A Travel PT Series: How to Choose the Right Travel Assignment

Let’s start with the fact that the “right” travel contract depends entirely on the traveler! The right contract for you will be based on your individual goals for travel therapy. Are you looking to make as much money as possible to pay off loans or other debts? Are you interested in getting paid to travel to beautiful vacation destinations? Are you hoping to build your resume quickly with a variety of experiences so you have better negotiating power in the future?

As you can see, your motivation for pursuing travel therapy can have a significant impact on the contracts you choose. For many travelers, that motivation will actually be a combination of several factors!

After nearly 10 years as a travel therapist,

I’ll share how I decide whether a contract is the “right” one for me:

1. Am I within 90 minutes of a major airport?

I speak and teach multiple times throughout the year, so being in a super-isolated area that requires me to commute several hours to an airport is impractical for me.

Your acceptable distance from an airport may be completely different, but if you plan to travel frequently during your contract, this is something worth considering before you accept an assignment.

2. Are there safe, affordable housing options within a reasonable commuting distance?

I will often decline contracts if I cannot find safe, affordable housing within a maximum commute time of about 45 minutes. A one-way commute of more than 45 minutes cuts into my personal time by at least 90 minutes a day, which I am definitely not a fan of!

Remember, a contract with a great weekly pay package may not actually be a great-paying contract if housing costs eat up a significant portion of that income.

3. Is there at least one gym in the area with a reasonable free-weight and power-rack selection?

While I travel with bands, dumbbells, and kettlebells, I still want access to a gym where I can lift four to five days a week. An area without a gym is a deal breaker for me.

This may not matter to you at all—and that’s the point! Think about the activities, hobbies, and amenities that are important to your quality of life outside of work.

4. Are there dog daycare and boarding options in the area?

Since I travel with my rescue pups, I always make sure I have access to daycare and boarding services. I frequently travel to speak and teach, so an area where I would need to drive more than an hour to board them is impractical for me.

If you travel with pets, don’t just research whether housing is pet-friendly. Consider the entire pet-care infrastructure in the area, including veterinary care, daycare, boarding, dog walkers, and emergency services.

5. What is the overall cost of living?

I rarely accept contracts in areas with a very high cost of living because those expenses can substantially decrease my net income from the contract. Groceries, gas, housing, pet boarding, airport transportation, and other everyday expenses can quickly reduce the amount of money you actually keep each week.

Here is a real-life example:

I accepted a contract in very rural Montana in January. There was an airport about 90 miles from my contract site, which initially seemed reasonable. However, after I arrived, I learned that the closest airport frequently experienced flight cancellations during the winter because of blizzards.

As a result, I sometimes had to drive approximately six hours to the airport in Billings because it offered better flight options and was less likely to have cancellations.

There was another issue I hadn’t anticipated: driving at night in that area during the winter could be unsafe because of frequent blizzards and whiteout conditions.

To catch a flight, I sometimes had to leave the night before, drive six hours, stay overnight in an Airbnb, and then catch my flight the following day. When I returned, I often had to repeat the process!

Those unexpected expenses significantly decreased my take-home income. Every time I needed to fly, I potentially had to take a half-day off work, drive several hours, pay for gas, and pay for overnight accommodations.

These are all things to consider when choosing contracts, especially if maximizing your take-home income is one of your primary goals.

6. Are the productivity standards reasonable?

In the world of rehab and medical care, we all have to contend with productivity standards. Healthcare organizations are businesses, and businesses have to remain profitable if they want to stay open—I get that!

However, if the productivity expectations are so high that I know I won’t enjoy the position or I believe patient care could be compromised, I will decline the contract.

For example, contracts requiring 95% productivity for therapists will always be a hard pass for me. Likewise, contracts where the expectation is routinely seeing three or four patients an hour are generally a no for me.

As you work through your first few contracts, you will develop your own standards for what you consider reasonable. The important thing is to ask about productivity expectations before accepting the assignment rather than discovering them on your first day!

So, What Does the “Right” Contract Look Like for You?

As you start deciding what the “right” travel contract looks like for you, I recommend choosing three or four clinical settings that you are interested in working in. This immediately helps narrow the focus of your job search.

Once you have identified those settings, make a short list of your must-haves, nice-to-haves, and deal breakers for each one.

Your list might include things such as:

• Minimum acceptable weekly take-home pay
• Maximum housing budget
• Maximum commute
• Productivity expectations
• Distance from an airport
• Pet-friendly housing and services
• Gym or recreational opportunities
• Schedule requirements
• Weekend expectations
• Access to outdoor activities, restaurants, or entertainment
• Clinical support and mentorship

By following this process, you will have a much clearer picture of what you are actually looking for in a travel assignment. You’ll also have a solid outline of what to discuss with your recruiter and what questions to ask during your facility interview.

Remember: The highest-paying contract is always nice, but it isn’t necessarily the best contract in every single situation. If that high paying contract has a very high cost of living and you need to commute 60 miles to the contract location that could become the lowest paying contract due to out-of-pocket cost. The “right” assignment is the one that best supports the reason you decided to become a travel therapist in the first place.