

A good friend of mine recently became a travel nurse, and since then she's been able to live in 4 different cities and meet new people - all while having a housing stipend and a pretty nice paycheck too.
If you're looking for a career that will let you travel the country (or even the world depending on the agency), becoming a travel nurse is a viable option.
However, just like any career, being a travel nurse isn't perfect. As this career field is becoming more popular, there have been more talk about the benefits of being a travel nurse, but not enough real talk around this profession. Recently, we were able to catch up with 5 travel nurses and they shared information about their work experience and the things that they wish they would've known before becoming a travel nurse.
*Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Breanna Mays
Courtesy of Breanna Mays
Number of Year(s) as a Travel Nurse: 1
Current Assignment: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Favorite Assignment: Washington, D.C.
The Hiring Process:
"After many Google searches, reading travel nurse blogs, and frequent postings on travel nurse FB groups I landed the best agency for my needs at the time. However, I quickly learned that having multiple agencies in my back pocket usually serves me better in the long run. This provides me the opportunity to negotiate contracts and ensures that I am getting optimum pay and accommodations during my stay."
What She Wished She Knew About Changing Locations & Switching Hospitals:
"When I finally made the decision to work contracts at different hospitals around the U.S., I quickly learned that every facility was not the same. Of course that sounds like a pretty obvious fact but realizing every hospital's policies and procedures varied from place to place was definitely an adjustment. Learning how to take care of patients with different levels of acuity was the easy part."
Lessons She's Learned:
"One of the most important things I've learned was oddly enough one of the things I was actually prefaced with before becoming a travel nurse. Sometimes loneliness settles in without warning or contrition. Moving to new places is great, but not knowing a single person within a 1200-mile radius can be quite an unsettling feeling. However, the time for self-discovery is truly limitless during these times. I have learned to embrace the quiet times but I have definitely learned when to speak up when I needed to see a familiar face."
Her Advice to Aspiring Travel Nurses:
"One piece of advice I would give anyone aspiring to work as a travel nurse is to remember that flexibility is a necessary attribute. Nothing is always set in stone. Contracts/shifts get cancelled, pay is not the same in every location, safe and affordable housing can be hard to find, and floating to other units in the hospitals can become routine. Before booking your contracts, remember that you are your best advocate. Do not settle for less than your worth when negotiating contracts and do not settle when recruiters don't seem to be working in your best interest."
Colea Owens
Courtesy of Colea Owens
Number of Years as a Travel Nurse: 3
Current Assignment: Dallas, Texas
Favorite Assignment: Dallas, Texas
The Hiring Process:
"When I started travel nursing, I was so excited to begin traveling that I took the first offer that was given to me. Travel nursing has extremely complicated packaging. You get a base rate which is taxed and paid by the company and a per diem food and travel stipend rate which is untaxed and paid by the government. I had let my recruiter convince me to take an extremely low base rate in order to have a higher per diem rate. For companies, they can pocket a higher overhead because they are taking less money to pay you since the majority of your income comes from the government stipend. It may not be illegal but it's definitely unethical. I had naively fallen into the trap, but thank God I learned early and never made that mistake again."
What She Wished She Knew About Changing Locations & Switching Hospitals:
"Switching new hospitals is fun and I enjoy meeting new people and exploring new locations. I wish I would have known that staff are sometimes very critical of travel nurses. You have to really work hard to prove yourself and be considered a part of their team, particularly because they may resent that you make more or have the flexibility in your lifestyle that they don't have. You also may get the harder patients and most difficult assignments. Be ready to jump right in, be a team player, and don't complain!"
Lessons She's Learned:
"People think travel nurses have it easy and make all this money. In reality, you may make more but you have a different set of challenges. You don't always know if you will have another assignment lined up and your current contract can get cut at any moment. You are also the first one to get floated or canceled for a shift, so you lose hours. You are also held to higher standards than the staff nurses or anyone else. When I was driving 17 hours to my assignment in Dallas, I had to pull over in Tennessee to do a mandatory stroke scale certification that they gave me less than 6 hours to complete or my contract would be cancelled! It was 9 at night and I was on the road looking for a place with internet so I could comply. Be ready for all challenges!"
Her Advice to Aspiring Travel Nurses:
"One piece of advice I would tell aspiring travel nurses: set a standard and negotiate your pay. After my first assignment, I didn't take less than $20/hr for a base rate (remember base isn't your take-home rate) which is a safe zone for auditing and other government items. I got a tax accountant to cover my numbers. I knew the tax laws in each state I traveled to. And I didn't submit information to a recruiter until they sent me a pay package I liked."
Reneisha Walker
Courtesy of Reneisha Walker
Number of Years as a Travel Nurse: 5
Current Assignment: Birmingham, Alabama
Favorite Assignment: Northern California
The Hiring Process:
"When I first began traveling, I traveled within my state of Alabama. I did not go through a travel company. Instead, I took an internal contract with the hospitals. I prefer to do it that way. I can stay in the comfort of my own state and make double the amount of money. You don't have a low hourly rate, like if you go through an agency, which I prefer because I like to work a lot of overtime. If the facility is close enough, I can stay in the comfort of my own home or with a friend. When I travel out of state, I use an agency. I have used several different agencies and most are pretty much the same. I just compare the jobs and pay packages available and choose the best one for me."
What She Wished She Knew About Changing Locations & Switching Hospitals:
"Research your cost of living. If you still have a home to maintain, is it going to be worth going to another state and having to find somewhere to live and rent a car if you don't get yours shipped? Travel companies give you the option of taking a tax-free stipend or letting them find housing for you. It's best to take the stipend and find your own housing. But before you take any assignment, look on sites like Airbnb, Craigslist, and travel nurse housing, and see how much it will cost you to move there. Do a budget of how much you will make there, subtract how much it cost to live there, then compare that to how much you already make. If I am leaving the comfort of my home, the magic number for me is always double what I'm currently making. Have a set number in mind when you talk to recruiters and don't take anything less than that."
Lessons She's Learned:
"A misconception that I hear all the time is that you can't travel with your family or if you have a family. Definitely not true. I have friends who bring their whole family with them on assignments and they get to enjoy a new city with their loved ones. I only travel out of state during the summer, so that my daughter can come with me or stay with her grandparents. If you have children and you want to travel, find other nurses with kids as well and split housing."
Her Advice to Aspiring Travel Nurses:
"Some of the staff at hospitals will not like you because you are coming in to do their job and make twice as much. They label travelers as incompetent very quickly if you don't go in on your p's and q's. They will even try to get your contract cancelled. It's best to stay to yourself and take great care of your patients."
Deanna Wallace
Courtesy of Deanna Wallace
Number of Years as a Travel Nurse: 4
Current Assignment: Houston, Texas
Favorite Assignment: Houston, Texas
The Hiring Process:
"The interview process as a travel nurse is always different with each location I apply to. I usually apply directly through a staffing agency. A recruiter calls me back to go over the details of what I am looking for, and the details of the jobs they have available. When the managers are available, they will call to interview you. During the hiring process, I feel like the hardest part is being available when the manager tries to call for the interview. Sometimes you are at work, and you can't answer the phone. Due to that, I sometimes lose out on that job because there are 10 other nurses that the manager is interviewing that same day. By the time I am able to get the manager back on the phone, they have already hired someone else. I would recommend setting a time and date on an off day so you can give the best answers possible for your interview. If you have to do your interview while you're at work, you should definitely do the interview on your lunch break to avoid distractions."
What She Wished She Knew About Changing Locations & Switching Hospitals:
"I wish someone had told me before I started travel nursing to pack lighter. Whenever it is time to move, I always regret having so many items to pack back up. Pack light but also remember to pack enough clothes for when the weather changes from hot to cold, outfits to explore the city, or a beach day to relax. Be ready to explore each new city to build memories because you may never visit that city again."
Lessons She's Learned:
"One misconception about travel nurses that I have found is the same at each hospital is that travel nurses are lazy, we never want to help staff nurses, and that we aren't as smart as the staff nurses. My advice to you is to just continue to be a great nurse as you have always been. Do not let anyone's opinion of travel nurses put you down when you know you're doing an awesome job. With travel nursing you will have to always prove that you are a good nurse through excellent patient care, helping out other staff nurses, and communicating well with the doctors."
Her Advice to Aspiring Travel Nurses:
"The best advice I can give to any nurse looking to start travel nursing is to make sure to pack light, make new friends with staff nurses and travel nurses to explore the city with, save money each time you get paid, and travel to one new country or city each time you take a break in between assignments. Trust me, you won't regret it."
Leia Osbourne
Courtesy of Leia Osbourne
Number of Years as a Travel Nurse: 4
Current Assignment: San Diego, California
Favorite Assignment: Both Los Angeles and San Diego, California
The Hiring Process:
"One challenge about the hiring process is keeping up with current assignments and getting references! Sometimes it is hard to get a reference from a charge nurse or manager that you have worked with temporarily, but you need one to move on to the next assignment."
What She Wished She Knew About Changing Locations & Switching Hospitals:
"Not every hospital is travel-friendly. You would think that if the hospital needs help with staffing needs, that employees would be grateful...but not always. You need tough skin, and need to know how to advocate for yourself and navigate the system if anything happens (such as a canceled contract/wrongful termination, unpaid wages, housing difficulties, etc.)."
Lessons She's Learned:
"A misconception about travel nurses is that we are rich because we travel! There are definitely ways to secure the bag as a travel nurse, but we have bills, families to take care of, and expenses just like everyone else."
Her Advice to Aspiring Travel Nurses:
"Be flexible, shop around for the best pay package (you don't have to accept the first offer), save and invest your money. And don't be afraid to say "no" to a recruiter, assignment, pay package, manager, or anything/anyone else that is not in your best interest."
If you're interested in becoming a Travel Nurse, be sure to take note of the tips above! If you're a Travel Nurse and would like to share your experience, tweet us at @xonecole.
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- Top 10 Benefits of Being a Traveling Nurse | Rasmussen College ›
- Requirements to Become A Travel Nurse - 2019 NurseJournal.org ›
- 10 Excellent Pros (and Cons) of Travel Nursing Careers ›
- 10 Ways to Prepare for a Career in Travel Nursing - 2019 ... ›
- Considering Travel Nursing? 7 Things You'll Need to Decide ›
- 5 Requirements To Become A Travel Nurse | Travel Nursing ›
- 10 Steps to Become a Travel Nurse » BluePipes Blog ›
- How to Become a Travel Nurse - 2018 Guide | All Nursing Schools ›
- 20 Questions: What You Need to Know About Travel Nursing Jobs ›
- Trust Me, I'm a Traveler: 7 Things Only a Travel Nurse Would Know ›
Brittani Hunter is a proud PVAMU alumni and the founder of The Mogul Millennial, a business and career platform for Black Millennials. Meet Brittani on Twitter and on the Gram at @BrittaniLHunter and @mogulmillennial.
Eva Marcille On Starring In 'Jason’s Lyric Live' & Being An Audacious Black Woman
Eva Marcille has taken her talents to the stage. The model-turned-actress is starring in her first play, Jason’s Lyric Live alongside Allen Payne, K. Michelle, Treach, and others.
The play, produced by Je’Caryous Johnson, is an adaptation of the film, which starred Allen Payne as Jason and Jada Pinkett Smith as Lyric. Allen reprised his role as Jason for the play and Eva plays Lyric.
While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Feature image by Leon Bennett/WireImage
Okay, so I’ve got a question: When was the last time that you friend-zoned someone? Uh-huh, don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about either because, if you live long enough on this planet, you’ve probably encountered at least one male guy who you knew wanted more than friendship from you. Thing is, you didn’t feel the same way, although you may not have been as direct about that as you should be either because you wanted to keep the friendship intact (good) or you wanted to get the benefits of his feelings for you (not good; that is manipulation) — and so, you friend-zoned him.
Along these same lines, next question: When’s the last time that you friend-zoned yourself? This is an angle on the whole friend-zoning thing that I don’t think is tackled enough. Oh, but it’s real because I know quite a few women (and even a couple of men) who end up being seen as just a friend, time and time again, and it’s (mostly) because they make certain moves that cause people to look at them that way.
If you’re sick of always being seen as not just one guy but most guys’ favorite friend, and you’re wondering how to change that, check out the following six points. If more than a couple of ‘em apply, the bad news is that friend-zoning yourself is exactly what you are doing. The good news is that now you know what to do about it.
You Self-Sabotage Potential Dating Opportunities
Pop the Balloon, boy. As I’ve been watching the show evolve to things like being featured in Saturday Night Live (you know, as a skit) to the host Arlette getting sponsorship deals like her one with Fashion Nova to Netflix picking it up (for a live version), you’ve definitely got the give the YouTube series its props. And when it comes to this topic, the reason why the show came to mind is I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched it and seen people self-sabotage opportunities.
For instance, once I saw a man pop his own balloon because a woman said that she prefers tall men, and he was right under 6’. Another time, I saw a woman pop her balloon because the guy said that he wants a spiritual person and she assumed that he meant a Christian.
And you know what? People who friend-zone themselves oftentimes do the same thing “in the real world” because they will determine that they are not someone’s type based on (for example) who they’ve seen them date before or because they decided that someone wouldn’t see them as a potential match (without actually knowing that for sure). In their mind, the person they are interested in is “out of their league,” so they give off the energy that never conveys that they are interested in being seen as more than a friend.
How do I know this? Because I once did it with a guy from my past back when I was in college. When I first met him, I thought he was so attractive, and so I simply assumed that there wasn’t a chance for anything serious that I conveyed that to him after a few phone conversations, that while I was down for a sexual dynamic, I didn’t want to be more than friends.
Fast forward to years of coitus and friendship going down while I was low-key feeling resentful that it didn’t end up going past that. When I brought it up, know what he said to me? “Shellie, you never gave me the opportunity to see you as anything else. Don’t blame me for keeping up the end of the bargain that you set.” And because I like to take accountability for my ish, I have to admit that he’s spot-on right.
Moral to the story with this one is this: sometimes you think that predetermining how someone is going to see you is the way to keep from potentially getting hurt. Here’s the thing about that, though — unfortunately, more times than not, all you’re doing is getting in your own way. If you’re deciding how someone should feel about you, that is a form of self-sabotage — and a definite way to end up friend-zoning yourself.
You Tell Everyone and Their Grandma That You’re Only Seen As Guys’ Friend
There is someone I know who, well, I don’t think she’s ever had a boyfriend before — and she’s good, GOOD, and grown at this point. I do know that she’s liked quite a few people, and no one has really taken her seriously, though. There are a couple of reasons why (because some of the men have told me directly); however, the main one is because she has told pretty much anyone who will listen that she is seen as the homie for men for so long that her words have created her own reality.
In other words, she is the living meaning of the quote, “Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny” (Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said that).
That said, although science is forever conducting research on whether or not emotional energy is indeed “contagious,” what we do know is something called emotional contagion is quite real; it’s what happens when you are around someone and you end up picking up on their body language and then mirroring/imitating it, sometimes without even noticing. Now think about that from the angle of what we’re discussing in this article.
If you’re around a guy and all you’re sending off is “just friend” vibes, there’s a good chance that even if a guy thinks you’re attractive, he may give you the same energy because he’s mirroring what you are doing. Or even if he was potentially interested in you, if all you talk about is how you’re every guy you know’s BFF — he may take that as meaning that you don’t want to be anything else…or more.
Remember that quote — your thoughts ultimately can become your destiny if you’re not careful. I mean, if you want to ultimately be every guy’s confidant about some other woman, hey have at it. If not…emotional contagion is real. What kind of body language and conversation are you giving off…that the men around you just might be…mirroring?
You Tend to Play Down Your Femininity (and Sensuality)
This year, the rom-com Just Wright(Queen Latifah, Common, Paula Patton) turns 15 (time, boy). Although it’s been a hot minute since I’ve watched it, I thought about how much Queen Latifah’s character, Leslie, helps to make this particular point. And while we’re here, although it might seem like Paula Patton’s character, Morgan, was the “villain,” actually Leslie’s mom (played by Pam Grier) is who irked me most of all.
I say that because, while Leslie was definitely a tomboy, it’s almost like her mom never really encouraged her to explore her more feminine and sensual side — and to me, that, is what made it initially difficult for Common’s character Scott to not see her as much more than “one of the boys.” Because clearly if there was absolutely no physical chemistry or connection, sex wouldn’t have ultimately gone down, and he wouldn’t have eventually ended up with Leslie (because who wants to be in a long-term relationship with someone whom they aren’t physically attracted to)?
I don’t know about y’all, but I know some “Leslies.” They might not be the traditional kind of pretty (whatever that means these days); however, they are definitely beautiful in their own right. Thing is, it can be hard to see them as “sexy” on any level because they’re always in some jeans and kicks and dapping guys up. Oh, but put them in a dress and some pumps sometimes and damn — she’s definitely giving other women a solid run for their money.
Listen, I’m a sneakerhead and proud of it. I remember a time when I didn’t own any, though, and the last boyfriend who I will ever have in this lifetime bought me some sneaks because he wanted to see what I looked like in a pair. About a year later, he felt like he created a monster because he rarely saw me dress up anymore, and he missed it. Because the thing about fashion is that it has the ability to bring out different sides to us.
If, when it comes to your own sense of style, words like “feminine” and “sensual” rarely — if ever — come to mind, why not make a few tweaks to that? No one said that you have to wear a little black dress every day. All I’m saying is just like Leslie caught our eyes when she dressed up, the same thing can happen to you…off screen.
You Are More Concerned with Being Everyone Else’s Matchmaker and/or Dating Coach
Does everyone come to you for relationship advice, and yet, interestingly enough, rarely are you offered any? Yeah, that’s another huge sign when it comes to what it means to friend-zone yourself. Here’s what I mean — a couple of years ago, I got sick and tired of a woman telling me that she was interested in a guy, yet she was too “scared” to tell him. He was a friend of mine as well, and so, one day, I randomly mentioned her in conversation, just to see where his head was at.
When he told me that he thought that she was cute, smart, and funny, I asked him if he had ever considered asking her out. His response was perfect for the point that I am trying to make here: “Oh, she’s not seeing someone? Every time we talk and the subject [of relationships] comes up, she’s always mentioning other women, so I thought that was her way of deflecting off of her.”
Okay…I don’t know how a guy is supposed to pick up on signals that you would be open to going out with him if you are constantly playing matchmaker when it comes to him and someone else, or even if you are the one he comes to for advice about another woman. I mean, I know in Usher’s song, “You Make Me Wanna,” and particularly when he said that he would (romantically) think about his best (female) friend after talking to her about his girlfriend, that it might seem like that’s the route to take — trust me, IT’S NOT.
I’ve got enough male friends, and I’ve been working with men long enough to know that they are pretty literal and quite good at compartmentalizing things. So, even if you are a bomb individual in their eyes, if you’re always talking to them about other women, they are going to see you as some version of a free dating coach and probably not much else. And if men are sounding off about other ladies to you…how in the world can you be seen as anything more than a shoulder or an ear?
What You Think Are ‘Boundaries’ Are Actually WALLS
Another way that some people friend-zone themselves is that they don’t allow someone to get close enough to see them as more than a friend. Group dates? Sure. One-on-ones? Nah. Text exchanges? Sure. Phone calls? They’re not so comfortable. Surface conversations about music, sports, culture, etc.? Sure. Deep conversations about dreams, feelings, and desires? They are gonna skirt around those as much as they possibly can.
I’ve asked some people who move like this what the deal is; what most of them say is since so many people see, treat and like them as a friend, they don’t want to run the risk of getting hurt or ultimately losing even the friendship if they step out and actually express more than platonic interest. If that is you, that, my dear, is also a form of self-sabotage.
Honestly, even when it comes to the whole “friends with benefits” thing, when the dynamic has run its course, usually who seems to have a problem with being "just friends" most, to me, is women — or at least, women who know that they settled for less by agreeing to something that was less than what they wanted in the first place. Meaning, (most) guys can handle — and would even prefer — remaining some sort of friends after sex ceases.
And the reason why all of this is relevant is because…if you like someone, you shouldn’t be afraid to let your guard down and see where things could go. If the two of you have some sort of healthy connection, even if things don’t work out, there is probably something salvageable there where you can still stay in touch or at least hug it out whenever you run into each other.
Bottom line: Guarding your heart and assessing the potential risks? That is called having boundaries. Never letting anyone close enough to you to even consider you as an option? That is called a wall. BIG DIFFERENCE.
No One in Your World Knows That You Truly Desire a Relationship
“You have not because you ask not.” It’s a verse in the Bible (James 4:2, to be exact) that is a great way to bring all of this to a close. I say that because the reality is, if you’ve seen yourself all up in and throughout this article, there’s a pretty good chance that another reason why you keep friend-zoning yourself is because no one really knows that you truly desire to be in a relationship in the first place. It’s like you assume that no one is going to see you in “that way,” and so you keep the wish to yourself.
Here’s the thing about that, though — as a Business Insider article states, there is a lot of power in asking for what you want because making a declaration helps to set things into motion; plus, as author Paulo Coelho once penned, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
Adding to all of this, I promise that once you let your safe space know that you’re truly interested in dating, I’m willing to bet that you’ve got at least one or two girlfriends who will be more than happy to hook you up up with someone — they were just waiting on you to say the word. You know what they say — closed mouths don’t get fed and, as far as this topic is concerned, if you don’t say that you want to get out of the “friend zone”, how is someone supposed to know it?
___
Friend-zoning? If you’re on the receiving end, it can be a hard pill to swallow. The only thing more challenging? It’s if you are doing it to your own self.
Now that you see what that looks like, please make the decision to pivot into something else. Hey, you never know what possibilities are in store when you actually put forth the concerted effort to stop…friend-zoning yourself.
Amen? Amen.
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