Travel Nurse Interview (Couple Edition): Chase + Lindsay
Meet the couple: Chase & Lindsay
Best friends who are also married, Chase and Lindsay are currently RV-living full-time with their cat, Moka. They met at WVU during their freshman year of nursing school, and have been together for over five years, married for over three.
Their primary interest is traveling, but their other hobbies include photography, drones/videography, hiking, snorkeling, and woodworking. Their woodworking hobby is a side business too — funding their travel adventures and helping pay off student loan debt.
Guilty pleasures: local food and craft breweries.
Discover your dream travel assignment here.
What got you into travel nursing?
Lindsay: We both worked staff for four years and were always planning trips every month to go explore somewhere new. The wanderlust was real. We decided that travel nursing was the perfect balance of nursing and traveling for us. We started getting serious about a year ago, did the research, bought the RV, and started the journey. You get paid to travel, what more could you possibly want!?
Chase: We also talked to other nurses at our home hospital who had done travel nursing and were able to ask a ton of questions. I have to give credit to Lindsay though — she did hours of research online and got us set up with recruiters. Before we knew it, we were actually planning our first assignment. Now, here we are six months later totally enjoying this adventure together.
Pros and cons of travel nursing with a significant other?
Chase: The biggest pro of traveling together is that we get to experience everything together and be there to support each other. We both admit that doing this alone would be significantly more difficult. One con is that some facilities are hesitant to hire couples, but if we ever get turned down for a job, we know it wasn’t meant to be and keep looking.
Lindsay: I would say the pros totally outweigh the cons. I love having Chase to adventure with and to vent to after a long, demanding shift. It beats traveling alone any day! To us, being together is a MAJOR plus, but to some it may be tough. When travel nursing together, you have the potential to be around each other 24/7, so alone time and personal space may be a con for some.
Also, we have to find two job openings in the same unit for the same shift since we both specialize in CVICU nursing. That can really narrow down the job search for us and may be considered a con.
What are some tips you can give to couples interested in travel nursing together?
Chase: Be professional. Often people don’t even know we’re married or traveling together. Their reactions are priceless when they find out.
Lindsay: What Chase said! We had a physical therapist at our current assignment try to set us up before she found out we were married.
Another piece of advice is to try and work the same shift (not necessarily the same schedule, but the same shift). It would be too hard for us if one worked days and the other nights.
What has been your favorite assignment location so far?
Chase: We’ve completed one contract in Orlando and are now on our extension. We’ve been able to explore both Florida coasts and a few natural springs. The natural springs here are something to experience!
Lindsay: We’re currently in Orlando, Florida and loving it! The assignment is busy and challenging and we love the location. Orlando is central, you can take day trips almost anywhere in the state. There is a lot to do and explore.
What destinations do you hope to visit together in the near future?
Chase: Our hope is to head west and explore. Some states in mind are Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Washington, and Oregon. Then, we hope to travel to Alaska and Hawaii.
Lindsay: This is such a hard question, because I want to see everything. My top destinations are Alaska, Hawaii, the PNW, Arizona, and possibly Guam or St. Thomas in no particular order.
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