It's good to see a fellow traveling nurse here. I haven't purchased my RV yet but I am currently looking at them and waiting for the perfect time to buy. Probably August because thats my family reunion and I live in Cali and buying it in FL then driving it with my family up to South Dakota where the reunion is.
Anyway, it's been awhile since you've updated so it'd be interesting to see what you got. In my opinion full-timing in a travel trailer would be less safe and more scary than a class A during transit. I also decided to get a new Winnebago Forza 34t. It's perfect for what travel nurses do and new=warranty...I plan on doing this for many years. You may end up as well, and spending tons more for maintaining an older RV. I grew up my whole life around RVs and am pretty comfortable with looking around for them and knowing what to stay away from.
As far as cost comparison, I live and work in LA and rent near my hospital is very expensive. I would be cutting my housing costs almost in half even with a brand new Forza. I tend to only go for very high paying contracts/strikes so I can save as much as possible for the unknowns. I know it's more difficult for two travelers to find jobs at the same facility but consider moving out west where the $ is. But again, I travel alone which makes it a little easier, but I know many travel RN couples who do this out here.
If you're new to travel nursing which it sounds like you are... please don't let recruiters bully you into low paying jobs or same pay for night as day shift. I see this time and time again and I feel like the industry takes advantage of the general good nature of us nurses. I juggle about 5 companies and pick the one that suits me best at the time. For retirement since I don't stick to one company, get your own IRA and make deposits yourself. Don't take the first offer!! Let it ride out, Ive done this several times when they werent offering me what I am looking for, then when it comes crunch time, voila! They have jobs I want. I've literally only had two days left on one contract and still didn't have a new one. They wait it out to give you the less attractive contracts for the worry bugs. Don't be a worry bug! Have fun with it! What kind of RN are you by the way?
Welcome to full timing, I can't wait until I am!
