Where Do Travel Nurses Stay

By gabriel

03/13/2023

Travel nursing empowers you to pursue a nursing career while exploring different places and meeting new people. However, finding short-term housing can be challenging for nursing professionals who take on work from travel nursing agencies all over the U.S.

Before your start date, pick safe and clean housing near the hospital or medical facility where you’ll work. The housing rent should fit your budget, whether or not you’ll receive a company housing stipend.

Here, we present the best travel nurse housing sites and options to make your search easier.

3 Key Takeaways

Here are three key takeaways from our travel nurse housing guide.

  1. The best housing alternative for travel nurses is a hotel with extended-stay packages since it offers cost-effective rates and abundant amenities.
  2. Travel nurses can choose from other short-term housing options like apartments, condominiums, and houses.
  3. Nurses can find suitable housing deals by browsing top vacation rental websites and travel nurse housing sites.

Extended-Stay Hotels

Pros

  • Features a kitchenette and other amenities
  • Budget-friendly travel nurse housing packages
  • Hotel security and utilities included with rental fees
  • Flexible room options
  • Multiple hotel chains to choose from

Cons

  • Not the most home-like travel nursing housing

How an Extended-Stay Hotel Works

An extended-stay facility is basically a hotel with a kitchenette in each room. However, many properties without kitchenettes misleadingly call themselves extended-stay hotels. Before booking your stay, you should always inquire whether the room has a kitchenette with a microwave, oven, refrigerator, and dishwasher.

Why Should You Pick an Extended-Stay Hotel?

For many travel nurses, extended-stay lodging has more advantages than traditional hotels. Considering that around 43,000 registered nurses (RNs) joined the travel nursing industry in 2019, these hotels are a preferable housing option due to their conduciveness for long-term stays.

Pricing

An extended-stay facility offers cost-effective pricing and value-added deals for long-term stays. To save money as a travel nurse, you may opt for a weekly or monthly furnished housing payment arrangement to get even lower rates and additional perks.

Security and Utilities

Since most hotels promote guests’ safety through hotel lobby security and private room keys, you can expect secure housing in an extended-stay facility. Unlike some privately-owned vacation rentals, the extended-stay rental fee already includes utilities.

Amenities

An extended-stay facility has furnished rooms with beds, chairs, tables, and couches. There’s also a kitchenette to cook meals and wash dishes. Each kitchenette typically includes a microwave, oven, refrigerator, sink, dishwasher, and garbage disposal. You’ll also find a private bathroom with a toilet, shower, or bathtub.

As a busy travel nurse, you may request daily or weekly housekeeping services if you won’t have time to clean your room. Some hotels also feature pet-friendly accommodations, which is crucial if you bring your dog or cat during your travel nursing assignment.

Depending on your hotel, other amenities may include:

  • Wi-Fi and high-speed internet
  • Cable television and streaming services
  • Laundry facilities
  • Gym access
  • Pool privileges
  • Recreational facilities
  • Conference rooms
  • Transportation services to airports, major landmarks, business centers, shopping malls, and local attractions
  • Parking spaces
  • Free breakfast and snacks

Room Types

Extended-stay lodgings offer different room options that vary in cost, size, and furniture package deals. Standard rooms and studios are more budget-friendly, although they’re smaller with only essential furnishing. On the other hand, suites and apartments are more luxurious and spacious but premium-priced.

The following are common room types you can select from as a travel nurse:

  • Standard: Basic furnished rooms with a twin, double, king, or queen-size bed, plus a chair, side table, and desk
  • Studio: Studio-style rooms with kitchenettes plus a bed and sofa bed
  • Suite: Junior, executive, presidential, or penthouse suites with multiple rooms
  • Apartments: Fully furnished apartment units within the hotel with private kitchens and personal laundry equipment

Regardless of the size, each private room promotes privacy by minimizing or eliminating noise from nearby rooms through wall soundproofing.

Hotel Selections

Extended-stay hotels are similar to vacation rentals since they combine the convenience of hotels with the privacy of a personal residence.

You can choose from multiple hotels if you need long-term accommodations as a travel nurse. Extended Stay America, for instance, provides weekly or monthly furnished housing with apartment-like suites, full kitchens, and free Wi-Fi. This hotel company had a total of 62,667 hotel rooms in 2020.

Other hotel chains offering extended stay packages include InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), Best Western, Hilton Hotels, Drury Hotels, Red Roof, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

What Extended-Stay Hotel Alternatives Should You Consider?

The most conducive hotels for extended stays are clean and comfortable. However, hotel rooms typically have generic designs, so you may check out other travel nurse housing options like apartments, condominiums, or houses if you prefer home-like environments.

Summary

An extended-stay hotel is ideal for traveling nurses looking for housing with economical rates, abundant amenities, and a versatile selection of rooms.

Travel Nurses: Housing Options

Other travel nurse housing options besides extended-stay hotels are available. A traveling healthcare worker like you could use apartments, condominiums, and houses.

Apartments

Pros

  • All essential housing sections included
  • Cozy atmosphere
  • Social opportunities

Cons

  • Utility bills
  • Apartment rules

How Apartments Work

An apartment is a self-contained housing unit that occupies a portion of a residential building. Each unit has a kitchen, a private bathroom, and a living area. While an apartment building belongs to a single owner, property managers are responsible for its maintenance. Although most contracts are long-term, travel nurses can find short-term leases on vacation rental websites.

Why Should You Pick Apartments?

A fully furnished apartment is a good option if you’re a traveling nurse who prefers a home-like residence. Unlike most hotels with standard corporate housing designs, apartment units have personal touches.

A suitable apartment for your travel nurse housing needs to be conducive to socialization. You become part of the community by mingling with your neighbors and attending local events.

What Apartment Alternatives Should You Consider?

Other travel nurse housing options like hotels with extended-stay deals are preferable if you desire minimal hassle. Living in an apartment comes with specific responsibilities; you’re expected to pay electricity and water fees promptly if no utilities are included in your rent.

You should also abide by the apartment building rules outlined by the property manager.

Summary

An apartment is an independent travel nurse housing unit with a home-like environment involving some responsibilities for short-term tenants like travel nurses.

Condominiums

Pros

  • Compact yet complete housing
  • Convenient amenities
  • Privately-owned units

Cons

  • Utility bills
  • Apartment rules

How Condominiums Work

A condominium is a housing complex divided into units belonging to individual property owners, and common areas are jointly owned and maintained by the various unit owners.

Why Should You Pick Condominiums?

Condominiums are suitably furnished housing options for travel nurses interested in staying in their own space. Each condo is small enough to clean easily but includes all the basic housing sections like a kitchen, private bathroom, and living area.

These furnished rentals offer suitable rooms and comfort for traveling nurses like you. Condo buildings usually have laundromats, convenience stores, and shared amenities like a gym and swimming pool.

Communicating directly with condominium unit property owners via vacation rental sites is more straightforward than with real estate companies who manage apartments. Individual owners can make independent decisions regarding short-term leases.

What Alternatives to Condominiums Should You Consider?

Try other travel nurse housing options like hotels with extended-stay packages if you want fewer responsibilities. Condominium living involves similar obligations to apartment rentals. You’ll need to pay the utility bills promptly and follow the homeowners’ association guidelines.

Summary

A condominium is a compact, convenient travel nursing housing requiring occupants to fulfill specific duties as short-term tenants.

Houses

Pros

  • Spacious
  • Potentially pet-friendly
  • Private space

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Maintenance requirements

How Houses Work

A house is a single-unit residence built on a privately-owned lot. Bungalows are one-story homes, while multi-story houses usually have two or three floors. Most home rentals involve long-term leases, although you can find a short-term lease as a traveling nurse via vacation rental websites.

Why Should You Pick Houses?

Single-detached homes are a spacious housing option if you’re a travel nurse who plans to take your family along on an assignment. Large spaces can comfortably fit you, your partner, and your children. Likewise, a roomy residence can accommodate your dog or cat if the owner allows pets.

Houses can provide you with greater privacy and less noise than smaller accommodations. Unlike apartments and condos, you don’t need to share a building with your neighbors.

What Alternatives to Houses Should You Consider?

Consider other travel nurse housing options like hotels, condos, or apartments if you don’t have any corporate housing stipends since home rental rates are usually high.

Hotels with extended-stay deals are preferable if you don’t have the time or budget to handle home maintenance responsibilities. If the owner doesn’t inspect and fix the house properly before moving in, you may take care of minor damage previous tenants left behind.

Summary

A house is an extensive housing option for traveling nurses and their families who can afford expensive rent and maintenance fees.

Best Travel Nurse Housing Sites

Top travel nurse housing sites like Furnished Finder, Airbnb, Vrbo, Travelers Haven, Tripping.com, and Apartments.com can help traveling nurses find housing in San Francisco or other U.S. states.

Furnished Finder

Pros

  • Furnished Finder specializes in travel nurse housing
  • Free housing requests
  • Verified property owners
  • No booking fees

Cons

  • 30-day minimum stays

Furnished Finder is one of the best travel nurse housing sites focusing exclusively on gypsy nurse housing needs. You may search the map or fill out the Furnished Finder housing request form to look for a short-term lease.

Furnished Finder verifies all property owners and rental listings. You must stay at least 30 days in short-term housing, but the company doesn’t charge booking fees. Furnished Finder is a dedicated travel nurse housing site, unlike other generic vacation rental websites.

Airbnb

Pros

  • User-friendly interface
  • Global housing options
  • Multiple property types

Cons

  • Optional fees by property owners
  • VAT charges in some locations

Airbnb is one of the most popular vacation rental sites that’s also ideal as a travel nurse housing website. Its simple visual interface shows short-term housing results in the U.S. and worldwide that match your preferred budget and size. Note that Airbnb hosts can charge you optional fees, while you must pay additional VAT fees in some locations.

Airbnb can effectively assist you in your housing search as a gypsy nurse if you compute your expenses carefully.

Vrbo

Pros

  • Rentals for traveling nurses
  • Well-organized property listings
  • 24/7 customer service

Cons

  • Some bookings are non-refundable

Vrbo is a vacation rental site featuring short-term rentals and round-the-clock support for traveling nurses. The 2 million properties listed are presented in an organized way to optimize your search results.

Remember to read the cancellation terms for each rental offer since not all bookings are refundable. Otherwise, Vrbo can greatly assist travel nurses in their search for comfortable and affordable housing.

Travelers Haven

Pros

  • Individual or corporate housing
  • Well-furnished housing
  • 24/7 customer support

Cons

  • 30-day minimum stays
  • Credit check

Travelers Haven offers short-term corporate housing packages for travel nurses and companies, plus round-the-clock customer service. It enables travel nursing agencies to book temporary company-provided housing for their workforce.

If you’re willing to stay at least 30 days and undergo a credit check, Travelers Haven can help you search for furnished housing as a traveling nurse.

Tripping.com

Pros

  • Search results from multiple sites
  • Worldwide properties
  • Price comparisons

Cons

  • Focuses on vacation rentals

Tripping.com is unique among vacation rental sites since it allows travel nurses to compare search results from sites like Vrbo, HomeAway, and TripAdvisor. It lets you compare prices from properties listed in over 190 countries. While it specializes in vacation rentals, it can also make your housing search as a travel nurse easier.

Apartments.com

Pros

  • Many property listings
  • Mobile app
  • Online payments

Cons

  • Platform is somewhat cluttered

Apartments.com is a housing site for travel nurses to find apartments, condominiums, townhomes, and houses from over 1 million property listings. This platform is also appropriate for tech-savvy travel nurses who prefer searching with mobile apps on their Android or iOS smartphone.

General Considerations for Finding Your Own Travel Nurse Housing

Consider these five crucial factors if you plan to find housing as a nurse in the travel healthcare industry:

  1. Price: Look for a cost-effective housing deal. The rental rate, security deposit, and booking fees should fit your budget, especially if you don’t have housing stipends to subsidize the cost.
  2. Lease Length: Pick a short-term lease matching the contract period of your travel nursing assignment.
  3. Location: Select accessible housing near the hospital, clinic, or healthcare facility you’re assigned to work.
  4. Security: Confirm what security protocols are included in the lodging to ensure your safety. Notable mentions include lobby security, keys, or passcodes.
  5. Comfort: Check customer reviews and property photos to determine whether the accommodation is clean and comfortable.

Travel Nurses and Housing Scams

Housing scams may victimize unsuspecting travel nurses through identity theft or fake deals. Follow these three precautions to avoid them:

  • Don’t wire money directly to the property owner. Instead, make payments via legitimate travel nurse housing platforms to enable you to request refunds if necessary.
  • Book housing rentals from property owners verified for safety and service quality on reputable travel nurse housing websites.
  • Report suspicious listings if you suspect a scammer has contacted you.

Housing for Travel Nurses FAQs

Do Travel Nurses Pay for Housing?

It depends. Some travel nurses must personally pay for their housing expenses, while other traveling healthcare professionals enjoy company-provided housing privileges or related stipends from their agency’s internal housing department.

How Long Does a Traveling Nurse Stay in One Place?

A travel nursing assignment typically lasts thirteen weeks; contract periods generally range from two to 26 weeks.

Can I Stay in a Hotel as a Travel Nurse?

Yes, you can stay in a hotel as a traveling nurse if you pick lodgings conducive for weekly or monthly stays. Expect lower rates and useful amenities if you book an extended-stay hotel.

Do Travel Nurses Get to Pick Where They Go?

Yes, travel nurses can request a preferred state and healthcare setting with their agency. Nonetheless, they must be flexible since the job availability in most locations and medical facilities may vary over time.

Final Words: Housing for Travel Nurses

Finding the perfect short-term housing is a big deal for many travel nurses since it affects your comfort and safety during your travel nursing assignment. While there are various housing types, we recommend an extended-stay hotel for traveling healthcare professionals for maximum value and convenience.

We hope our guide helped you discover the best housing options and sites for a travel nurse with a bright future in the travel healthcare sector.

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