13 Reasons to Become a Travel Physical Therapist in 2022
All smiles at the top of a hike in Olympic National Park. Travel therapists often end up becoming National Park connoisseurs.
If you’re here, you’re probably wondering... is travel physical therapy worth it?
I’m gonna answer that with a HELL TO THE MOTHER F’N YES! The time, financial, and life freedom that travel physical therapy provides is everything.
Travel PT isn’t for everyone long-term. But I challenge you to read through the rest of this post with an open mind.
I’m willing to bet you’ll find at least a couple of reasons to travel that resonate with you. You may want to travel to pay off your student loans, take more time off and avoid burnout, see the U.S., or find out where you want to live permanently.
You’ve probably seen the travel PT Instagram highlight reels showing National Parks, oceanfront views, gorgeous hikes, and road trips of a lifetime.
I’m here to tell you that travel physical therapy life isn’t always easy or beautiful, but it’s always worth it.
Here are 13 reasons why you should become a travel PT in 2022.
1. The travel PT market is HOT HOT HOT right now 🔥🔥🥵
There are currently around 1,000+ travel physical therapy jobs nationwide and the market has been this hot for MONTHS.
More jobs means less competition for jobs and more selectivity.
Your chances of landing a job paying $2,000+ per week or landing a travel PT job in your favorite setting are higher than they’ve ever been.
Usually, you have to take your pick between the big three – pay, setting, and location – during your travel PT job search. And whichever one you select as a priority means you have to give a little on one or both of the other two.
But with the market this hot, you might just land that unicorn job that’s high paying, in your favorite setting, and in a dope location.
I’m currently working an amazing hospital-based outpatient travel PT contract on the gorgeous northern Oregon coast and it’s paying $400/week higher than any of the 10 contracts I’ve taken over the last 3.5 years.
2. Take more time off and avoid burnout
There’s no denying it – healthcare burnout is real.
We pour our hearts and souls into helping our patients, and it can be exhausting giving it your all 40 hours a week. all year long.
Taking time for R&R is crucial to avoid burnout.
Because of higher pay and the flexibility the travel physical therapy lifestyle provides, I’ve been able to work only 6 months out of the year in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
When I return to work, I feel re-energized, enthusiastic, and ready to grab my new caseload by the horns.
My coworkers ALWAYS comment on my “positive energy” and how it’s uplifting to have me join their team.
There’s no doubt that I’m able to bring this next-level energy because of the time I take off to recharge.
3. Take time to explore passions outside of work
With more time off work, I’ve gained all kinds of new skills. Skills like content creation, graphic design, blogging, copywriting, website design, and coaching.
I’ve gotten in touch with my creative side, and these skills have helped me create things like the webpage/blog you’re reading at this very moment.
Just by simply having more time, I’ve learned so much about myself, the world, and what I want in life.
I’ve been able to pour into myself to improve my mindset and my physical and mental health.
I’ve maybeeee become a little bit obsessed with all things personal development, positive, psychology, and neuroscience. Send all the podcasts and audiobooks my way plz.
4. Explore the U.S. and beyond
Before I started traveling, my roots ran deep in Kansas. For 25 years of my life, the Midwest was pretty much all I knew.
My travel up to that point consisted of vacations to Kansas City (LOL), spring break and ski trips in college, and the classic all-inclusive resort in Mexico.
But then Jazz and I went on a 12-day EuroTrip right before I started my first permanent PT position. And it’s been game-over ever since.
Travel has become one of my biggest passions and it’s completely changed my life.
I’ve had the time of my life meeting loads of different people, having new experiences every weekend, and seeing different parts of the world (both in the U.S. and abroad).
Travel has opened my eyes in ways I never could’ve imagined. It’s made me a better and happier human in countless ways.
And I know it can do the same for you.
Whether you want to check out the West Coast, chill in Hawaii for a bit, or see what it’s like to live in New York… travel therapy makes it all possible.
Snorkeling with manta rays on Nusa Penida island during our nine-week honeymoon (yes, you read that right) – all made possible by travel physical therapy.
5. Decide where you want to “settle down”
Not sure where you want to live long-term?
Here’s a suggestion: take a travel physical therapy job in each of the areas you’d consider living.
Keep in mind you don’t have to live in the exact city/town you’re eyeing – just within driving distance for weekend trips.
Then you can “try out” the area risk-free.
If you love it – great! Find a perm job there. Your travel job might even hire you on perm after your contract if you do a great job.
If you don’t like it, on to the next one! Rinse and repeat until you find your dream home.
6. Pay off your debt
A travel physical salary just hits different.
To put this in perspective, I make more money WEEKLY as a travel PT than I did BI-WEEKLY as a permanent therapist. For working the same amount of hours.
I’ve made anywhere from $1,725 to $2,650 weekly take-home pay during my last 3.5 years as a travel physical therapist. 🤑
If you’re making more money as a travel PT, you can afford to make extra payments on your student loan debt, credit card debt, car payment, mortgage, etc.
I was able to pay off my student loan debt just 1.5 years after graduating (after 1.5 year perm and 0.5 years as a traveler).
7. Become a part of the nomadic community & make friends all over the U.S.
Nomads are some of the coolest, most laid-back, and most down-to-earth people you’ll ever meet.
You know the old saying that you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with?
Well, nomads are the people you want to surround yourself with.
They welcome complete strangers with loving acceptance, open your eyes to new perspectives, and teach you new things about the world and about yourself.
You will find your people on the road – not just the people you happened to grow up around or live near. People that push you to challenge yourself but also lift you up. People that support you unconditionally and love you for exactly who you are.
Excited to meet so many new friends/nomads at a travel therapy meet-up in San Jose.
8. Push yourself out of your comfort zone to grow as a person and as a clinician
You will be challenged in all sorts of ways as a travel therapist. By work, by the lifestyle, by self-doubt and by decision fatigue.
This lifestyle is anything but “safe” or convenient and you will be pushed out of your comfort zone on the regular.
But the beauty of getting out of your comfort zone is that that’s where life is. Growth is ALWAYS on the other side of discomfort.
I’m a completely different person than I was when I started traveling.
I’m more assertive & less of a push over.
I’m a better negotiator.
I’m more focused on myself and less on others’ perception of me.
I used to be extremely self-critical and unkind to myself but now I’m the BIGGEST advocate for loving myself.
I’m healthier in mind, body and spirit.
I’m a work in progress but I love every bit of who I’m becoming.
I’m also a much better clinician than when I started as a traveling physical therapist. I was riddled with self-doubt and imposter syndrome.
But I’ve come out on the other side of all the discomfort as a confident, well-rounded and extremely valuable therapist to every rehab team I step into.
“The dream in your heart may be bigger than the environment in which you find yourself. Sometimes you have to get out of that environment to see that dream fulfilled. It’s like planting an oak sapling in a pot. Once it becomes rootbound, its growth is limited. It needs a great space to become a mighty oak. So do you.”
Not a cheesy quote person? Too bad, ‘cuz I am! Give me all the cheese please 🧀😂
9. Save up for your next big purchase
By taking travel PT contracts, we were able to pay off our campervan loan within 6 months of purchasing.
It also allowed us to book a nine-week honeymoon to SouthEast Asia.
It also allowed us to put large down-payment on our first home (not on wheels) to avoid paying PMI.
The stories go on!
Know that you can absolutely leverage your travel physical therapy salary to purchase a home, purchase a vehicle, purchase your own campervan, afford that trip you’ve been dreaming of your whole life, or to start investing.
The possibilities are endless!
10. Gain a new appreciation for home
Since becoming a travel physical therapist, my wife and I no longer take our time at home for granted.
We now hug our friends and family from back home a little tighter each time we see them.
We’ve gained a new appreciation for our upbringing.
And even though we don’t live back in Kansas anymore, we actually get to spend more total time with our family than we ever have before.
With more time and lifestyle freedom, we’ve spent the last couple of summers back home to spend time with family, build our campervan, and make tons of our college friends’ weddings.
11. Get away from toxic work culture
If you know, you know.
Working in healthcare is already stressful enough.
A toxic work culture (e.g. gossiping coworkers, bullying) or a micromanaging boss can completely ruin a job.
When you’re only working at a facility for 3 to 6 months at a time, work politics are no longer something you have to entertain.
When coworkers have tried to drag me into the drama, I usually just change the topic.
Since they know you won’t be there forever, they’ll usually leave it alone if you ignore it a couple of times.
You can just focus on what you’re there to do – help your patients – without having to deal with passive-aggressive dynamics on the daily.
12. Chase your dreams
Want to live in a campervan and travel the country? (Oh hey, that’s us!) Start your own business? Work for half the year of less? Push restart on life?
Travel physical therapy can be the catalyst that sets you on a path to create the life of your dreams.
When you’re out on your own living the nomad life, you don’t have anybody telling you that you “can’t” or “shouldn’t” do this or that.
And that’s hella empowering.
The world is your oyster when you have time and lifestyle freedom as a travel physical therapist.
Us posing with our self-built campervan, Beverly Ann the Van.
Bev posing with a view of the Grand Tetons.
13. Live somewhere you’ve always wanted to
Have you always wanted to live in Hawaii, the PNW, Florida, or Southern California? Well, here’s your sign!
I know – housing costs are ABSURD.
But as a travel physical therapist, you’ll get a housing stipend that will make these destinations seem a lot more financially attainable.
We’ve lived in California for most of my travel PT contracts (issa vibe), and yes, housing costs are high. But the higher the housing costs, the higher your housing stipend. AmIRight?!
And let’s be honest – nothing beats 65 and sunny weather in the winter. ☀️
Ready to pull the trigger on your first travel PT contract yet?!
Let’s end with this thought.
Worst case scenario – You work a contract for 3 months and hate it. You move back home & go perm. (BUT, you never have to wonder “what if”.)
Best case scenario – You work a contract for 3 months and it sets you on a trajectory that absolutely changes your life. That’s what happened for us and we’re eternally grateful.
If you need an extra push, book a coaching call with us and we’ll have you convinced in no time! During the call, we’ll help you gain the knowledge, mindset, and tools you need to become a successful traveling physical therapist from the very beginning.
