When people ask me what I do, they are always shocked by the answer. I tell them I am a nurse traveling across the country.

And when I tell them that my company pays for my rent and utilities, travel expenses, health, and dental insurance they get jealous. So many times, unless they ask, I don't tell them I only work 3 days a week. No need to rub it in their faces. :)

The first thing my husband said to me when I told him about travel nursing was, "There's no way. It's got to be a scam. Either they put you in horrible apartments or make you work in the crapiest hospitals. There is no way this can be as good as it sounds."

But we did it anyway, and he has had to eat his words. According to him now, "Travel nursing is the coolest way to be a nurse."

There are so many benefits of travel nursing, that they are laced throughout all the articles on this site. Here are the main ones:

You get to work for a short time, usually 13 weeks at a hospital in almost any city in the country. After your assignment is over, you can go back home or to another assignment somewhere else. No long term contracts or commitment.

The travel nursing company that you will work for will handle most of the paperwork. They will also arrange for your lodging, if you require. This includes a furnished apartment. They should also do their best to get you lodging close to your hospital.

They will pay you for your traveling expenses to and from this city from your home.

Medical, dental, and life insurance are usually included.

You can make as much as you do now, with all these benefits included. BUT, many times you will make more then you do now. Many hospitals offer signing or completion bonuses of several thousand dollars.

You can work in some of the best hospitals in the country.

You can take your friends, family and pets with you.

You work three days a week, and get four days to explore your temporary home city and the surrounding areas.

Travel Nurses are needed in every part of the country, from Alaska to Hawaii to Florida, to Maine and everywhere in-between.

Due to the nationwide nursing shortage, travel nurses are in high demand. And travel nursing is set to keep growing in popularity until at least 2015.

Vacation destinations are always looking for travel nurses. They must have nurses and usually it is too expensive to live in these place. So the hospitals there must turn to travel nurses when they run short of staff.

You can even try travel nursing in your own city. If you don't want to leave you can take advantage of the other perks by being a travel nurse whenever you live now.

Once you see whatever places you want to see and return home, you can always do an assignment whenever you wish. For example, my home city is Houston and it's very hot in the summer. There is nothing stopping me, from taking an assignment in Alaska where it is cool for the three months of summer.