Nothing offers insight into the adventurous lifestyle of Travel Therapists like sitting down to have a chat with a seasoned traveler, but where do you turn if you’re considering a career in travel therapy, or getting ready to start applying to travel jobs if you don’t actually know anyone who’s already been down that road? You seek out the rare gems of the blogosphere, the best blogs by travel therapists, and you read, read, READ! Written by travelers for travelers, and inspired by their pure unadulterated passion for healthcare, travel and adventure; these blogs are a venerable treasure trove of knowledge and wisdom.
If you’re a total memoir junkie like me, you’ll find these tales to be not only educational and informative, but also highly enjoyable and downright awesome reading. From tales of awkward first days on the job, to peaceful camping trips & triumphant hikes to mountain tops, to living life on the road (literally) in a van named Vanny Devito, there are some truly gifted Travel PTs, OTs, and SLPs out there sharing their valuable wisdom. The REALLY good blogs are few and far between, but these ones are truly the best of the best.
In no particular order:
1. The Traveling Traveler – Authored by Speech Language Pathologist Julia, she writes about her life as a Travel SLP and her adventures traveling the world between assignments. She covers everything from advice for new travelers, to tackling dating as travel therapist, to materials for SLPs, to hiking in California, and everything in between.
2. Tiny Van Big Living – This one is authored by Travel Occupational Therapist Sarah, covering the trials and tribulations of a Travel OT living in a converted camper van named Vanny Devito. From an awkward first day on her first travel assignment, to tips for preparing for job interviews, to the down and dirty nitty gritty of living in a van (in Alaska, at the time of writing), her blog offers both educational tidbits and laughable, lighthearted tales of minor mishaps.
3. PT Adventures – this one is written by Ellen and Steve Stockhausen, two married Travel Physical Therapists who traded in their perm PT jobs for the more exciting lifestyle of travel therapy. These two are outdoor enthusiasts writing about travel PT life as a couple, tips on minimalist living, how to get jobs, how to effectively hack away at student debt, and their adventures tackling some of Mother Nature’s great monuments.
4. HoboHealth – Started by Travel Physical Therapists James and Kate, and with a few guest authors, HoboHealth is, by a long shot, the longest running blog on this list. Consistently updated since 2011, you can find posts on just about anything here if you dig around a bit. In March 2017, James and Kate announced that they planned to retire from travel therapy to start a family, so we won’t see many more new travel related posts, this is still a very relevant and valuable resource.
There are several other excellent resources around the web for various aspects of your allied health career, but these are the best blogs I’ve seen that are written by travel therapists for travel therapists. Is there something missing from this list? Email us at marketing@mypreferred.com.