If you want to go on a vacation, you may feel like your travel opportunities are limited, especially if your budget as a veterinary nurse doesn’t have much wiggle room. Thankfully, there are ways you can afford to travel without breaking the bank or making a career change. Getting away to relax and recharge doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
1. CE and PTO Benefits
At least 60% of veterinary employers provide a continuing education (CE) stipend, paid vacation time, and paid holidays.1 CE stipends vary in amounts and details, but if you have one, you should fully utilize it. Try to choose a veterinary conference for which your stipend covers most, if not all, costs and is in a location to which you want to travel. Veterinary conference options can be found all over the world. Your paid vacation time may help extend your time away on either end of the conference to further maximize your CE stipend.
2. Credit Card and Loyalty Rewards
If your finances are in order and you can trust yourself to pay off your balance in full each month, consider using a credit card that earns travel miles or points with every purchase. Use this card to make all your purchases, pay it off in full each month to avoid interest charges, and watch your points or miles accumulate. When it comes time to use your paid vacation time, redeem your points or miles to pay for travel-related costs like flights and hotels. Points and miles can also be earned without a credit card by joining free airline, hotel, and other travel loyalty programs. This way you can still earn points and miles when you are traveling using your CE stipend, even if you don’t want to get a credit card.
3. Conference Lecturing
If you like public speaking, presenting at veterinary conferences can get you an all-expenses-paid trip. Veterinary conferences often pay for your travel, hotel, and meals, plus they provide a speaking stipend. Submit your lecture proposals to a conference in a location that appeals to you.
4. Travel Pet Sitting
If your travel plans are flexible and you can cover the cost of your flight or gasoline, consider joining a site like TrustedHousesitters (trustedhousesitters.com). These memberships allow you to apply to pet sitting opportunities all over the world where, in return for caring for the resident pet(s), you can stay for free. It’s like a free Vrbo or Airbnb but with pets! With TrustedHousesitters there is an annual membership fee, but for less than $200 a year (or about the cost of a night in a hotel), you get unlimited pet/house sitting opportunities, which can make trips much more affordable.