What is Travel Physical Therapy?
On a boat ride in Dubrovnik, Croatia. We thought this 2-week Eurotrip was our “last hurrah” before adulthood. 3.5 years later & we’re full-time travelers.
You’ve probably heard of travel nursing before.
But did you know that physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, physical therapist assistants, occupational therapist assistants, and speech-language pathologist assistants can travel as well?
You heard that right – you CAN get paid to travel the United States as a travel therapist.
How amazing is that?!
I know… Leaving your job, friends, family, house, and everything you’ve ever known behind probably sounds scary AF.
But taking the leap of faith, leaving our ordinary 9-5s, and diving into the travel therapy world is the best decision we’ve ever made.
Taking that first leap led to many more leaps & accomplishments throughout our last 3.5 years of full-time travel, including:
Paying off my student loans just 1.5 years after graduating
Going on a nine-week honeymoon to Southeast Asia
Taking extended periods of time off to travel the U.S. – I only worked six months out of the year as a travel PT in 2019, 2020, and 2021!
Building and paying off our first home – our beloved campervan
Buying our first home (not on wheels), which we rent out for passive income and live in for part of the year
… All while having the absolute time of my life with my little travel family.
We wouldn’t have been able to accomplish so much in such a short time without the travel physical therapy lifestyle.
So we’ve made it our mission to help you become a travel therapist and build the life you’ve always dreamed of!
Now let’s give you the run-down.
What is travel physical therapy?
Travel therapists are clinicians who fill a temporary staffing need at a hospital, clinic, or school.
Travel contracts are typically 13 to 26 weeks (about three to six months) at a time.
As a travel therapist, you can work in most states and in all therapy settings.
You can opt to adventure the U.S. as a travel therapist or travel locally within your home state.
Why do they need a travel therapist?
They must be a sh*tty facility if they can’t hire or retain permanent staff, right?
Wrong.
Those nightmare travel physical therapy jobs you hear about definitely exist, but you can steer clear of them by asking the right questions during the interview.
Facilities need travel therapists for all kinds of reasons, some being:
Staff therapists can’t manage the current caseload
The clinic had an influx of referrals they can’t keep up with
Housing costs are crazy high in the area (travel therapists can afford it but perm staff can’t)
A permanent staff member had a baby or is on temporary leave
A permanent staff member (or multiple) just quit / changed jobs
Staff members are on strike
They’re usually trying to hire permanent staff but not having any luck at the time of your contract.
So keep in mind that you’re doing the staff a favor by showing up and lending them a helping hand (AKA lightening their caseload).
How does travel physical therapy work?
Travel therapists work with travel physical therapy agencies & healthcare recruiters to gain access to jobs across the U.S.
The process of landing travel therapy physical therapy contracts may seem overwhelming at first. But once you’ve taken a couple contracts, it’s no sweat.
Let’s break down the process from potential travel PT to your first job here:
Gather the courage to quit your staff PT job (or dive in fresh out of school) & become a travel therapist. Let us know if you need help with this step here.
Connect with a travel physical therapy recruiter. We recommend getting started with 2-3 recruiters. Click here to get connected with a couple of our favorite, most trusted recruiters.
Your recruiter(s) shows you what therapy jobs are available throughout the U.S.
Build a profile with your recruiter(s) to submit to jobs
When a job catches your eye, tell your recruiter to submit your profile
If the facility likes what they see, you’ll get called for a phone interview. Typically within 24-48 hours.
You nail your interview and they offer you the position. Learn what interview questions to ask and tips/trips to ace your interview here.
If you’re into it, you accept the job offer
Condense your belongings, pack up your things, drive to your assignment location, and secure short-term housing near your workplace
Go to work and do your job for 13-weeks (just like a staff therapist)
Get paid weekly – usually every Friday. Score!
Once your contract is coming to a close, ask your recruiter(s) to send you what jobs are available. We recommend you start looking for your next gig about 6 weeks out from your next anticipated start date.
Depending on your financial situation and goals, you either:
Extend your contract at your current facility (if you love it / if they need you)
Pack your stuff up and head to the next assignment
Take a couple of weeks/months off
Does it sound too good to be true? ‘Cuz it’s not!
This is our life and we LOVE it.
Not too overwhelming yet, right? If this seems like a lot, book a coaching call with us to put your worries at ease. You got this – we promise!
Can I travel as a new grad?
You absolutely can! We know many people who have done it and thrived!
If you are confident in your clinical skills, you’ll do great.
We recommend taking your first travel job in a setting you’re familiar with from clinical experiences because 1.) they’ll be more likely to hire you with some student experience and 2.) you’ll be expected to ramp up to a full caseload quicker than you would in a permanent position.
I personally got one year of experience before I started traveling, which was great, but that was unintentional – I didn’t know travel therapy was in the cards.
Starting your first job will be a LOT whether you’re going to be a permanent staff member or a traveler. Might as well make bank and start chipping away at those student loans while you do it. 🤑
Plus, you’ll have a friend and mentor in us to help you through it! 💯
I would just strongly recommend asking about expectations with orientation/training, caseload build-up, if there will be other therapists at your job site to answer questions, etc. Read more about acing your first travel therapy interview/making sure you don’t land in a sketchy facility here.
How can I become a travel physical therapist?
1. Establish your tax home
If you plan to accept tax-free per diems as a travel therapist, you’re required to maintain a tax home.
We aren’t tax experts, so contact Travel Tax to hear from experts themselves.
If you don’t want to worry about setting up your tax, you can opt to travel with your full paycheck taxed (including housing/meal stipends).
2. Get licensed
In order to work as a physical therapist in a state, you have to get licensed in that state.
If your home state is a part of the PT Compact, congrats! Getting licensed in multiple states will be an easy process for you.
We recommend getting licensed in 2-3 states to start to diversify your job options as a traveler.
If you have any interest in going to California, we highly recommend getting this license (even though it’s a time-consuming & expensive one). There are ALWAYS travel jobs in Cali (even when the market crashes) and many of them are high-paying.
Don’t forget to save all your receipts so you can submit them for license reimbursement.
3. Connect with recruiters and land a job
Get connected with our favorite, trusted recruiters here. We recommend working with 2-3. Be transparent and tell them that you’re working with multiple recruiters from the start.
And if they’re not okay with that, run the other way! There are plenty of fish in the sea. 😁
Read more about the process of landing a job above.
4. Onboard with your agency
Once you formally accept a job offer, it’s time to onboard.
Be prepared to do a background check, drug screen, physical, bloodwork, skills checklists, and whatever else they require. Your agency will usually have an onboarding specialist that will set these appointments up for you.
It’s also a good idea to save all your important documents (e.g. immunization records, flu shot, BLS card, therapy licenses, driver’s license, etc.) to a Google Drive folder so you can have them on hand to send when they ask for them.
5. Relocate to your job location and find short-term housing
Enjoy the drive to your new home, see some sights along the way, and get excited about all the adventures that are ahead!
Don’t forget to look into short-term housing before you get there.
You can also look into buying or building your own tiny home on wheels for a consistent place to call home.
6. Kick ass during your 1st contract
Bring massive value to the facility, develop your clinical skills, and grow personally & professionally from getting out of your comfort zone.
7. Never stop ‘cuz you love your life 😂
We said we were going to travel for 1-2 years when we first started, and now that’s just laughable.
This full-time travel lifestyle has set our souls on fire.
We want to help you create the life of your dreams, too.
If we haven’t convinced you yet, hop on a FREE, no-strings-attached travel therapy coaching call with us here.
We’ll have you convinced in no time! 😉
Are you fired up about travel therapy yet?!
Click the posts below to learn more about the ins-and-outs of the travel therapy life!
Travel Physical Therapy — What You Need to Know, Part 1
