While the travel therapy company you choose is extremely important when it comes to benefits and contract availability, the recruiter you’re paired with is ultimately what will have the biggest impact on your day-to-day life as a traveler. That said, you still want to love the company you’re working with, so we’ve compiled a list of some of the best travel therapy companies out there.
It’s normal to crave change in our careers. Some people scratch that itch by going non-clinical, and others get their variety fix by pursuing travel therapy. With travel therapy becoming more and more popular, everyone wants to find the best travel therapy companies for their needs.
All of the travel therapy companies we feature here offer contracts in multiple disciplines, so everyone should be able to find one that fits them well. While there are companies that specialize in specific disciplines, such as travel physical therapy companies, those tend to be small and have limited options available to you as a traveler, so we stuck to the ones with more variety. We also tried to find you the travel therapy companies offering the highest-paying travel therapy jobs!
Note that regardless of the company you choose, you must be licensed in the state where you plan to travel, so be prepared!
Table of contents
This post may contain affiliate links or codes. This won’t increase your cost, but it helps keep TNCPT alive, and free of annoying ads! Thank you for your support. 🙂
Why do travel therapy?
Before we dive into our overview of popular travel therapy companies, you might wonder why one would even want to consider travel therapy? If you’re a homebody — or if you have kids, numerous pets, a high-maintenance home you own, or other considerations (like an aversion to change) — sure, travel therapy might not be for you.
But if you’re the type who enjoys variety, meeting new people, exploring new areas, and learning new skills, travel therapy might be an ideal way to earn top dollar while exploring where you might want to eventually put down roots!
Competitive pay and benefits
- Higher pay: Travel therapists typically earn more than full-time therapists, thanks to housing stipends, per diems, and other reimbursements.
- Tax advantages: Many travel therapists qualify for non-taxable income for housing, meals, and incidentals.
- Comprehensive benefits: Staffing agencies often provide health insurance, retirement plans, license reimbursement, and completion bonuses.
Travel and adventure
- Explore new locations: You can work in different cities, states, or even rural areas you wouldn’t otherwise consider. Who knows, you might discover a place you’d like to call home for the long run!
- Cultural experiences: Travel therapy provides the opportunity to experience diverse communities, climates, and lifestyles.
Professional growth
- Diverse experience: Travel therapy gives clinicians exposure to various settings (acute care, outpatient, SNFs, schools, etc.), which makes for an excellent opportunity to build skills and clinical confidence.
- Resume building: Experience in multiple roles/settings can make you stand out for future jobs, and we don’t just mean clinical ones. You can play up your adaptability, ability to learn on your feet, and wide network of clinical professionals when applying for non-clinical roles!
Flexibility and autonomy
- Choose your assignments: A good recruiter welcomes you to select the location, setting, and duration that best fit your preferences when you pick up travel assignments.
- Control over time off: You can take breaks between assignments for vacations or personal time. Just keep in mind that most travel staffing agencies require you to work a certain amount of time per year to maintain your benefits and health coverage.
Licensure support
- Assistance with licensing: Many agencies help with licensure and provide guidance for navigating interstate compacts like the PT Compact or OT Compact.
6. Networking opportunities
Expand professional network: If your goal is to eventually land a non-clinical job, building a large, nationwide network of clinical contacts can really beef up your resume. Especially if you pursue sales or clinical specialist work, your network will be a huge perk when you pursue jobs!
Best travel therapy companies
All of the companies we feature here provide tons of great travel therapy jobs, and are listed in no particular order. Enjoy!
MedTravelers (AMN Healthcare)
Established in 1985, MedTravelers is one of the largest travel therapy companies offering allied health professional travel jobs. Their parent company is AMN Healthcare, which is a giant in the industry. They have often been ranked the #1 allied health travel company, and they have a woman president/CEO! They’re based in Dallas, TX, but offer travel contracts across the US.
Travel assignments with MedTravelers are typically 13 weeks long, but could range from as little as 4 weeks to 26 weeks or longer. They offer comprehensive medical/dental/vision/life insurance, housing options, free continuing education, a 401(k) retirement plan with matching, and a lot more.
Fusion Medical Staffing
Fusion Medical Staffing is one of the newer companies on our list, but don’t let that scare you! Established in 2009, their headquarters is in Omaha, NE, but they offer nationwide travel opportunities. Their entire chief clinical team is female, too 🙂
Travel assignments through Fusion tend to be in the 13-26 week range, but can be as short as 8 weeks on occasion. They have travel opportunities for PTs, OTs, SLPs, COTAs, and PTAs.
They give you three different health plans to choose from, along with dental and vision benefits.
EPIC Special Education Staffing (formerly TherapyTravelers)
EPIC Special Education Staffing, previously known as TherapyTravelers, has a passion for making a difference in the lives of children with special needs. EPIC has its headquarters in California, but offers travel placements nationwide. If you’re a PT, OT, or SLP that wants to work in a school setting for your travel contract, this may be the company for you!
EPIC’s travel therapy jobs vary in length, offering both short-term and long-term opportunities. They can range from a few weeks to an entire school year. EPIC stands out for its commitment to both its clients and staff, ensuring a perfect match that benefits the educational institution, and provides a rewarding experience for the therapist. Alongside competitive salaries, they offer comprehensive benefits including health, dental, and vision insurance—ensuring that you are well taken care of during your assignments.
Ardor Health Solutions
Based in Tampa, FL, Ardor Health Solutions has been in business since 2001. One co-founder and the president of this travel therapy company are both women, which we always love to see.
As a traveler with AHS, you’ll be a W-2 employee, paid weekly. Typical travel assignments range from 13 to 40 weeks, and they provide you with 100% free health insurance. They even offer pet insurance benefits!
If you need help getting licensed in a new state, Ardor has a credentialing department that can help you through the process.
MedPro Healthcare Staffing
Another Florida-based travel therapy company is MedPro Healthcare Staffing. They’ve been around since 1983, with a HQ in Sunrise, FL. Their President and CEO is a woman, as well!
MedPro is unique in that they have fun rewards programs that go along with their travel assignments. Their personalized gift program, Magic Moments, offers bi-monthly gift packages and birthday extras!
They will also pay you to explore the area you’re traveling in. They offer a 13 in 13 DIY Challenge where you get rewarded with $13 for each of the first 13 places you go in your new town. Pretty cool!
CoreMedical Group
CoreMedical Group is based in Manchester, NH, and was established in 1989. Most of their travel assignments are 13 weeks long.
They offer housing and relocation assistance, licensing and credentialing support, comprehensive insurance coverage, free CEUs through CE Direct, discount programs with Verizon, and much more.
CMG will arrange and pay for any medical services that are required up front, such as vaccinations, physicals, and more. If that’s not enough, they have a loyalty program called Club CoreMed that you can take advantage of!
Host Healthcare
Host Healthcare, based in San Diego, CA, has quickly become a prominent name in the travel therapy industry. They offer nationwide travel opportunities for PTs, OTs, SLPs, and other allied health professionals. Known for their commitment to quality and individualized experiences, Host Healthcare specializes in assignments ranging from 13 to 26 weeks, catering to diverse professional goals and lifestyles.
They offer top-tier health, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) plans, bonus programs, and licensure reimbursement. And Host Healthcare’s dedication to fostering strong relationships and providing personalized support to each therapist has earned them significant recognition in the healthcare staffing community, making them a top choice for travel therapy professionals like you.
Cross Country Healthcare
Cross Country Healthcare has been around almost as long as AMN! Founded in 1986, their headquarters is in Boca Raton, FL. This travel therapy company offers travel contracts for PTs, PTAs, OTs, OTAs, and SLPs.
Assignments typically run for 8, 13, or 26 weeks, and they offer free private housing, or a housing stipend if you prefer to find your own accommodations.
They have a 401(k) plan with matching, health/life/dental/prescription insurance, licensure reimbursement and assistance, CE reimbursement options, and more!
Preferred Healthcare Staffing
This woman-owned travel therapy company has its headquarters in sunny San Diego, CA. In business since 1995, Preferred Healthcare Staffing specializes in allied health, and has received awards for Best of Staffing for Talent and Client Satisfaction for six years running. PHS is also Joint Commission Certified, indicating that they provide a higher standard of service.
They offer travel positions throughout the US, as well as per-diem opportunities within the state of California.
Preferred offers a full suite of insurance (medical, dental, life, vision), as well as CE and dues reimbursements. To top it off, they provide a 401(k) with matching.
Triage Staffing
Triage Staffing was formed in 2006, and is based in Omaha, NE. They’ve made the Inc 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America six times.
Contracts are 13 weeks long, and Triage provides weekly pay estimates on their website, so you know up front what to expect. They offer health/vision/dental benefits, vacation time (you’re a W2 employee), a 401(k) plan, and continuing ed/certification reimbursement.
They even offer a mentoring program for travelers that’s managed and run by clinicians!
What about travel therapy companies that aren’t on this list?
In this growing industry, travel therapy companies are popping up every day. We couldn’t possibly feature all of them here, so we decided to give you a curated list. Even if your favorite company isn’t listed here, it might still be great! Hopefully we’ve given you a few more options if you want to expand your horizons. 🙂
How do I decide which travel therapy companies are best for me?
Network
Utilize your network of allied health professionals. Have you seen a friend, or acquaintance, mention how happy they were with their travel PT job? Reach out! Testimonials from those whose opinions you trust are more valuable than anything. Don’t forget to ask them which recruiter they worked with in addition to the travel therapy company associated with that recruiter. The best part is that many of these companies offer cash to those who refer others, so you may end up helping out a friend in the process!
Explore travel therapy company websites
Spend some time searching for companies using your favorite search engine. Explore their websites, testimonials, perks, and so on. This may seem like an obvious suggestion, but it’s important to do this fairly often, as there are always new companies with unique offerings entering the market. Maybe you’ll be the first to find out about an upstart travel therapy company, and lock in some early incentive perks by using them while they’re still getting established!
Use a matching service
Finding a great travel therapy company is wonderful, but sometimes it’s the luck of the draw as to which recruiter you’re matched with. Even companies with great reviews have some duds in their recruiting departments.
Given how important your recruiter is to your day-to-day experience as a travel therapist, why leave it to chance?
We highly recommend our affiliate partner, Nomadicare, to make this whole process easier. They’ll match you to an excellent recruiter that you’ll vibe with, and take the stress out of the process. Why spend all this time trying to find just the right company, only to get assigned to a subpar recruiter that doesn’t have your best interest in mind? You can learn more about Nomadicare’s founder here! Yes, she’s a non-clinical OT!
Give them a try! You won’t be disappointed. 🙂
