A Traveling Nurse has always had it all; great pay, career enhancement, travel, and the flexibility to choose from hundreds of exciting travel nursing jobs throughout the country, and now the world.

With highest industry pay rates climbing to over $2,800 per week, the option to choose how long and where you work, and the freedom to meet individual  life goals, an increasing number of nurses are taking their skills "on the road".

There are estimated to be over 20,000 U.S. "traveling nurses" who move from hospital to hospital on assignments typically lasting 13 weeks. Travel nurses help hospitals fill workforce gaps and. Some hospitals would have difficulty staying open if not for the "travelers".

One "traveler" has been working in such places as Hawaii, Alaska, New York and California. In her six years on the road she's made 25% more than if she'd stayed at home in Ohio, she estimates; and she's the envy of many of her stay at home friends. She has, after all, seen the country on someone else's dime. "It's a great life," she says.

The travel-nurse industry is on the rebound. Thousands of jobs are open, staffing companies say. Demand for travel nurses is up over 50%.  

Several trends point to long-term growth, says Barry Asin, with research firm Staffing Industry Analysts. Baby boomers are aging, requiring more health care.

Schools aren't graduating nurses fast enough. California recently mandated a 1-to-5 nurse-patient ratio for the bulk of hospital beds, up from 1-to-6. More states, including Florida, are considering ratios to improve patient care.

The U.S. government expects the national nurse shortage to hit 800,000 by 2020.

California, where the nursing shortage is especially acute, has 14,000 open nursing jobs. "In many cases, hospitals fill those jobs with travelers," says Jan Emerson, spokeswoman for the California Hospital Association.

Nationwide, travelers staff about 1% of nursing jobs, says Joseph Boshart, CEO of Cross Country.

But staffing companies say the largest market is California, which has fewer nurses per capita than every state except Nevada.

While Staffing Industry Analysts estimates 15,000 to 20,000 travelers work in U.S. hospitals daily, industry executives estimate there are twice that many who have traveled before and may again.

Travel nurses are usually employed by staffing companies. Salaries vary by experience, location and specialty, but generally run $22 to $35 an hour. That means a nurse working 40-hour weeks 50 weeks a year would make $44,000 to $70,000. A travel nurse in California may push $100,000 a year, with overtime, Access CEO Braynin says.

Most staffing companies also offer medical and 401(k) benefits. They typically pay travel costs and provide housing and food stipends for nurses while they're on the job. The nurses tend to be younger or empty nesters with a yearning for travel and better pay, says Ralph Friedmann, CEO of staffing firm InteliStaf Healthcare.

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