Becoming a Travel SLP

When I graduated with my Master’s degree in speech-language pathology, I wasn’t sure which setting I wanted to work in, but I did know that the idea of working in one place for 30+ years before retiring was not what I wanted. In fact, I was barely 2 months into my CF year when I realized that I needed a change. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great job, at a great location, with some great coworkers, but deep down, I knew I wanted more. That’s when I discovered travel therapy. I had heard about travel therapy in grad school, but it always seemed like this too good to be true, unrealistic goal that I wouldn’t be able to reach. However, I took some time to research and came across a Facebook page “Travel Therapy Therapists,” and to my surprise, it was filled with over 7,500 people who were either already traveling therapists or they were dreamers like me wanting to learn more.

I spent hours reading through the posts and just soaking up information. It did not take long for me to buy in to this whole idea of traveling around the country, working 13+ week contracts, and getting compensated extremely well for doing so. I wanted this life so bad: I could feel it in my bones. For the duration of my CF year, I studied the industry. I read blogs, watched videos, and followed the Facebook page religiously. I learned so much valuable information that paid off when it came time for me to make a big, scary decision: Do I pursue travel therapy?

*Pause* For those of you who do not know much about travel therapy, let me back up a little bit. Sometimes, it is difficult for facilities around the country to staff therapists due to a shortage. I mean, there are so many facilities (schools, hospitals, clinics, SNFs, etc.) who need therapists and there just aren’t enough to go around. However, they have to be able to provide services to their clients anyways. So, they work with staffing agencies in order to find therapists around the country to come to their site. Contracts are usually for 13 weeks, but they can be shorter or longer, depending on the need. Once a contract is agreed upon, the therapist moves to that location to fill the need.

That seems like a lot of work to move across the country to fill a job. Why would a therapist want to do that?

Ah ha! You see, this is when it gets good for us traveling therapists. Not only do we get to travel and explore the country (sign me up!), but we also get to experience new settings, broaden our skill set, and my favorite: tax free stipends! This is what makes it worth it and what made our decision to pursue travel therapy 100% worth the effort. When you are a traveling professional, if you maintain a tax home, you are able to qualify for tax-free money. There’s a lot that goes into explaining it, but I’ll just leave it at this: My husband and I both quit our local jobs to travel, and yet, we are still making more on my travel salary alone. Sure, he still finds work while we are on assignment: We are big on saving and making finically smart decisions so why should he not work? Sounds too good to be true? That’s what I thought too, but it’s not! *Play*

I’m blessed to have a husband who is trusting, adventurous, and maybe a little crazy that he would trust my ludicrous dreams. He left an amazing job with Winshape (Chick-fil-a’s nonprofit) in order to make this journey with me. However, it has paid off! Sure, we have had some stressful times getting to this point (No joke, one of our cars died the day before we were supposed to drive across the country—so we had to buy a new car the night before our departure), but the outcome has been so worth it. As if there weren’t enough reasons to take the leap, one thing we love about our new life is that after an assignment is completed, we can take off as long as we’d like. We love traveling, not just for work but for pleasure, so once an assignment has ended, we can travel as long as we’d like without having to worry about having enough vacation time (yuck). If we want to travel Europe for 2 months…we have the freedom to do it (by the way, who wants to watch our dog, Lady, for 2 months ;) kidding). The beauty of it is that I get to decide when and where to take an assignment which results in freedom that a permanent job couldn’t provide.

I landed my first travel assignment in San Luis Obispo, California. I’m in a great setting with great coworkers. Yeah, the first month was tough getting acclimated to a new place and new protocols, but that would come with any new job. Also, I’ve been to California before, but wow! This place has been nothing short of amazing. It is beautiful, every day is a perfect day, it never rains, and we have enjoyed 55-70 degree weather while our families back home have been battling the 90 degree Georgia heat. We are surrounded by mountains, but the beach is a 10-minute drive away. We are surrounded by yummy restaurants, outdoor activities, and endless weekend trip possibilities. We have also landed at a great church where the people have loved us and made us feel so welcome. It’s crazy to think that if I had not pursued this crazy dream, I would not be sitting outside of my Californian suite overlooking the rolling hills and vineyards while writing this blog. Even typing that just overwhelms me a bit.

I have only scratched the surface of what travel therapy is and how it works, but if you’re not a traveling professional, I hope this helps explain what I do and why. If you’re a therapist thinking about joining the travel world: I highly encourage you to pursue it. Join the Travel Therapy Therapists page and soak up the information. I do not claim to know everything by any means, but I have gained so much knowledge I would love to share. If you have questions or would like more information on a certain topic, share them in the comments section below. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy the California sun and think about where our journey will take us next.