When the COVID-19 outbreak hit in 2020, Aspen Tucker was working an ordinary job as a staff nurse in Spartanburg, South Carolina, earning about $2,000 every 2 weeks.
Things were about to change when he got the offer of a travel nursing assignment in Amarillo, Texas, $6,700 a week. He accepted.
“I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I just packed my bags, came on down to Texas, and told my boss on my arrival, I’m sorry, I have to leave. I’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here.”
Ever since, however, he’s worked non-stop, picking up four to 13-week contracts, working 48‑60 hour workweeks, and piling on overtime with ease. And his payoff was $187,000 in 2022, working only nine months of the year and the rest of the time off.
None of this would be a surprise if he didn’t have only an associate’s degree.
The Power of Travel Nursing
So what’s so appealing about travel nursing? According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average American who holds a bachelor’s degree makes around $69,000 per year; even associate-degree holders make slightly more than $50,000. Tucker is bringing it in at nearly four times that.
But then, of course, there’s the lifestyle. He earns those paychecks, then takes vacation time, travelling or returning home to Spartanburg. “I love living in Spartanburg… Having a low cost of living is a benefit,” he says.
Other nurses, such as Kirsten Newcomb, agree. Travel nursing enables you to pursue adventure. She moved to Maui in March 2020 just to experience island life. Travel nursing is a passport, not a paycheck, for Tucker, who grew up dreaming of travel.
Pros of Working as a Travel Nurse
What are the advantages of travel nursing? Here is a summary of what is behind travel nursing popularity, and its drawbacks include:
Payment
For Tucker, it’s the economic boost. With just an associate’s degree, that’s correct, no four-year degree, he’s earning more than many bachelor’s graduates.
Overtime Pay & High-Income Travel Contracts
Overtime is essentially a requirement to make the lifestyle possible, and high pay accompanies travel contracts. Tucker’s strategy? Work intensely during periods to bank plenty of time off.
Flexible, Seasonal Schedule Nurses‘ contracts usually last 3–13 weeks, so they can work or have some time off on their own time. Tucker works nine months, then has three months off, whether to Spartanburg or Seychelles.
Adventure & Skill Building
You’ll be seeing different cities, working face to face with different cases, cracking different systems, and gaining experience and stories in the process.
Exposure to a range of health care environments is attractive to employers and represents a diversified career network.
Cons of Working as a Travel Nurse
But of course, there are disadvantages to travel nursing that we have to talk about. So what are the main ones?
Personal Sacrifices
Home, family, friends, and pets (if you have one of them) are going to be somewhat neglected. Tucker recognizes the absence of normal home life.
Hurried Integration
Staff nurses have a week or more to transition, travel nurses only a day. Learning about new hospitals, co-workers, and routines in a single day is intimidating.
Possible Resentment of Workers
Employees could resent the agency for their lower wages compared to temps, creating tension. Tucker confirms the worry.
Insurance Gaps
Health insurance gaps between policies, so Tucker schedules dentist visits or surgeries during work season, and stays free of injury during the off-season.
Double Expenses
Travel nurses can pay for housing and transportation costs, in addition to utilities at home, while working outside their state. Tucker tries to save money by renting his Spartanburg house and a duplex in the area to offset costs.
Developing Financial Resilience
Travel nursing is not only a job for Tucker, but it’s a stepping stone, too. When he’s not under contract, he’s purchasing properties: a duplex (half Airbnb, half rental), and is leasing out his primary home. The goal? To build passive income to be able to escape the travel nursing treadmill at last.
His motivation? Family legacy established by his grandparents. His grandfather, albeit only 6th‑grade educated, owned several rental houses. His mother, a teenage mother, purchased her first home at 19. Their hard‑earned experience influenced Tucker’s work ethic.
He’s paying it forward, as well. He created a scholarship in his mother’s honor for students of color pursuing a nursing education, thinking it’s a way of celebrating heritage and drive.
The Larger Picture
Tucker’s story highlights a range of great realities:
Bucking the traditional college trajectory can pay off. With student loans and rising tuition, four-year degrees now run on average ~$29,000/year vs. ~$11,000 for community college, two-year degrees can still lead to lucrative careers in areas like nursing.
Real estate is a top investment, but not necessarily the best. While 36% of Americans think real estate is the best investment for the long run, historically, more have returned through stocks versus home price appreciation.
Real estate does, however, offer stability and passive income, just what Tucker’s hoping for.
Travel nursing isn’t for everyoneYou have to live with uncertainty, licensing issues, sporadic contracts, loneliness, and pressure on housing. Sources report, however profitable, the lifestyle is not stable.
Between Success and Sacrifices
Aspen Tucker is not only bucking the trend, he’s making a blueprint. No college, but a six-figure paycheck. No stability, but roots that run deep in Spartanburg. No cliché bucket-list, but a life full of beaches, overtime, rental houses, and scholarship money.
He’s a modern-day hustler: equal measures globe-trotting nurse, real-estate handyman, and neighborhood do-gooder. And he’s showing that unconventional choices, if made wisely, can create a life both financially secure and emotionally rich.
No Comments