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How to Find Travel Nurse Housing: 4 Options + Tips We Learned on the Road
You accepted the contract.
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You know where you’re going.
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Now there’s one pretty important question left:
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Where are you going to live for the next 13 weeks?
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For six years of travel nursing, housing logistics were mostly my department. John went to work, and I figured out how to get our family, kids, dog, and usually a giant RV from one assignment to the next.
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And if there’s one thing I learned, it’s that there is no single best way to do travel nurse housing.
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Your budget, destination, family, pets, lifestyle, and how much stuff you’re willing to haul around all play a role.
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Here are four of the most common options.
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Option 1: Furnished Housing
This is probably what most people picture when they think about travel nurse housing.
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You rent a furnished apartment, condo, house, or room for the length of your assignment.
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The big advantage is convenience.
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You show up and most of what you need is already there. Furniture, kitchen supplies, and utilities may all be included, and many properties offer monthly or short-term rental options.
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But there are a few things to watch for.
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Never assume the advertised price is your actual price.
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Look for deposits, cleaning fees, pet fees, application fees, and any other costs that can make an affordable rental suddenly not-so-affordable.
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And be careful sending large amounts of money to someone you’ve never met for a property you’ve never seen.
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One of my favorite tricks?
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Ask the owner to give you a live video tour.
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Have them walk through the property while you’re on FaceTime or another video call. It gives you a much better idea of what you’re actually renting before you hand over your money.
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Option 2: Unfurnished Housing
Unfurnished apartments can sometimes save you money, especially in areas where furnished short-term rentals are expensive.
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Of course, there’s a catch.
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You need furniture.
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Some travelers bring the basics with them. Others buy inexpensive or secondhand furniture after they arrive and sell or donate it when the contract ends.
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You may also need to set up things like electricity, water, and internet yourself.
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It takes more work, but for the right traveler and the right market, it can be worth considering.
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Option 3: Extended-Stay Hotels
Don’t automatically rule out hotels.
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Extended-stay and suite-style hotels can work really well for shorter assignments, solo travelers, or even as a temporary landing spot while you search for something more permanent.
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They may include things like:
Utilities
Wi-Fi
Housekeeping
A small kitchen or kitchenette
Fitness centers
Pools
Breakfast
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The downside?
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You’re living in a hotel room.
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That can get cramped pretty quickly, especially if you’re traveling with other people or pets.
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But there’s another reason we really like this option:
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You don’t necessarily have to secure your entire 13 weeks of housing before you arrive.
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Booking a hotel for your first week or two gives you time to learn the area and tour potential housing in person before committing.
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Option 4: RV Living
And then there’s our specialty.
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Take your house with you.
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We spent years traveling from contract to contract in an RV with our kids and dog, and for our family, there were some huge advantages.
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Our kids slept in their own beds every night.
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Our stuff stayed with us.
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Home stayed the same even when the view outside changed.
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RV living can also make the time between contracts part of the adventure instead of simply being a drive from one job to another.
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But RV life isn’t always easy.
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Some destinations have limited RV parks. Weather can make RV living uncomfortable. Space is tight.
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And RVs break.
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They all break.
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New ones. Old ones. Fancy ones. Cheap ones.
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If you’re going to travel this way, becoming comfortable with troubleshooting and problem-solving is basically part of the deal.
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Still, across 15 contracts, we always found somewhere to stay. Sometimes it just took persistence and a little creativity.
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What If You Can’t Find Housing?
First:
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Don’t panic.
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Expand your search beyond the obvious travel nurse housing sites.
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Try contacting apartment complexes directly and asking whether they’ll consider a shorter lease.
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Look for local housing groups.
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Search regular rental listings.
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Call corporate housing providers.
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Ask your recruiter whether the agency knows of housing used by previous travelers.
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And once you arrive, ask the people who actually live there.
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Your coworkers and manager may know about rentals that never appear in the places you’ve been searching online.
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Sometimes finding travel nurse housing takes persistence.
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But you have more options than it may initially seem.
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Want the Full Story?
We learned a LOT about housing while moving our family around the country for John’s travel nursing assignments.
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In this episode of Travel Healthcare 101, I break down furnished and unfurnished rentals, extended-stay hotels, RV living, scams and fees to watch for, ways to negotiate or verify a rental, and some of the tricks I used when housing was difficult to find.
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Watch Travel Healthcare 101: How to Find Travel Nurse Housing
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Housing secured?
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Bags packed?
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You’re almost there.
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Now it’s time to walk into an unfamiliar hospital and actually start your first travel nursing assignment.
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Next: How to Prepare for Your First Day as a Travel Nurse →
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