates decrease quickly. When there are a lot of open jobs and not many therapists to fill them, pay packages can skyrocket in order to entice applicants. This is also when Travel PTs have the most ability to negotiate to get the pay or terms that they want.
When we first started traveling in 2015, it was unheard of to find a Travel PT job paying more than $2,000/week after taxes almost anywhere in the country, with the exception of home health jobs in California. Now, there are jobs paying more than that all over the country in a variety of different settings.
Our hot travel therapy jobs list is filled with Travel PT jobs paying over $2,000/week after taxes, with some even close to $3,000/week right now! Taking a travel therapy contract paying $2,500/week or more in a low cost of living area is a great recipe for saving a lot of money in order to either invest or pay down debt. If you’re unfamiliar with how pay packages work for travel physical therapists, this article breaks it all down.
3. Opportunity to Try Out New Settings
Some therapists get into Travel PT to try out a new setting without having to commit to a job for the long term This is especially the case for PTs who have worked in the same setting for many years and are nervous about jumping into a setting they aren’t familiar with. This is also beneficial for new grad PTs who aren’t sure which setting is best for them yet.
Fortunately, when there is a high demand for Travel PTs, facilities are more willing to bring on and train travel physical therapists without experience in that setting. If a facility has had a job open for a long time and hasn’t been able to fill it, then training someone to fill the need becomes a much more attractive option.
We find that home health is usually the most intimidating setting for therapists to jump into without experience, and right now there are home health agencies all over the country willing to train if it means getting their travel job filled. For new grads, this can also mean additional mentorship at a travel assignment location.
4. Taking Travel PT Contracts in Desirable Locations
While there isn’t always going to be a Travel PT contract in exactly the location that you want to go at the time you want to be there, we’ve seen a lot more open jobs in locations that are highly desirable lately. It used to be very difficult to find a travel job in places like Hawaii or the coast of California where many people want to go, but now there are openings pretty regularly.
When we first began our travel physical therapy careers, we were all about working in low cost of living areas to save as much as possible, which landed us in some fairly average places in the US. But for the past couple of years, we’ve been much more willing to take contracts in our bucket list locations, even if that meant it wasn’t the most lucrative option. In 2021 we spent three months in Hawaii, and in 2022 we spent the summer in Alaska, both of which were unforgettable experiences. If you’re a PT who is considering travel therapy more for the experiences, then now is the time!
5. Time Off to Travel for Fun Between Contracts
Let’s face it, life is short. Almost everyone says that they want to spend time traveling all over the world at some point in their lives, but very few people ever actually do it. A big reason for that is at a normal, permanent job, it’s very difficult to have more than a week off of work at a time. That makes taking international trips very difficult, especially to far away places.
The longer we’ve worked as travel physical therapists, the more we’ve grown to appreciate the awesome amount of flexibility that comes with it. When a Travel PT contract ends, you can take as long as you want off of work before you start the next one.
We’ve taken huge advantage of that flexibility over the past five years– traveling to more than 50 countries internationally, all 50 of the US states, and all 63 of the US National Parks, for fun between contracts!
We accomplished these major bucket list trips in our 30’s, between contracts, while still earning a great income. There’s no way that would have been possible for us if we’d taken permanent jobs right out of PT school.
The higher pay that comes with travel contracts, combined with the ability to take so much time off, is a great recipe to be able to travel the world. In many cases, you can earn as much in six months as a Travel PT as you would in a full year at a permanent physical therapist job, so it’s possible to just work half of the year and spend the other half checking off bucket list trips or pursuing other passions. This is a very underrated perk of Travel PT!
Conclusion
If you’re considering travel physical therapy, 2024 is a great time to go for it. The job market is strong, pay packages are high, and there are more options than ever in terms of settings and locations. You can make more money while having new experiences all over the country and can even take time off between contracts to travel around the world or pursue other interests. While we were certainly hesitant to start traveling as new grad PTs, it’s by far the best decision we’ve made in our professional lives!
If you’re ready to get started with travel therapy, fill out our Recruiter Recommendations form, and we will connect you with great travel therapy recruiters to help you begin your job search! You can also check out the resources we offer to learn more about travel therapy, such as our Travel Therapy 101 Series and our Comprehensive Travel Therapy Course! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to help you get started on your travel therapy journey!
Related Articles:
- Pros and Cons of Travel Therapy
- Step by Step Guide to Starting a Travel Therapy Contract
- 6 Ways to Ensure Success as a New Grad Travel Therapist
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.