Life as a travel nurse can be tough, especially when you’re separated from your spouse or romantic partner. But have you ever considered bringing them along on your journey? If your ears perked up and your heart skipped a beat at the thought, maybe it’s time to promote your spouse or partner to your new travel buddy. Here’s a guide to travel nursing as a couple, complete with tips and tricks from a real-life travel nursing couple.
- Can I bring my romantic partner on an assignment?
- Ways to travel nurse with your partner
- 4 things to consider before traveling with a spouse
- ✨BONUS ✨ Frequently asked questions
A Guide to Travel Nursing as a Couple
Can I bring my romantic partner on an assignment?
You bet! Whether you’re married, engaged, in a serious relationship, or playing it cool, your partner is welcome on the road with you, even if they’re not a travel nurse, allied traveler, or healthcare provider.
Newlyweds Scott and Julie have been travel nursing as a couple for years, and wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Traveling as a couple is the best!” Said Julie, long-term care registered nurse (RN) and Fusion Medical Staffing travel nurse. “Scott is an amazing person and nurse, and I love being able to collaborate with him on the job.”
Related: 4 Dating Tips for Travel Nurses and Allied Health Travelers
“Traveling with a partner is wonderful,” shared Scott, long-term care RN and Fusion Medical Staffing travel nurse. “Nursing is a high-stress profession and it’s great to be able to decompress with each other. Plus, collaborating with Julie on daily nursing tasks is a highly valuable perk.”
Ways to travel nurse with your partner
When you’re travel nursing as a couple, how you approach it can depend on whether your partner is also a travel nurse.
If they are, you have the option to work with the same recruiter (which is what Scott and Julie do!), coordinate assignments at the same hospital, and even try to match your shift schedules so you can maximize your time together. Teamwork makes the dream work, and that’s what you’ll need to find assignments that fit both your needs.
But if your partner isn’t a travel nurse or allied traveler, it could look different — you may head off to work for your shifts, and then reconnect outside of work hours. Either way, the important thing is that you find a good balance that keeps you both happy and connected, no matter where the job takes you.
4 things to consider before traveling with a spouse
Your careers
Balancing both of your jobs can feel like a juggling act, but it’s all part of the adventure of travel nursing as a couple!
If you and your partner are both travel nurses, think about if the travel nursing assignments available match both of your specialties, if the facility locations work for both of you, and if you’re at the same hospital, how you work together professionally.
“Something really important to Scott and me is professionalism,” said Julie. “When we get a contract and clock in for a shift, we’re nurses first and foremost. People are obviously aware that we travel nurse as a couple, but our priority is providing high quality patient care.”
On the other hand, if your spouse isn’t a nurse, traveling together may be a little more complicated. The good news is there are options such as remote work, and luckily, there are career choices for your spouse while you’re on a travel nursing assignment.
Only you and your spouse or romantic partner know what’s best for the two of you in your relationship. So, before you hit the road as a powerhouse travel nursing couple, break down these barriers and have a deep discussion about your careers and what’s important about them to each of you. When you travel nurse as a couple, planning your next move isn’t just about your own career — it’s about making sure your partner’s career fits right in, too.
Your mode of transportation
How do you get from assignment to assignment? Plane? Train? Automobile? When you’re traveling solo, it may not require as much planning and coordination to get from place to place.
But when you add a whole other person to the mix, traveling can quickly become a complex puzzle to solve. Especially if you and your spouse need your own cars to get to and from your respective jobs.
Before you strap in for a cross-country road trip, buy your airline tickets, or Velcro your lifejacket, talk with your loved one to decide what works best for the two of you. Here are a few things to consider:
🚗 Do you both need your own car?
🚙 Can you afford to rent a car?
🚌 Is there public transportation in the city you’re going to work in?
✈️ If you fly to your next destination, how are you going to get your belongings to your new temp home?
🐶 Do you have pets to travel with?
There are several different transportation methods to help you get to your next traveling nurse assignment. But if you’re traveling as a dynamic duo, you’ll need to make sure the mode of transportation is feasible for both you and your spouse or partner.
Your temporary housing situation
Finding the right place for you and your partner to live while on assignment can make or break the entire experience. Since each of you may be able to receive free housing through your own housing stipends, you can decide if you want to find a place together and pocket the extra cash or each get your own space and use your stipends separately.
Both are great options! Living together could allow you to potentially save on living expenses and enjoy a shared space. On the flip side, living separately gives you your own space and privacy.
Regardless of your living choice, a few tips are to plan your budget carefully, coordinate your schedules to make the most of your time together, and ensure you’re both comfortable with the decided arrangements.
Where you’ll go (and what you do while you’re there)
When it comes to travel nursing as a couple, it’s important to be in on the same page about where you want to go and how you want to spend your time off while there.
For Scott and Julie, they look at what’s out there for two travel nurses in the same location and go from there to narrow down their options. Then they really think about how they’d want to spend their days off.
“We take our days off together and use them as sight-seeing days,” said Scott. “We like to look at what the area has to offer, and often the people we meet at the facilities give us great ideas! Exploring the area and finding local spots is a great way to have first-time experiences together. We want to spend time together and make the most of our travel nursing adventure.”
Before you make your decision, consider whether the area has assignments that align with your pay expectations, lifestyles, and vibes, and make sure it’s a location that you’ll both enjoy living in temporarily.
Frequently asked questions
What if my partner isn’t a travel nurse or healthcare traveler?
Even if your spouse isn’t a travel nurse, they can still join you on your travel jobs! While you’re busy working, your partner may find explore the area, work remotely, or pick up temporary gigs. On your days off, you’ll have the chance to discover new places, try local food, and make lifelong memories together. Whether you’re in a bustling city or a quiet beach town, traveling with your spouse lets you share the experience.
Can we extend our travel nursing contracts if we both like the location?
It’s a possibility! If you and your travel nurse partner love your current assignment, extending your contract could be a great way to keep your adventure going. Just chat with your travel nursing recruiter and ask if that’s an option!
What support does Fusion Medical Staffing offer to traveling couples?
The thing about traveling with us is that we’ll have your back, and your partner’s back, too.
“Having been lucky enough to help bring together two outstanding travel nurses in their own personal journey is a sense of pride all in its own, and this is all in part of why we call it the Fusion family!” Said Julie and Scott’s Fusion Medical Staffing Recruiter Matt. “Understanding and respecting one another is why we focus on building relationships. Success is not a singular act, rather a culmination of multiple members of a team, and that’s why the Fusion culture is valued most.”
Between dedicated recruiters ready to find travel nursing jobs that suit both you and your significant other to traveler experience coordinators and clinical liaisons for added support on and off assignments, we’re here for you no matter what.
“Fusion Medical Staffing was the first travel company I signed with in 2017,” Scott said. “Through the years, I’ve been treated as family by recruiters and client managers. I’ve had Matt as my recruiter for many years and I feel he has been working in my interest not just as another ‘traveler.’ He also works with Julie, and I feel like he truly wants what’s best for both of us. Fusion Medical Staffing brings family values to the travel nursing profession.”
Related: Fusion Medical Staffing is a Company That Cares. Here’s How!
“Fusion Medical Staffing embodies family within their core values and having Matt as a recruiter certainly makes us feel like we’re taken care of,” Julie said. “I feel fully supported as a nurse on assignment and not just someone making money for the company. I would absolutely recommend Fusion Medical Staffing to anyone that comes my way.”
Travel nursing with your significant other is an adventure that combines career growth with personal connection. From navigating the highs and lows of travel nursing together to discovering hidden gems in each new locations, this shared experience can strengthen your bond and create lasting memories. The only thing that could make it even better is to travel with us!
