This one goes out to all of you who haven't started your travel journey yet. The ones thinking, “is this right for me?” The ones wondering “could I even do this?”
Let’s start with the basics. What is travel therapy?
Travel therapy is an amazing opportunity. You get paid to travel the country while working as an SLP. You can learn new skills, see beautiful places and make SO MUCH MONEY.
Wait, wait, wait. That’s MY travel journey (and it leaves out the bad stuff). Let’s try that again.
Travel therapy is a career opportunity that allows a speech pathologist to work short term contracts in facilities in need of assistance across the country.
That’s it. It’s just a job. But it’s different from most jobs in the sense that it’s short term (usually 13 week assignments or 9 months for schools) and that it typically has high pay due to stipends that are available for people who travel for work.
So, can it be an amazing opportunity?
Yep. But it still has downsides. Unstable market, contract cancellations, health insurance and housing hassles, and working for unethical facilities are some of the negative aspects of working as a traveler
And, can you get paid to travel the country?
Yep. You can go anywhere you want...as long as there's a job. You may travel the entire country or you may do all of your contracts in one state or area.
And, can you learn new skills?
Yep. If you want to improve your skills you can move from medical, to schools, to early intervention pretty seamlessly (with the right CEUS). But if you like the setting you work in and only want to take contracts in that setting, you can do that too!
And finally, can you make SO MUCH MONEY?
You sure can! Travel contracts are typically high paying and if the contract and housing and your personal expenses all fall into place, you can make a lot of money. But you can also lose money. Your contract might get cut halfway through and you still have to pay for your housing. Or you may go weeks or months without a job because nothing fits your criteria.
So, what’s the big picture here?
Travel therapy can be a lot of things. The beauty of it is the flexibility and the ugliness is the instability. But if you go into it knowing the risks and rewards, travel therapy can turn out to be everything you want it to be!
