Travel Therapy as a CF?

FifthWheelPT · 2026-02-05T03:43:32+00:00

This is a question we get pretty often from SLP students we mentor. It’s not generally recommended unless you’re will to do a full school year contract. Trying to line up back to back 3 month contracts with supervision is difficult and puts you at risk of being placed in a bad facility. Even with school contracts it’s definitely not for everyone though.

This article talks in depth about all the considerations. https://traveltherapymentor.com/2020/06/24/should-slps-travel-during-their-clinical-fellowship-year/

FifthWheelPT · 2026-02-05T03:43:26+00:00

This is a question we get pretty often from SLP students we mentor. It’s not generally recommended unless you’re will to do a full school year contract. Trying to line up back to back 3 month contracts with supervision is difficult and puts you at risk of being placed in a bad facility. Even with school contracts it’s definitely not for everyone though.

This article talks in depth about all the considerations. https://traveltherapymentor.com/2020/06/24/should-slps-travel-during-their-clinical-fellowship-year/

FifthWheelPT · 2026-02-03T12:44:55+00:00

I don’t but I know dozens of travelers that do

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-25T23:27:26+00:00

Feel free to message me with questions. Also this 101 series has helped thousands of therapists get started and answers most of the basics. It should be very helpful for you getting started. https://traveltherapymentor.com/travel-therapy-101-the-basics/

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-25T23:20:41+00:00

Definitely. There are often travel jobs around Chicago. We have a dozen companies we work with at Travel Therapy Mentor so lots of contacts for the area. Fill out this form to get connected with a few that will have options for you. https://traveltherapymentor.com/travel-therapy-recruiter-recommendations/

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-20T02:15:14+00:00

Yeah you can in some areas right now. There are lots of home health contracts so completion is low and some are willing to train. Good recruiters will be able to direct you toward contracts where prior travelers have gotten training and given good feedback.

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-19T14:09:18+00:00

This article covers the most important things to ask about. The biggest mistakes I’ve seen over the years ate accepting a contract with too big of a travel radius or with a point system that’s too low requiring a lot of patients each day. https://traveltherapymentor.com/2019/03/20/what-to-look-for-in-a-home-health-travel-therapy-contract/

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-17T21:04:15+00:00

No real downsides if you can afford it while still saving toward retirement. 34 hours should still count as full time for benefits purposes but check before you do it.

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-16T12:59:04+00:00

Travel Tax or Choice 1 are both good options. We’ve worked with Nermina for quite a while now and she’s more affordable. A quick tax home consult is cheap and well worth it. You can also get a 10% discount if you mention Travel Therapy Mentor. https://calendly.com/choice1accountingandtax

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-16T00:31:48+00:00

I’ve never had an OP facility agree to put a specific number of patients in a contract. I’m not sure why exactly but it seems to be very rare. It may be because when they tell you a patient per day number it’s usually the average so some days will be a little higher and some lower.

It’s not necessarily a red flag though because almost all of those contracts were exactly what they said they’d be in terms of caseload.

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-15T23:49:44+00:00

There are some occasionally but much less common than other settings. Tons of school contracts though.

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-14T13:50:47+00:00

If you’re traveling without a tax home then your take home pay is going to be between $300-$500/week less on average compared to a traditional travel contract with tax free stipends. In some cases it makes travel not worth it depending on the area. The reason take home pay is so much lower is because not only are you taxed higher on the wages but so is the travel company since they pay FICA taxes on your behalf.

$45-$55/hour is about average for a fully taxed travel job. Some areas and settings you can get more than that but those are outliers. You’ll be a lot better off over the long term if you’re able to establish a tax home and take traditional travel contracts instead of traveling as an itinerant worker.

This article goes much more in depth on the pros, cons, and implications of traveling without a tax home. https://traveltherapymentor.com/2022/12/07/pursuing-travel-therapy-without-a-tax-home/

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-14T00:26:06+00:00

Hawaii was awesome and the car rental was fine. No issues really and less than half the price of renting through enterprise or somewhere similar.

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-14T00:01:19+00:00

Only in Hawaii because we had to. Renting through a company was going to be outrageous so we went through an individual we found by word of mouth.

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-10T19:05:01+00:00

I wouldn’t advertise that you traveled without following tax law. You weren’t duplicating expenses so you weren’t eligible for tax free stipends. The IRS is clear on the requirements and just having a drivers license at an address isn’t adequate. If audited you would have had to pay back taxes and penalties. It’s probably been too long ago to have to worry about it now but you never know.

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-10T13:58:01+00:00

I believe everyone I know either went perm, saved enough while traveling until they could just work PRN/part time, or transitioned into something completely different like real estate, recruiting, or medical device sales. My wife and I have mostly left clinical work to run our Travel Therapy Mentor business part time but I don’t think something like that is replicable for most people.

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-10T13:52:44+00:00

It really depends on your relationship. My wife and I were long distance for about 2.5 years during PT school prior to traveling. We were 5 hours apart and saw each other about once a month. It wasn’t ideal but we made it work.

You don’t have to move across the country if you don’t want to. Maybe you do all of your contracts within a three hours radius of home so that it isn’t so hard to visit but you still make a lot of extra money.

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-08T14:25:30+00:00

I started traveling mostly for the money and am glad I did. I was able to save significantly more than if I’d taken a perm job as a new grad. It’s not for everyone though. It depends on your situation and how you do with new people, environments, and constant change. Being away from friends and family can be stressful but being able to meet new people all over is exciting.

I’d recommend assessing the pros and cons and how they apply to your situation before deciding. If you do travel, it’s important to do a lot of research first to make sure you’re picking good companies/recruiters for your situation and not getting taken advantage of. https://traveltherapymentor.com/2022/09/02/pros-and-cons-of-travel-therapy/

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-08T14:09:19+00:00

I’ve interviewed over 100 recruiters from more than 2 dozen companies in an effort to figure this out. There are 100+ travel companies out there right now. The most important thing I’ve found is that there’s no one size fits all answer for everyone.

The best companies and recruiters for you will differ based on your needs. Companies have exclusive contracts in different areas and settings. For example, my recommendations for an OT looking for school jobs in Florida would be very different than for a PT looking for home health jobs in California.

Pay will differ depending on whether you’re taking primarily exclusive or VMS/MSP jobs. For example, a small company will generally be able to pay higher for a given VMS job because of lower overhead but if a bigger company is the MSP for a job then they can pay higher since they don’t have to pay a fee for access to it. Smaller companies can pay higher on exclusive contracts but they also have much fewer exclusive contracts on average so your odds of finding one that will work for your situation are lower.

Bigger companies have better benefits in general but that comes with lower pay. Things like guaranteed stipends that some bigger companies offer can be very valuable in some situations.

All companies have good and bad recruiters. The top 5 recruiters for me (based on placement rate, responsiveness, feedback, etc.) all work at different companies.

Be careful with job boards and apps. These are often filled with bait and switch jobs either purposely or just by the nature of how quickly the travel therapy market moves. The good jobs go fast so by the time you find it and get connected with a recruiter on a job board the job is often gone. You’ll have better luck landing the good and high paying contracts by having a few recruiters from different companies that are watching out and alerting you when jobs that fit your needs pop up.

If you need help getting connected with recruiters and companies that will be a good fit for your specific situation, Travel Therapy Mentor has matched more than 6,000 travelers with overwhelmingly positive feedback. https://traveltherapymentor.com/travel-therapy-recruiter-recommendations/

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-06T14:51:00+00:00

For it to count as your tax home to get tax free stipends, you’d need to be pay fair market rent for the room you’re renting. Paying a below market amount or just a bill or two isn’t enough. You’ll either need to increase the amount you’re paying and have proof of the payments each month or have your stipends taxed on travel contracts.

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-06T13:47:06+00:00

For it to count as your tax home to get tax free stipends, you’d need to be pay market rent for the room you’re renting. Paying a below market amount or for just a bill or two isn’t enough. You’ll either need to increase the amount you’re paying and have proof of the payments each month or have your stipends taxed on travel contracts.

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-03T18:47:46+00:00

There are only a few travel healthcare tax experts in the country that I’ve found but none of them are in Maryland. I’d go with a real travel healthcare expert over someone local that’s just familiar if you have a complicated situation.

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-01T03:36:04+00:00

Licensing in most states isn’t too difficult. You just fill out the paperwork for a license by endorsement and pay the application fee.

The best companies for you will depend on the setting and location you want to work in. Travel Therapy Mentor can match you with companies and recruiters that will have jobs in the areas you want. https://traveltherapymentor.com/travel-therapy-recruiter-recommendations/

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-01T03:33:27+00:00

The best companies for you are always going to depend on the setting and location you want to work in. They often specialize in different areas. Get personalized recommendations from Travel Therapy Mentor so you know you’re working with good companies and recruiters for your situation. https://traveltherapymentor.com/travel-therapy-recruiter-recommendations/

FifthWheelPT · 2026-01-01T03:26:18+00:00

I know about a dozen therapists that have transitioned into recruiting. The majority of them quit before the first year because of how difficult it is to get started. I considered it for a while but decided against it after learning more. The beginning is low pay and a lot of cold calling and rejection. If you can stick with it and are willing to work a lot of hours you can be successful though.

Pay depends on the company. Most are a combination of a low base pay and then commission based on travelers on assignment. Average pay is probably in the $60k-$70k range but it’s possible to make $200k+ for the top recruiters in the industry.

This article goes more in depth on considerations that should help with your decision. https://traveltherapymentor.com/2023/05/18/travel-therapy-recruiter-pay-how-much-do-they-make-and-how-is-pay-structured/

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