Whether you manage to stay in one place for a whole year or change cities and contracts every few months, travel nurse housing is complicated. It’s not across the board that travel nurse agencies have much to offer in the way of housing or even help finding housing, so it’s largely left up to you. As the field has grown, so have the opportunities for renting furnished housing which helps, but it’s a different kind of housing search and set up once you get there.

do I need to find furnished housing?

Most often, travel nurses choose to find their own furnished housing when on contract. At times agencies may have housing to offer, but the travel nurse would have to forego the housing stipend to qualify for this. Since travel nurses are largely limited to working one year in any given city/area, going for furnished housing ends up being the easiest and even possibly the most cost-effective option.

That said, it’s not a requirement. If you’re hoping to stay in one place for a full year (either by renewing your contract or getting new ones in the area) then you may prefer to move all your things with you each year. There are also some other options that I’ll get into a bit more below.

the positives of furnished housing

traveling light

When it comes to moving often, packing light is essential…or at least very helpful. Minimalism can be tough, but it’s nice to not have to drag around all of your belongings when travelling around the country. There are also many positives to learning to pack light and live a bit more minimalistic.

a homey atmosphere

Oftentimes, though not always, furnished homes being rented out to travel nurses have more than just the essentials. Most of the places we’ve lived in so far have felt lived in and homey, due to personal touches here and there from the owners. Any place that is well/fully furnished will have some element of hominess that may be missing if you’re living a busy, minimalistic life moving every year.

financially advantageous

This is certainly not across the board, but I do believe that finding furnished housing can actually be financially advantageous a lot of the time. Moving isn’t cheap, especially furniture and large items. When Dan and I moved back to the US from Montreal we looked into all different options for how to get all of our things back across the border, and they were all expensive.

Assuming you have the time and energy to do all of the labor and driving yourself, it won’t be too crazy but you’ll have to factor in things like gas, packing supplies, and renting a UHaul.

the negatives of furnished housing

you never know what you’ll get

This is a tough one that drives me crazy for a good week or two each time we move to a new furnished place. You never know what you’ll get in terms of kitchen supplies, cleaning supplies, etc. The kitchen supplies are the toughest (in my opinion) and so far we’ve always had to go buy one or two things to supplement what’s there. For us this has been things like a cutting board, can opener, mop, extra Tupperware, etc.

This issue could be avoidable if you really want to get into the details about what is included in the furnished rental. It’s not a bad idea to have a list of what is absolutely essential to you so that you can ask if the apartment has it. That said, I wouldn’t necessarily consider a can opener an essential that I would be sure to ask every potential landlord about, but just know that you’ll likely run into small frustrations like that.

you will miss your things

Living minimalistic isn’t for everyone, dare I say it’s not for most? Even if you are particularly minimalistic, travel nursing will likely be a stretch for you. You’ll miss your furniture, your bed especially, your art, or your kitchen aid, your extensive book or movie collection, etc. There’s a lot you give up when choosing to live the life of a travel nurse, but there’s so much reward too. Instead of spending so much time on your desktop or watching your movies, get out and explore the new place where you’re stationed! At the same time, make sure to cut yourself some slack, especially at the beginning, as it’s tough leaving behind all of your favourite things.

the expense

Furnished housing is more expensive than unfurnished. That’s pretty much across the board, although there are some affordable options out there. Especially if you’re willing to go the studio route, you can end up spending at least far less than what your housing stipend it. That said, be prepared to find rents in some places as high as $2,000 or even $3,000 per month. Thankfully rent for a furnished rental is nearly always all-inclusive (parking, utilities, wifi, etc.), but depending on the location and time of year you could end up stuck paying the big bucks.

are there options other than agency housing or furnished rentals?

Now that we’ve talked a little about the two most common options for travel nurse housing, let’s get into the more funky alternatives. You may think you would never do something like this, but let me tell you. If you start moving every three months as a travel nurse, you’ll probably end up considering it.

Some travel nurses manage to keep the same living situation the entire time they travel nurse, from place to place. You probably can see where I’m going now. RV-living isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you think about it you end up skipping basically all the negatives of furnished housing with this option. After the initial cost of buying (and renovating perhaps?) the RV, your expenses will likely be far less no matter where in the country you’re going. You would know what you’re getting because you’re the one who furnishes it! And you get to bring many more of your things along.

Alternatively, my mom has always wanted to renovate a school bus to make it into a travelling home and it is absolutely incredible what some people have done with this idea. I saw one online once that had a working fireplace in the bus…crazy! That one melted me (pun intended) – how cozy would that be? This is obviously a huge undertaking, whether it’s an RV and learning how to drive and operate it, or a renovated school bus. But if you’re up for it, it could be incredible and the adventure of a lifetime.

travel nursing with pets – is it possible?

Yes yes yes! Don’t get me wrong, it’s tough. The options for pet-friendly furnished housing are limited so you’ll probably end up paying more. It’s also a good amount of work “pet-proofing” each rental to keep the furniture safe. Your travel options while on contract are somewhat limited unless you want to pay big money for pet boarding. That said, we’re so happy we brought our two cats along with us travel nursing and wouldn’t change it! Check out more of our travel nurse housing resources below including some specific to bringing pets with you travel nursing!

our housing resources

• How to Avoid Housing Scams While Travel Nursing
• How to Find Housing While Travel Nursing
• Finding Housing While Travel Nursing with Pets
• Travel Nursing with Cats