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Do you live in your campervan during your travel physical therapy contracts?

It depends on:

• Short-term housing price vs the monthly RV park price in my contract location

  • If it’s going to cost about the same, we’d opt for short-term housing

  • But if it’s going to save us a significant amount of money to stay in an RV park (it usually does), we opt for that

• Weather

  • If it’s super hot, cold, or rainy, we might opt for short-term housing

  • e.g. we stayed in our van in the rainy season in northern Oregon and it was pretty miserable because we were trapped in the van the whole time (we usually have all the doors open & basically live outside when weather permits – it’s dope)

But yes, most of the time we live in the van, both while I am not working and while I am on contract.

Pro Tip: Look up short-term housing & RV park prices and weather in the area before you accept a contract so you’re not surprised & can make an informed decision

How do you duplicate expenses as a travel physical therapist in your campervan?

While I’m on contract, we pay our mortgage back home and pay “rent” at an RV park to duplicate expenses.

While I’m not working, we’re obviously still paying our mortgage, but we’re not required to pay rent (because I’m not earning tax-free stipends) and find free places to stay in our campervan.

Pro Tip: Staying in free overnight camping spots allows us to travel the U.S. at an extremely low cost while I’m not working. We used to rush back to Kansas after each assignment because of the high costs of hotels and AirBnBs to remain on the West Coast (where I take most of my assigments). Now, with the van, we can truly travel wherever we want and for however long we want. Score!

Disclaimer: We’re no tax experts, but this is our understanding of the tax laws. Refer to TravelTax to talk to the experts about your personal situation.

Is travel physical therapy possible with a pet?

Absolutely! Everything is figureoutable (thank you, Marie Forleo). 😉

We travel with our Honey Bee 🐾 and it’s very doable for us with Jazz working remotely from the van. So she just comes with us everywhere!

We’ve met several travel therapists who have been able to make it work and leave their dog at their short-term housing option during the day while they’re at work.

Pet-friendly short-term housing can be difficult to find, but it’s not impossible!

We’ve also met a traveler who lived in a driveable RV, and she would leave her dog in the RV (in mild temps only, of course), and take her dog for a walk during their lunch break.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

Do travel physical therapists earn more than permanent PTs?

FOR SURE! This is one of the main reasons you should become a travel PT!

On average, travel physical therapists earn about 1.5-2 times more than therapists in permanent staff positions.

I’ve made even more than 2x my first perm job salary at times.

My weekly take-home pay has ranged anywhere from $1,750/week to $3,300/week over the last 5 years.

How do I find travel physical therapy jobs?

The most common way to find travel PT jobs is through travel staffing companies and recruiters.

Your recruiter will provide you with a list of open travel jobs that fit your criteria (pay/setting/location), and you choose which jobs to apply for.

Click here to be connected with our most trusted recruiters!

What factors determine travel physical therapy pay?

Pay rates for travel PT jobs vary based on many factors, some of the main ones being:

• Job location –

  • Vibey destinations like San Diego, Austin, Denver, Hawaii, and other cool areas are going to pay less because they know you want to come there!

  • On the flip-side, rural and not-so-vibey destinations typically pay more because they have to in order to attract travelers to the area

• Housing cost for the area – higher housing cost = more $ allowed in housing stipend (this is why West Coast jobs typically pay more than jobs in the Midwest)

• How urgently the facility needs a PT – the more desperate they are for a PT, the higher the pay

Ultimately, the facility pays a certain dollar amount per hour to your travel agency for you to work there. The amount that you take home will depend on how big of a cut your travel agency keeps.

How do I choose where to take a travel PT contract with so many jobs available nationwide?

The “big three” to make this decision based on in travel physical therapy are: pay, setting, and location.

Rank them in order according to your “why” (basically your purpose) for becoming a travel therapist.

This will guide you in selecting from a huge list of jobs. Let your recruiter know as well so they know what your priorities are!

For example, when I first started traveling, mine were: 1.) location 2.) setting and 3.) pay. I thought I’d be traveling for just 1-2 years, so were originally wanted to live & work in really cool areas (which tend to pay lower).

5+ years later, the order of importance has completely shifted: 1.) pay 2.) setting (I now prefer to work outpatient) and 3.) location. I now realize that if I take contracts in more rural / less popular areas, these jobs tend to pay higher. The more money I earn in a contract, the less I have to work. And freedom is the ultimate goal nowadays. :)

Is it necessary to get licensed in every state I work in?

Yes, you have to be licensed in each state you plan to work as a travel PT. Licensing requirements vary state-by-state.

The PT Compact makes the licensing process much easier — check if you’re eligible for compact privileges here.

How do I find housing as a travel PT?

Finding housing can be challenging at times, but there are plenty of resources to browse short-term housing options before you decide to accept a contract (definitely make sure there are housing options before accepting a contract).

You can opt for your travel company to find housing for you, but you won’t receive a housing stipend in this case, making your pay significantly less in most cases. I recommend taking the housing stipend and finding housing on your own.

You can read about the best resources to find short-term housing here.

How does health insurance work as a travel physical therapist?

You can opt to take insurance through your travel agency. But in this case, you’ll only be covered while you’re working. And some insurance plans don’t even kick in until 30 days into your 13-week assignment. Lame, right?

I recommend signing up for a private insurance plan so you’re covered year-round (even while you’re not working) to save yourself the stress. Taking time off is a huge reason why you want to be a travel therapist in the first place, AmIRight?

You can book a call with our trusted and top-rated private insurance agent, Parita, to determine your health coverage needs and discuss plans here.

What is the average length of a travel physical therapy contract?

Most travel physical therapy contracts are 13 weeks (or about 3 months) in length.

But contract lengths can vary depending on the facility’s needs. I’ve worked anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months at a single facility.

Generally, you can’t work in a region for more than 12 months in a rolling 24-month period. If you go over the year mark, you are no longer eligible for tax-free stipends.

Can I extend a travel physical therapy contract if I like the job?

Contract extensions are extremely common.

If you love working at a facility and they enjoy having you on staff and have continued staffing needs, they’ll often offer an extension.

You can negotiate the extension to be just 4-weeks or another 13-weeks depending on how long you want to stick around.

Can I travel with another physical therapist, other healthcare worker, or my partner who works remotely?

It is definitely possible to travel as a pair.

If you’re both healthcare workers looking to take travel contracts, you will have a more limited pool of jobs to choose from since there needs to be 2 jobs available in a given area.

If your spouse isn’t in healthcare (like my wife, Jazz, who’s a remote worker), they may be able to find seasonal work in the cities you work in. Or they can be the best stay-at-home husband or wife since your pay will be so much higher. ;)