So You Want To Be A Medical Health Traveler

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly About Being A Medical Health Traveler

by George M. Newton

Being a medical health traveler is not a bad life, either for the short run or the long run. My Traveler, who is an occupational therapist assistant, and I have been doing this for almost three years now and have found some great places to work and some not so great places. At one facility she actually worked with a traveler who had been doing this for 18 years!

At my wife's most recent travel assignment she met a young man who was only 20 and a traveler. He went to a two-year course right out of high school and is now earning a good living as a physical therapist assistant.

So why travel? First, the money is great. When you factor in benefits a travel staffing company may offer, including per diems, housing, travel reimbursement and various other incentives, a health traveler with just a two-year degree can make about $60,000 a year or more depending upon your degree and experience and the staffing company you sign up with. They are not all the same.

Second, you get to see the country on someone else's dime and get paid for it.

Third, you get to see parts of the country you might like to settle down permanently.

And finally, though not exhaustively, it can feel like an a small adventure that can last as long as you want. In the photo above, the Traveler and I share a kiss on the East Coast of Florida, Vero Beach, on the sunrise of the first day of the new year in 2006. The day before, we saw the sun set on the last day of 2005 on the West Coast of Florida at Madeira Beach.

So what's the drawback?

• If you are a very social person, your contacts may be limited. People you will be working with are frequently married and very often will not socialize after work. Frequently, people unconsciously don't form a close friendship with a traveler. Why? Because you are temporary. People don't want to invest time getting to know someone who is leaving. Usually, you will do an initial 13 week contract. You may be offered the opportunity to extend after the 13 weeks are up, if the facility still needs you, likes your work ethic, and can afford you.


• Sometimes your contracts are cut short, as my wife's was in Avon Park, FL.. We had just arrived in Florida planning to spend the winter in a warm climate and not too far from beaches and were expecting to be able to stay at one facility for about six months.
  
  In just about every rehab facility Carol had a contract with, the company asked her to extend. We were one month into the assignment when the facility she was working at gave a one-month notice that they were cancelling her contract. They had hired a permanent COTA to take her place.
  So the travel company had to dash to find another place for us in Florida. It was up in the Northwest corner of Florida next to Alabama and in another time zone, and it was pretty chilly compared to where we had been. Moreover, we weren't dressed for it. We only had a couple of sweaters and light jackets. And it got really cold, by comparison to Central and South Central sections of Florida. To illustrate this, the Traveler and I were at a roadside fruit stand one cold Saturday morning and were outside shivering. An elderly woman standing nearby and all bundled up said, "I'm from New York and it's as cold here as it is up there. Is this really Florida?"
  
• You don't always get to go where you want to. There may not be an opening if you want a particular city or even a state. North and South Carolina have been particularly hard for the Traveler to get a travel assignment. You can only get an assignment if one is available and hope there is not too much competition for the opening. That's not to say permanent jobs are hard to get. They are plentiful everywhere. But not travel jobs.


• While the pay compensation may be different from travel company to company, there is one thing they all have in common. They are a business and they look out for their best interest, not yours. I don't care what they say. You need to watch them like a hungry hawk looking for a fat mouse. (In my next blog I will tell you some of the ways a company will either take money from you or not pay you what you are worth.)


• If you are married and counting on your spouse to bring in some money, unless they are self-employed and can work from home, jobs for them will be difficult. If this bothers you, it would be a good idea to reconsider being a medical health traveler. If on the other hand, your spouse is a budding novelist or artist, this is the perfect lifestyle to help them perfect their craft. (In a future blog I will give nonworking spouses of travelers ideas for work.)
  
  There you have it. These are just a few of the drawbacks to being a traveler. Next time, how travel staffing companies take advantage of you and how to keep your nonworking spouse employed.

Travel Fitness Secrets Part 2

Secrets To Keeping Fit While Traveling

by George M. Newton

For a short time I worked at a senior living rehabilitation facility doing computer data entry and bringing clients to the therapists for treatment.

Almost time after time the residents and people who were there short term recovering from surgery showed one glaring aspect that promoted their loss of physical activity. They had done little or nothing to maintain even a moderate level of fitness from their youth.

A factor that almost no one tells you when you are younger is that some sort of exercise and proper nutrition is required all your life, which will, in most cases, be long and healthy if you follow this regimen. It only takes about 30 days to make something a habit. Eat properly and exercise regularly and it will become second nature to you, not something that gets in the way of your life.

Tom Venuto, author of the best selling "Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle," continues with his top 10 tips to stay healthy while traveling. Moreover, if you are in the medical profession you should be setting the example of how people should live. Most of his tips are for people on short term travel, not medical travelers who may be gone from home for months at a time. But the principles can be adapted.

Continued from part 1

6. Cook portable foods and bring meal replacements or healthy snacks for drives, flights and day trips

I love to drive, so for my trip last month I packed everything up in my car and hit the road. Naturally, I cooked for the road trip and my food came with me! I’ve learned how to make a variety of portable foods including several different types of oatmeal pancakes, tuna burgers and healthy sandwiches. Some of these “portable foods” can be even eaten with your hands while you are in a car, on a plane or sitting in a seminar room.

On my recent trip, I knew I had a long drive, so I calculated the number of hours on the road and the number of meals I would need and simply brought them all with me. For two of my on-the-road meals I had oatmeal-egg white-apple-cinnamon pancakes and one of my “meals” was simply a high protein meal replacement shake and fresh fruit. It’s not difficult at all when you plan and pack food in advance.


7. Choose your gym or check your hotel fitness facilities in advance

Many people work out right in their hotel rooms with a body weight exercise program or even portable equipment. Since I’m a bodybuilder, I refuse to go without a fully equipped gym.

Unfortunately, on-site Hotel gyms are notorious for sounding great in the advertisements and then when you arrive, you find that the “gym” is a room about the size of a walk in closet, with a few pieces of (mostly broken) archaic equipment from the 1970’s. There are a few exceptions, but having learned my lesson a couple times, I now use the Internet to locate a gym prior to my trip.

Call in advance and ask if there are daily or weekly rates.
You can also ask if your hotel has an affiliation with a local health club. During my last trip, the hotel was affiliated with a Bally Total Fitness Center that was just a 10 minute drive away and use of the Bally’s was included with the price of my room.

It turned out to be an excellent club, so I was a happy camper.

If you are already a member of a gym in your local area, check to see if your gym has an affiliation with other clubs around the country or if they belong to an organization such as IHRSA (international Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association).

Some clubs are part of a network which allows you to train at other clubs when you're traveling - all you have to do is show your membership card and you will get access to train at other clubs that are part of the network. IHRSA has more than 6,500 clubs in 67 countries in its network.

8. Pack your workout gear and plenty of workout clothes

When you pack hastily at the last minute, things can easily be forgotten and left behind, so be sure to pack plenty of workout clothes with you and bring any other gym gear you might need (belt, lifting straps, etc). For extended trips, inquire with your hotel to see if they have laundry facilities. (The hotel where I recently stayed had an onsite laundry room, which came in handy with my 2.5 week stay).

9. Change up your workouts as you change up your gym

Some people get accustomed to their hometown gym and they’re upset or disappointed when they don’t have access to the same equipment when they travel. They feel that it cramps their style or hinders their results.

However, this can really be a blessing in disguise. Your body adapts to any workout, often in just a matter of weeks. We tend to be victims of our own habit patterns in life and that includes our workouts.

You might want to take advantage of it when you have new and different equipment at your disposal.

After “scoping out” the gym’s facilities, design an entirely new workout program for a change. Do something 100% different. Sometimes a simple change of exercises is enough to stimulate new progress. The club I trained at during my last trip had a full line of “Strive” machines which are not available at my hometown gym.

These machines allow you to choose three different resistance curves on each exercise. Very cool. Since I had access to this equipment, I did a totally new routine and used more machines than usual. Although most fitness experts these days generally advise you to use more free weights than machines (and I agree for the most part), using these machines was a great change up and I could feel and see the difference.

10. Walk, bike or make physical recreation part of your travel plans

Personally, as I am already in very good shape, I usually don’t count casual walking as part of my “formal” workout (cardio) program, although it certainly might count for other people.

However, it never hurts to get some extra activity and all physical activity burns calories and provides some health benefits. I’ve found that more often than not, when I am on the road, whether for business or pleasure, there are plenty of opportunities to get some physical recreation and see the sights by foot.

On a trip last year, I spent an entire afternoon hiking in the hills of a beautiful national park. On another trip, I rented a bike and rode for miles along a beachside bike path. On my recent trip, I spent an entire day walking through museums and then sightseeing. I walked for hours.

I also couldn’t help but notice other people (mostly conspicuously unfit people), tooling around outside on those stand-up scooters. Funny thing too, because right next door to the motorized scooter rental was a bike rental. Which would you choose – foot, bike, or “lazy-person’s chariot?”

About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder and author of the #1 best selling e-book, "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to burn fat without drugs or supplements using the little-known secrets of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and turbo-charge your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com.

Travel fitness secrets

The Secrets to Keep Fit While Traveling
by George Newton

As a medical health traveler your company will put you up in a variety of places. Naturally, they will try to find the best possible accommodations, but sometimes what is available is not very palatable.

For example, one apartment complex we were living in when in Fayetteville had a nicely equipped 24 hour access weight room containing both free weights and machines. Very nice!

But the place we are in now, in what is supposed to be the Paradise Coast here in Naples, FL., is a joke. There are about 4 or 5 aerobic machines and none of them work. In fact, someone got so angry at their not working that a few of them have their control panels smashed.

The only equipment that works is the three weight machines. I guess that's because there are no electronics involved.

We pay a lot of money each month for this apartment not to have the health center equipment work properly. I am sure there are a lot of reasons why the aerobic machines have not been repaired. I am not interested.

Sorry, I am backing off my diatribe. The main idea of this entry is to impart some important tips to help you keep in shape while on the move. Medical travelers generally stay longer in one area than people who are merely on a trip or perhaps travel and stay in various hotels as a result of their jobs. But the information is just as valuable.

And who better to give this information than fitness expert Tom Venuto. Tom has the Number One fitness book on Clickbank and for good reason. "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle" is not a book about weightlifting nor is it just for guys. Women can benefit too. It's a book about proper nutrition and making your metabolism work for you and not against you.


Tom Venuto's Top 10 Travel Fitness TipsBy Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCShttp://www.burnthefat.com/

I recently read two articles about travel fitness. One said that while you're traveling, you should keep up with 50% of your normal training and the other said you should keep up with only one-third.

Both were written by well known fitness professionals and both said that you should NOT expect to keep up your regular exercise program while you are traveling. That struck me as kind of "lame" and I said to myself, “Why the heck not? Why do people have such low standards and demand so little of themselves? Why do they let themselves off the hook and scale back?”
Sometimes, of course, traveling is purely for a vacation – including a vacation from training.

Occasional time off from intense training is beneficial and necessary to let your body recover and rejuvenate completely from chronic training stress, just as time off from the office is needed to disengage your mind for a while. It’s also true that it really doesn’t take much to maintain fitness once it is developed, and an abbreviated, but still effective, workout routine could certainly be used, if you choose, when you’re on the road.

However, you still have healthy eating to think about and just because you’re traveling doesn’t mean you can’t follow your regular exercise regimen. Why settle? If you want to continue to improve your physique while on the road, you can! Here are 10 ways that I did it on my last extended business trip that you may find helpful as well. It begins with a simple decision.

1. Decide to improve while you’re traveling and to come home in better shape than when you left

Nearly every time I travel (the exception being if it’s a complete rest and relaxation vacation), I set a goal to come home in better shape than when I left.

The only reason most people usually come home with lower fitness and a few extra pounds than when they left is because they didn’t make a decision to do otherwise.

In fact, many people hold a belief that it’s “impossible” to stay on their eating and exercise program while they are traveling! Why not get in better shape no matter where you are? The truth is, all it takes is a decision and some planning. I find it a fun and exhilarating challenge to improve myself no matter where I am in the world.

2. Write out your workout schedule in advance


There’s nothing like writing your goals down on paper to keep your mind focused and keep yourself motivated. In addition to writing out goals regularly, preferably every day, you should also commit your training schedule to paper and especially when you are traveling. Write down the days, the time of the day and the exact workout you plan to do and you will be amazed at how easy you will find it is to get to the gym and have great workouts.

3. Get a hotel with a kitchen

The single most important part of my travel arrangements was to book a hotel with a kitchen. For me, not having a kitchen is not an option.

If you don’t have kitchen, you will be much more likely to skip meals, it’s very difficult to eat 5 or 6 times a day (as required by any good fat burning or muscle building nutrition program), and you may end up at the mercy of restaurant, hotel or convenience store food.

For my most recent trip, I stayed at Homestead Studio Suites, one of several national hotel chains in the USA which includes a full kitchen including a refrigerator, microwave, stove – the whole works. Extended Stay America and Marriott Residence Inn offer similar accommodations.

On previous trips, if there wasn’t such a hotel with a kitchen in the vicinity, I searched the internet for apartments for short term rental. You may be surprised at the type of lodging you can find and often you will be pleased with price as compared to hotels.

I once booked a luxury condo for 7 days and it ended up costing less than the hotel I was first considering, and the hotel didn’t even have a kitchen. Nothing beats a full kitchen, but you may also find that many hotels will provide you with a microwave and mini-refrigerator if you ask for them.

4. Go food shopping immediately after checking in

The FIRST thing I did after checking in was to make a beeline straight to the local grocery store. I took a shopping list with me because on past trips I found that I nearly always seemed to forget one or two small items if I didn’t have the written grocery list. Once you have a fully stocked refrigerator and kitchen, your meal planning and preparation is NO DIFFERENT than it is when you are home.

5. check the local restaurant locations and menus and commit in advance to making healthy choices when dining out

Since I had a kitchen at my disposal, the majority of my meals were just business as usual. I cooked them right in my hotel room and brought them along with me wherever I went. However, when traveling, it’s likely that you will probably be having quite a few restaurant meals.

I make it a habit to scope out the local restaurants in advance and even check their websites. Most have their menus online these days. I make a decision in advance whether it will be a regular meal or a “cheat meal.” If it’s a cheat meal, I enjoy whatever I want, but I always keep portion sizes in mind. For example, last time, I split a slice of cheesecake with a friend. Was I guilty? Heck no, it was my planned cheat day, I only ate half a slice and it was the first cheesecake I had in 12 months!

If you walk into a restaurant without having made a decision in advance whether you are staying on your regular meals or having a cheat meal, you are much more likely to have a “diet accident” and make a poor choice on impulse, especially if you’re influenced by non-healthy-eating companions (don’t under estimate the negative peer pressure factor). All it takes is one unplanned cheat meal and that can often lead to guilt. Then “all or none thinking” tends to set in and you may tell yourself, “Well, I blew it,” so the next meal and then the rest of the week tends to completely fall apart as well.

Continued in Part 2

About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder and author of the #1 best selling e-book, "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to burn fat without drugs or supplements using the little-known secrets of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and turbo-charge your metabolism by visiting: http://www.burnthefat.com/.

Health Travelers Eat Their Way Around The Country

With each new assignment we find a new place where we like eat. Me and my wife are breakfast people, we often like to go out to breakfast on Saturday. We don't go out too much during the week because eating out often can can deplete your disposable income faster than a banker can say overdrawn.

But breakfast is relatively inexpensive. I'm not talking about McDonald's or any of the other fast food places. Nor am I talking about chain restaurants. We like to hit the local restaurants that serve a great meal.

To that end, the following are some of the places around the country we have eaten that impressed us.

• In Winston-Salem, a great place to go if you can get a medical travel assignment there, is at Billy Bob's Silver Diner, located near Hanes Mall on Hanes mall Blvd and across from the movie theater. The breakfast was always good, there was plenty of food and the price was around $6 each for eggs, bacon, potatoes toast and coffee. It had a nice '50s feel to the interior. Outside the diner is a throwback to an earlier time. It is covered in shiny aluminum and is a real eye-catcher.
• Up next is B.B.King's Blues Club. To be honest, we did not eat breakfast there. I don't even think they serve Breakfast. The Traveler and I strolled over there after visiting the Peabody Hotel to watch the ducks walk through the lobby. It was about the coldest night of the year for Memphis. After not getting to see the ducks because of the huge crowd that packed the lobby, we froze looking for some entertainment on Beale Street. We wandered into B.B. King's Blues Club. There were quite a few people in there waiting for the entertainment to start. While waiting we had a barbecue spare rib dinner. The - tastiest - we - have - ever - eaten, bar none. I am sure there are plenty of other places in Memphis that serve just as delicious food, but we didn't eat there. So what I can recommend, medical travelers, are the ribs at the Blues Club on Beale Street in Memphis.
• The next place to eat, should you find yourself in Fayetteville, N.C. is the Quality Inn Ambassador on Eastern Blvd. There is a restaurant separate from the Inn that serves a great breakfast. Lots of well-prepared food, hot coffee and fast service for a low price. A lot of locals eat there.
• From there, should you find yourself in Beaufort, S.C., the place to east breakfast is Boundary Street Pizza on Boundary Street. We would occasionally drive by the business in the morning and see the parking lot packed with customers. I'm thinking they must put out one heck of a breakfast pizza. One day we decided to stop in a see what was going on for breakfast. It's a place the Traveler and I will never forget. It's not a big place inside but the food was well prepared with eggs to order, breakfast potatoes, bacon or sausage, toast, pancakes, and hot coffee, all for about 9 bucks! For both of us. Moreover, the owner is an extremely friendly guy who quietly boasts that many of the town's movers and shakers frequently eat there. I can understand why. Oh yeah, the pizza is really good too.
• Beaufort gets a double nod for places to eat. The second place is Barbara Jeans on Ladys Island. Great Southern food that is to die for. We ate outdoors on the porch that wraps around the building, an old-fashioned farm style home.
• From Beaufort we head farther south to Milton, FL. We didn't actually like living in Milton, but they did have a couple of places for great breakfasts. One was Ace's and the other was Reggies. Both serve a full breakfast line and good hot coffee. Get there early because they both get packed quickly on the weekends.
• Next up is Pensacola, FL, home of the Blue Angels. The place for breakfast is the Scenic 90 Cafe, aka the Shiny Diny. Like Billy Bobs in Winston-Salem, Scenic 90 is a diner-style cafe serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast choices are not plentiful, but what you do get is really good and fairly cheap. The interior is a '50s style ambiance. Get there early if you want a seat.
• Heading east from Pensacola to the blue waters of Destin is Another Broken Egg. A little pricey but the food is really scrumptious and you get a lot of choices.
• Also in Destin is the Donut Hole, a very popular restaurant that serves a wide variety of well-prepared breakfast foods. Also a little pricey but worth it.
• This time we head really far south to Naples, FL. The place to eat here is Joe's Diner in Naples Park, right on the Tamiami Trail. I have never seen such a large variety of breakfast foods. We eat there frequently and everything is well prepared and hot. Plus, if you buy an "Eat at Joe's" T-shirt or cap, each time you wear it in to eat, you get 10 percent off your meal, which is fairly economical already.
• One last place that has to be mentioned is the Dockside Sports Pub in Ft. Myers Beach. We stayed there one night on our way to Naples. The Traveler and I were in the mood for pizza. But when we called a few places, they had no one to deliver the food. Couldn't find the help. Cutting the story short, I walked to the nearby Dockside, which is a sports bar and karaoke lounge that serves a variety of short order items and entrees and award winning pizza. I bought a cheese pizza. Talk about good! That doesn't begin to describe the taste. A large cheese pizza ran about $13 but well worth the price.

Pet Obedience A Top Priority For Travelers

Being a medical traveler can be a lonely life regardless if you are single or married. You come into an area where most of your co-workers are already established and may have lived in the community for many years. Breaking into that circle may be nearly impossible.

Part of the reason for this is because they know that you are only temporary. Many people, yourself included, will not expend much energy on someone who is going to leave in a few months.

That's not to say you won't make any friends, because you will. Just don't expect to get invited to a lot of after-work events.

One step many medical travelers take to combat lonliness is to have a pet to keep them company.

This next part is important: if you have a pet you will be discriminated against when trying to get housing. You will not be able to get into the better apartments or condos. In some cases there may not be any available housing that takes pets, of any kind.

Moreover, if they do take your pet, they may charge you an additional monthly fee of 25$ and a nonrefundable pet deposit ranging from $250 and up. But to be honest, there have been enough incidents of people living worse than their dogs and severely damaging the apartment that landlords have had to resort to these sorts of near extortion tactics.

If you really want a pet as a medical health traveler, the smaller the better. More living accomodations accept pets under 25 pounds than larger pets, primarly dogs.

With that word of warning out of the way I will get on to the meat of this article, obedience training for your dog.

Dogs are social animals and need proper training to fit into human socienty. Until they are trained, they wil use your home like a backyard, bark until you wonder why they aren't hoarse, fight other dogs and even try to chew on you. That's because they don't recognize you as the alpha dog, the guy in charge, and no, phycally punishing the animal is not the answer.

In researching information on controlling animal behavior, I have come to the conclusion that there are as many different methods of training an animal as there are animal trainers.

As a result, and to help those of you who have a new dog you are trying to socialize into your household, I will give you some major tips for basic dog training that have been culled from various animal training experts. This current tip is one of the most important: How to train your new canine to relieve itself outside, not in the house.

Housebreaking Your Dog
Four aspects of housebreaking to remember are, praise, reward, be consistent and observe your dog's behavior.

Soon after eating the new puppy will need to relieve itself. Take it outside frequently until it defecates or urinates. Then immediately give the pooch a small treat and praise it. Tone of voice carries a lot of weight with animals - as it does people. This lets the new joy in your life know that relieving itself outside is acceptable bahavior.

Eventually, the dog will associate praise with a treat and soon praise with only the occasional treat will be enough to reinforce the behavior.

Initially, the use of a pet keeper, i.e. cage, as Poochie's Pad, can be beneficial in training your new Wonder Dog to go potty outdoors. Though not always true, dogs seem to refrain from relieving themselves where they sleep. But this will only be true if the cage is just big enough for them to turn around inside. If it is much bigger than that, they will use a corner to dump in and the other corner to sleep.

My dog Sebastian was a Pound Puppy, meaning I rescued him from the Animal Shelter, and at the start he was kept in a pet keeper. His cage was just large enough for him to turn around in and he seemed to like it.

More importantly, he never relieved himself inside there. We would let him out to play around the house and frequently took him outside. We rewarded him with praise and sometimes treats if he used the outdoors as a bathroom.

Eventually, we left the door of the pet keeper open and he could go in or out at will. Before long he outgrew the cage and we sold it at a yard sale.
Keep the same daily feeding schedule and begin by taking the Fido out soon after eating.

Over time begin taking longer and longer to take the Wonder Dog out until you get him on a schedule you are comfortable with. If an accident occurs in the house, use a harsh tone of voice and say, "No," or "Bad" to let the dog know what it did was not acceptable. But avoid physical punishment. Again, it's not the words as much as the tone of voice.

Here's an important household tip. If Poochie has an accident in the house use a carpet cleaner or cleaning solution that will eliminate the odor. Otherwise, the joy of you life will smell it later and think the spot is a place to relieve itself again.

Keep the feeding schedule regular. Don't vary the time much. My dog Sebastian knows within a few minutes of when he is supposed to be fed and starts a vigil by his bowl. This allows you to know how much you are feeding Fido, keep his calories under control, and know how soon he will have to go out to do the same thing bears do in the woods.

Notice your new best friend's behavior, I'm talking about your canine. Is she suddenly sniffing around the house, appear anxious or is whining? The dog may be looking for a suitable place to potty and is letting you know she needs to go out. Take her out immediately and don't confuse the animal by being upset with her because you are missing you favorite TV show. Afterall, you wanted Fido to let you know when it needed to go.

Whether you have a puppy or a grown dog, they vary in their ability to learn to relieve themselves outside. Some seem to know instinctively not to go in the house and make some effort to communicate to you that they need to go out. Just be patient and consistent and don't mix your signals.

• In summary, take the new dog or puppy outside and when it relieves itself outdoors use praise and treats as a reward.
• If the pooch has an accident in the house, use a harsh tone of voice and say, "No," to let it know your displeasure.
• Use an odor eliminator cleaner to remove pet mishaps
• Observe the dog and notice its behavior, such as sniffing, anxiety and whining. Take it out immediately.

Travel The World For Free!

Author Tells Travelers How To Travel On The Cheap

Something a little different this time. Instead of telling you about the adventures of Carol and myself, I have decided to tell medical health travelers - and other travelers with wanderlust in their hearts - just how to roam the world for free, meals not included.

Read the following article by Tukshad Engineer (is that a cool name or what?) very carefully and afterward, I will tell you where to get more information.

How To Travel The World For Free by: Tukshad Engineer

It sounds like a dream doesn't it? Hopping onto a plane and taking a flight to the destination of your choice. Imagine collecting your flight tickets to New York, London, Goa - or wherever takes your fancy - and not having to pay a cent for them.

For a few people, this dream is actually a reality. How? Simply put they have discovered a little travel secret - namely that a lot of companies will actually pay the travel expenses for you to oversee their package or document from one country to another. Now this may bring to mind images of having to smuggle a microfilm past some dodgy Russian customs ala James Bond, but the reality is nowhere near as exciting or dangerous - which is great news for the budget traveler.

The even better news is that with a little know how, any adult can act as a courier and score free and deeply discounted flight tickets to the destination of their choice.

It's completely legal and can save you thousands in saved airfare every year. Courier companies are continually on the lookout for willing travelers to carry their items overseas. There is nothing sinister about it and nothing is hidden from the authorities - the traveler is paid with a deeply discounted (and sometimes free) air ticket.

According to a survey by the Air Courier Association the standard saving that travelers get when they act as a courier is 85 percent on the normal flight price. There isn't a travel agent in the world that will match such a discount.

So what are your responsibilities as a courier? Well it's as simple as turning up to the airport on time and meeting the courier companys representative at the destination airport. As soon as you walk through the customs area at your destination, your job is over.

What are the drawbacks of this deeply discounted travel? Well for a start you're probably only going to be allowed one carry on bag as your luggage - so learning how to travel light & pack efficiently is essential. It's also important to have some degree of flexibility in terms of when you're able to fly, though usually you can get many flights comfortably in advance. You also need to be at least 18 and obviously have a valid passport.

Assuming you're ok with these drawbacks, you can really fly to just about any destination at incredibly low costs. You can learn more about how to be a courier at http://www.global-ebooks.com/TravelFree.htm or if you are looking for more budget travel tips check out http://www.my-online-powerpack.com/traveldiscount.htm
Ready to go? The whole world awaits you!
About The Author
Discover how to travel at great discounts & even for free at: http://www.global-ebooks.com/TravelFree.htm. For the best travel newsletter in the world today including destination reviews & regular deep discounts send me a mail to tukshad@global-ebooks.com

Top Nine Factors To Look For In A Staffing Service

Be Wary And Do The Math

On my first entry I gave information about what factors medical travelers should look for in a staffing company. But since that was a while back I decided to update them and run them again.

Therefore, if you are a health care professional, doctor, nurse, occupational therapist, physical therapist, including COTAs and PTAs, and you want to see this country on someone else's dime, then there are a few precautions you need to take before signing up with a staffing company.

1. How long has the staffing company you are considering joining been in business?
   This can be important in getting you the location of the assignment you want. Some states, like North Carolina, seem to have joined in one massive plan to bar travelers from getting sent to any health care facility located there, nevermind trying to get prime jobs at locations like the beach or mountains. I'm not saying it can't be done. One of our first assignments was in Fayetteville, NC. But since then we have been unable to get an assignment back there, not with the company we are with now, nor with others we have checked into. A company that has been around longer may have better contacts with employers and know exactly where the location of the best housing.
2. How are you paid? Do you get per diem payments as well as hourly? How much do they allow for housing and does the company have a housing division or does your recruiter do double duty as the housing department? Hourly pay rates run all over the board, so check with at least three staffing companies. Do the math. Some staffing companies have a complicated pay system. They may pay you hourly wages at one rate, say $18 per hour, plus an additional $3 or $4 an hour untaxed rate. They will try to tell you this untaxed rate is equal to a higher pay than if they just paid you $21 an hour. Moreover, if you take the insurance they offer, your pay will be at a lower rate even though you may be contributing to the medical plan costs. Not all companies do this, but many do. So be careful and do the math. Have the recruiter give you a concrete example you can understand.
3. Where is the staffing company's main office located and do they have any satellite offices in other states? Once again, this will tell you their sphere of influence as to their ability to get you a staffing job.
4. Do they reimburse for travel from one assignment to the next?
   Some medical staffing companies pay for the entire move. Others pay only a set amount regardless of how much it costs you.
5. Does the medical staffing company pay for continuing education courses?
   Throughout the year you will need to earn a certain number of continuing education points. The amount depends on the state licensing requirements for the state you are in or for the states in which you are licensed. Some companies do not specifically pay for continuing education but may give a stipend each month that you can use for that purpose. It can get expensive going to seminars. You have to figure in not just the cost of the course, which can run to several hundred dollars, but also travel costs, meals and possibly hotel expenses.
6. Do they offer a medical plan? Believe me, you will need to have good medical coverage while you are traveling. In my other entries I chronicled our debacle with my wife's injuries. And recently, my wife was coming out of a patient's room and slipped on a wet floor and reinjured the same ankle she broke back in December and injured her shoulder. The medical plans offered by the various staffing agencies are all different. Some will pay the entire amount for the traveler and if there is a spouse or other family member, the traveler will have to cough up some money for the addition. Remember, nearly all of them reduce your pay if you take the insurance.
7. Does the medical staffing company offer any earned paid time off in addition to paid vacation time? You will want to take some time off aside from vacations. Some staffing agencies let the traveler earn a paid day off for X amount of weeks worked. This allows you to take sick days and still get paid. Also, find out how their vacation plan works.
8. You will want to retire one day. Most experts say the way to wealth is to start early and don't touch your money. Does the medical staffing company offer an investment or retirement plan?
   If a 401K plan is offered this can be one of the best ways to start building you nest egg. As a suggestion, while you are on this working vacation try to read up on how to invest your money. If nothing else, when a financial expert talks to you, you will be less likely to be taken for a bad financial ride.
9. During the interview with the potential health facility find out what their patient load per medical professional is per day. Prior to taking an assignment you will interview with the department manager, among others, usually by phone. One of the most important questions to ask is how many clients they see per day. Generally, 8 to 10 clients for an occupational therapist, for example, is considered a full day. If the interviewer says they see 10 to 16 per day, drop the phone like a hot potato. You don't want to work in a sweat mill where the financial bottom line is more important that people.

Medical Convention Turns Into Vacation

Health Travelers Seek Fountain of Youth In St. Augustine

Wow! Who knew there was so much to do in St. Augustine? One of the benefits of being in the medical profession is that you have to take continuing education courses.

As medical travelers, people who take temporary assignments in cities or states away from their homes, you get the opportunity to take continuing ed courses in cities that you might not get the chance to visit otherwise.

My wife the Traveler decided to take a recent course on "modalities' offered at the University of Florida at St. Augustine. Medical professionals will know what it is but I am mostly clueless. She told me what it was, but it went in one ear and out the other.

My wife is a traveler. I am her husband and chronicler of our adventures. She is with a staffing company that finds her a job, hopefully in a city and state of her choice, but not always. Sometimes the job opening of choice is just not there. The staffing company also finds the apartment, pays the rent and utilities and pays her an hourly wage.

And I have to tell you, it's not a bad life - mostly. There are adjustments, which I have discussed in earlier blogs and will continue to enumerate in future articles.

Back to St. Augustine. We had this planned for a couple of months. The seminar was to be held on a Saturday and Sunday and she would get about 12 points for the course, more than enough to meet state licensing requirements for continuing education for the year for her license in North Carolina. The Traveler holds three state licenses - North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.

The Traveler took off Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. You should know that when you are a traveler, you only get paid when you work. I don't know of any staffing company that gives you sick days. There may be some. We haven't looked at every medical staffing company - though it sometimes seems like we have.

Some companies give you vacation days which you can accrue in a variety of creative ways, but generally you can't take off in the middle of an assignment and get paid for it. In some cases the establishment you are assigned to may not let you have the time off, so prepare carefully.

But Carol prepared for this and told the facility before she agreed to come on board that she would need time off to attend the seminar.

Moreover, we wanted to make a mini-vacation out of it. So we left Thursday evening after she got off work and drove into St. Augustine, about 370 miles from Southern Alabama - opps! - I mean Pensacola, FL.

This left us with Friday to explore the nation's oldest European established city.
We decided to first take a tour to get the highlights of what to see and do. Besides, parking was at a premium around the city.

But you can park at one of the stops of the various tour companies and park there for free and ride around the city, get off and on anytime up until about 4 pm. There are a couple of tour offerings in St. Augustine. The Red Train had a sign in their parking lot that you had to be out by 5 p.m. or your car would be towed.

We were out by 4:30, but when we passed by a little after 5 p.m. sure enough a tow truck was hitching to some poor visitor's car. We saw the guy exit from the train just as it arrived and run to his car. I think he was able to talk the guy out of towing it off.

For the Red Trains, operated by "Ripley's Believe It Or Not," we parked at their operations station, took the entire 1 hour and 15 minute tour and then got off somewhere in the Old City on the second time around.

There are literally hundreds of shops offering just about everything along the quaint street of St. George.

We got to hear three different guides since we rode the train at three different times and they all tell the same information but the facts may differ a little. Nonetheless, it is still informative, and to me, interesting.

As we drove around the public square in the old city in the open air trains, the guide is easily heard by passersby. The Square, where the British used to sell slaves, was holding an arts and crafts fair. One guy objected to one of the tidbits of information the guide was giving and loudly proclaimed on the sidewalk as he followed us that, "He's a liar! That's not true!"

I don't quite recall what particular nugget of tour-guide wisdom he didn't like. It didn't matter to me. I take everything they say with a "grain of salt" anyway.

There is just too much information to talk about in a single blog. The history of the place, the various buildings and their stories and the sights alone make it an interesting place for me.

The original "Ripley's Believe It or Not," where the show hosted by Actor Dean Cain shoots some of the scenes, is located in St. Augustine, and is one of the stops on the tour.

And of course, The Fountain of Youth, that Ponce DeLeon was searching for, is there and is one of the stops on the tour. It's the reason St. Augustine was discovered in the first place.

I guess I should say discovered by Europeans, because it was already discovered by the people living there, the Timucuan Indians. Sadly, there are none in existence today.

If you go to St. Augustine, you will hear a lot about bloody battles, coquina walls, and Henry Flagler. All are important in the history of St. Augustine.

The Red Train tickets are good for three days and I rode the train several times while the Traveler was taking her seminar. I got off a various locations and walked around and took a lot of pictures.

The trains run pretty frequently and one hits a Train Stop about every 15 minutes.

While strolling around the Old City, we bought chocolate from a little chocolate shop that makes their own candy. Carol purchased a gift for one of our two daughter's upcoming birthday, an original gift made in the Southwest of buffalo bone.

All in all we had a great time and plan to go back to St. Augustine again to see all the stuff we didn't have time for the first visit.

Self photo taken at St. Augustine

McGuires Irish Pub

Shots of McGuire's Inside and Out.

When Irish Eyes Are Smilin'

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, They Must Have Just Come From McGuire's

As a traveling couple, the Traveler and I try to eat home cooked meals as much as possible. We have sort of reversed traditional roles. She works to bring home the bacon while I, the Chronicler, take care of the house and cooking and just about everything else.

My goal is to see to it that all she has to be responsible for is going to work for 8 hours. When we decided for her to take a travel assignment and me to stop truck driving, this was the agreement we came up with. And so far it works pretty well.
We mostly avoid the chain restaurants in favor of the unique in hope of a serendipitous experience.

One Saturday recently serendipity smiled on us with a wonderful eating experience at McGuire's Irish Pub in Pensacola.

But we eat out once, sometimes twice, a week - usually on the weekends. We have hit a few local restaurants here in Milton, FL that are pretty good. Usually, we try to find local restaurants in whatever city we happen to be living to try the cuisine.

The most amazing thing you notice when you walk into McGuire's is all the money hanging from the ceiling. The ceiling is thick with signed dollar bills stapled to the rafters like some sort of tempting carpet. The signatures carry some notables such as Janet Jackson and George Carlin to mention a couple.

The estimates of bills range from 250,000 to 500,000 dollars hanging from the ceiling. But keep your hands off! A news article stuck on the wall near our table told about a young man who decided to help himself to more than 20 of the dangling dollars and then tried to spend them at a nearby liquor store.

As I said, all the bills are signed - with a black magic marker. The liquor store owner recognized the signed bills and called the cops. That young man was soon singing the blues after stealing the green.

I couldn't help but be impressed with the pub's ambiance. Irish theme music was playing in the background. Loud enough to hear but low enough to allow conversation. You might be able to remain stoic when "Danny Boy" was played but you would just have to shed a tear when "Amazing Grace" came on played by bagpipes.

However, you'll cheer up when you hear "Clancy Lowers The Boom" or "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling." The place also has lots of dark wood and souvenirs scattered around the 20,000-square-foot restaurant.

But it doesn't feel large. The place is divided into a number of small, cozy rooms with dark wood tables placed around the walls and little cul-de-sacs. The friendly waitress was dressed in turn of the century style with a black dress that went to her ankles, a white blouse and a shamrock green vest.

As we have traveled about the country we sometimes encounter restaurants in the city we are in that tout themselves as being Irish or British. We usually try to stop and check out the cuisine. Mostly we are disappointed by tasteless, overpriced fare.

One menu item I have tried in several European themed restaurants is the shepherd's Pie. Until McGuire's, I have been disappointed.

Man! I don't know if I can describe it! A steaming boat shaped dish topped with at least an inch of lightly baked, fluffy potatoes. Underneath it was filled with ground beef, potatoes, corn and carrots in a savory seasoned gravy. Prior to the main course my wife and I ordered the 18 cent bean soup. Delicious. Yeah. Only 18 cents if you order a main course.

My wife ordered one of the 20 varieties of large gourmet, ground steak burgers. We traded bites. It, too, was tongue teasingly tasty, (if I'm not being too alliterative). Though I preferred my shepherd's Pie.

I also drank an light ale, which went down smoothly. They have a number of ales and wine. In fact, McGuire's offers ales, porters and stouts brewed on the premises in its traditional oak and copper brewery. Currently, the restaurant brews five regular beers on a rotating seasonal basis.

But McGuire's is particularly noted for its fine steaks and has won "One of America's Great Steakhouses Golden Spoon Award" seven different times since the restaurant's opening in 1977 as well as numerous other food awards and awards for fine wines.

In 1977, McGuire's was started as a turn of the century New York Irish saloon. As you enter the doorway from outside over the entrance is written "Cead Mile Failte" and is Gaelic for "One Hundred Thousand Welcomes."

When you leave McGuire's you'll be well fed and your eyes will be smilin' whether they are Irish or not and you might even hear the angels sing. Oh, by the way, if you sign a dollar bill to attach somewhere on the ceiling, you get to be an adopted Irishman or Irishwoman.

'Til next time, travelers.

Thank Cain and Mobile for Mardi Gras

When I hear about Mardi Gras celebrations I used to think of New Orleans. Well after this assignment in Pensacola I will think of Mobile, Ala. After all, that's where Mardi Gras began in this country.

Didn't know that, did ya? I didn't either. But during Mardi Gras season, roughly from the middle of February until about the first week of March, Mardi Gras celebrations are all over the news - if you live around the Gulf Coast.

Moreover, it is a big celebration in Mobile, Ala., and people come from all over to see the various parades. For some reason the news media in other states don't seem to mention much that Mobile is where the big party started in this country.

In 1703, when Mobile was a colony for French soldiers, the military men decided to celebrate surviving a particular bad bout with yellow fever. Party favors, however, were hard to find in the New World, so the men decided to paint their faces red and for a few hours act crazy. It must have been a lot of fun because it became and annual event, according to various sources.

There was a hold put on Mardi Gras festivities during the hostilities of the Civil War. Afterward, Mobile was occupied by Federal troops, and there was little revelry. However, in 1866, a man by the name of Joe Cain felt it was time once again to bring back the merriment of Mardi Gras and decided to do his part to put life back into the town.

Cain decked himself in full Chickasaw Indian regalia, proclaimed himself Chief Slacabamorinico, climbed aboard a coal wagon with six spirited (figuratively and literally) friends calling themselves "The Tea Drinkers," and road his one-mule, one-float parade through the town.

Mobile during the Festival of Lent has never been the same since. But how did it get to New Orleans? According to various sources, Mardi Gras was transformed into a parade event in 1840 by a group known as the Cowbellion de Rakin Society, the first of many of Mobile's so-called mystic organizations who journeyed to New Orleans in 1857 to help a group there set up a Mardi Gras celebration. And the rest is history.

The Mobile Mardi Gras is considered to be more family oriented and less crazy that the one in Mobile. In addition, small towns all along the Gulf Coast celebrate Mardi Gras with their own parades.

Finding out about local history and traditions is just one of the fascinating benefits you get as a medical health traveler.

Carol's assignment will be up here in April and we plan to travel to the Tampa Bay area. We have the assignment but I will hold it in surprise until my next entry. One of the interesting bits of information is that if you do a good job at your place of assignment and you like everyone, the medical facility will most likely ask you to hire on.

But don't let it go to your head. It's flattering, to be sure, but unless you really like the area and the pay is adequate for your needs, keep to your goal to travel. You may never get to see the country on someone else's dime again.

Here's the answer to last entry's puzzle question. It's kind of a long answer. But for Wintergreen Life Savers Roll Candy to sparkle, you have to have it really dark. When you bite down hard on the candy, which is made up of a combination of mint flavoring and crystalline sugar, the energy stimulates a component in the flavoring to emit light. The component in wintergreen is methyl salicylate. There you have it.

Happy Trails travelers, 'til next time.

Sebastian the Wonder/Travel Dog

You Will Lead A Dog's Life If You Take A Pet While Traveling

If you are up in some snow-bound state, you may just love it. Or you may be looking out at the two feet of new fallen snow, on top of the 6 feet you already have, and hold that hot cup of coffee with both hands and think, "Man, I'm freezing my keester off!"

That's why we decided to spend the winter in a warmer climate this year. That's a choice you can make when you're a traveling health care professional. My wife, the Traveler, works as an occupational therapy assistant and we travel the U.S., taking on different assignments in almost what ever state she wants to work.

And what do I do, you may ask? Since I am not a trained health care professional, I grab what jobs I can, which are few, and try to work the internet.

This past weekend was gorgeous. It could have maybe been a few degrees warmer, but it was still wonderful. We are in the Pensacola area of Florida, and up until last week, it was really a courtesy to call it Florida. It's really Southern Alabama, and while not as cold as farther north, it still gets pretty chilly, especially in the morning.

Navarre Beach is called "Florida's Best Kept Secret." I didn't make that up. It's on the sign when you enter the town. But I believe it.

On Sunday my wife and I hit the beach at Navarre and the scenic beauty was postcard picture perfect. The sand was fine and looked like snow, the ocean was a clear aqua marine darkening to deep blue as it went away from shore and the sun was a welcome sight in this part of Western Florida that experiences more of the four seasons than they do farther South.

We have been in the area since mid-January and for the most part it has been cool, cloudy and rainy, with intermittent bouts of frost.

Some of you are probably saying, "Poor baby," in a very unsympathetic tone. You're the ones freezing you keesters off. But we were almost 500 miles farther south prior to this assignment in Avon Park, a small town about 70 miles south of Orlando, right about in the middle of the state.

It was great! High 70s, low 80s in December, surrounded by orange, grapefruit and tangerine groves. The place we were staying at was right on a lake. I walked out to the orange trees and picked oranges that tasted as sweet as sugar. I noticed when I went shopping at the Wal-Mart there that the store had oranges from South Africa. Why would anyone buy them when the town is surrounded by orange groves? Many homes have trees with the lush fruit growing in their yards.

So the transition from Avon Park to Pensacola was a drastic change. They plant a few scrawny palm trees up here only because it's Florida and people expect to see them. They don't see to do well. I noticed that the temperature was usually about 8 to 15 degrees cooler than farther south. Not good, since we didn't bring any winter clothing with us. Afterall, we were going to be in Florida for the winter. I heard more than one visitor to the Pensacola area say something like, "This Florida! Why is it so cold?" I didn't have the heart to tell her it's really southern Alabama.

Why did we go Western Florida, you might ask, knowing that it had cooler temperatures? Good question. We have a dog. Sebastian the Wonder/Travel Dog. He's part Bassett Hound and part something else. He was a pound puppy when we got him for our daughters. But they have grown up and moved away, but we still have the dog.

When we decided to travel we couldn't bring ourselves to get rid of the dog. Most people seem to want a puppy and he was fully grown. He 's now about 7 years old.

For the health care professional who decides to hire on to a staffing company for travel assignments, I urge you to not take an animal with you. If you do make it something really small, weighing only about 5 pounds. That way you can always hide it under your shirt if you have to.

We have run into more discrimination with our dog than I would have though possible. It is extremely difficult to find a place to live.

Most staffing company's will do the finding of a place to live for you, but it will not always be what you would like. They will tell you they find a safe place close to where you will work. But that doesn't always happen, particularly if you have a pet.

And places that take a pet charge you extortionist prices such as an extra $25 a month for the pet and pet deposit that can range from $300 to $500 that is not refundable! Moreover, the staffing company will not pay the pet deposit, nor the extra fee for the dog. That will come out of your pocket.

And most places put a 35 pound limit or less on the pet. Our dog's head weighs that much. However, I may not like it, but I understand why apartment rentals do this. I know from having had a cleaning business for a while that people live worse than their animals, and pet owners as a whole have brought this on themselves. I personally see to it that Sebastian gets a bath once a month and gets regular flea and tick treatments. And he gets his annual shots. He actually gets better medical treatment than I do.

But do yourselves a favor. Don't take an animal with you while traveling. You will get better, luxury places to live and it will be easier for the staffing company to find housing for you. That's how we ended up here in Western Florida.

We wanted the Tampa Bay area after Avon Park, which was actually cut short after only 8 weeks of a 13 week assignment. Every where we have been prior to this has asked Carol to extend for a short time and we thought this would be the case also.

But they hired a permanent employee and cut the contract early. My wife's staffing company said there were no openings in the Tampa Bay area - that they had contracts for. There were openings, they just didn't have the contracts and were apparently not interested in trying to get any. However, they did have an opening in Pensacola and there was a small house with a garage they could get for us in the nearby town of Milton and they would take the dog.

That settled it. We decided to go to Pensacola. It's kind of funny. The day after the Traveler agreed to take the assignment, the house was rented the day before. It seems the owner was tired of waiting for the staffing company to get a sucker, I mean a traveler, in the area and rented it. It seems we were a victim of the ol' bait and switch ploy.

More next time. Here's the answer to last week's puzzle question. Because air moves in layers. Rain often occurs when a higher warm air mass overwhelms a cool, dry air mass at ground level. Humidity is measured at ground level and when the rain from the higher layer falls through the dry air layer, the humidity on the surface rises, but need not rise to 100 percent. In the reverse, when the moist layer is below the high pressure system, the humidity can reach 100 percent on the surface even if the uppper air layer is dry. (Puzzles supplied by Imponderables, the Solution to the Mysteries of Everyday Life, by David Feldman)

Think about this for next time:Why do Wintergreen Life Savers sparkle in the dark when you bite into them?

Happy Trails, 'til next time, travelers!

Carol and I share a fun moment on St. Martin in the top photo and in the bottom we spend the last day of 2005 as the sun sets on the west coast of Florida at Madeira Beach. The next morning we saw the sun rise at Vero Beach on the east coast.

Doctor, Doctor, Give Me The News

Traveling can be a lot of fun. You get to live and see places on someone else's dime that you might never see otherwise. But there are some complications.

Remember this, if a staffing company offers you a high hourly pay, it means that most likely you will lose out in other areas, such as per diems, car allowance and amount allowed for housing.
After going through several staffing companies, we opted for one with a high hourly pay and per diems, but little or nothing in the way of benefits.

With this said, we jump back to last entry with Carol, the Traveler, in the doctor's office with an ankle sprain that's not doing too well. We waited almost five days before going to the doctor, hoping the swelling would go down. It didn't. And of course she missed work all this time. She was working for a rehabilitation center for the elderly in Avon Park, FL.

One of the first orders of business you should do in a new assignment is look for a doctor that takes you insurance plan. You don't want to have to start looking for one after the emergency erupts. Be ready ahead of time. Of course, we weren't ready, but it didn't matter much since we didn't rush off to the doctor when she first injured her foot.

The doctor we found, located in the near by city of Sebring, looked at her ankle and sent her down the street to the hospital for X-rays. More waiting. Then home. Now keep in mind, he did nothing for her foot, but told her to wrap it and keep it iced and elevated and take acetaminophen for pain.

Next day, we get a call to come in and see the doctor about the Xrays. He says he sees a chip in the ankle bone and wants her to see a specialist. We get an appointment in a couple of days and get to see the doctor. She looks at Carol's foot and the X-rays and agrees there's a chip but it will heal fine.

She gives (only in the euphemistic since of give - it cost a couple of hundred bucks) her and inflatable boot that makes her kind of walk like Frankenstein's Monster, but she is able to WALK. She also says she wants Carol to have a CAT scan to make sure there is nothing else going on inside.

So, doop-de-do, we go back to the hospital for the CAT scan. More waiting. About a week later, we get called back in. During the intervening time the doctor has given her a prescription for a mild pain killer, which we decline to get. Instead we went the Ibuprofen route instead, hoping to reduce the costs.

Eventually, the swelling goes down, the foot, which was purple faded back to its normal healthy coloring. It took almost two months. When we got the bill, it came to over $3,000. Now, keep in mind, no one touched her foot - except maybe the guy taking her X-rays and CAT scan; no one massaged it, or put pain killer on it or even an ice pack. Moreover, although the doctor we initially went to was covered under our medical savings plan, the guy who took the X-ray was not. We had no control over that. But the company refused to pay. It didn't matter. There wasn't enough in the account to cover everything anyway.

The point of all this is that we were healthy and hoped the medical savings plan would have enough in it to cover most of our emergencies. Who knew a fractured bone would cost so much?

When signing up with a staffing company there are some that will supply the traveler with free health care. The spouse and other dependents have to pay for their own. The one we are with did not offer free health care. They did have a health plan, but we decided against it.

But the extra money we received in lieu of the health benefit should have gone into a health plan, not just a medical savings plan. So make a list of what is important to you when deciding on which staffing company to go with - i.e. benefits, pay, amount spent for housing, medical coverage and retirement.

We went with the company we chose because it paid $1500 more a month than the last company we were with. They almost starved us to death, plus they did not even have free health care. They were making a bundle off of my wife. Well, maybe not a bundle, but they were making a lot.

We reasoned it out this way, we found out what the staffing company was getting per hour for my wife's expertise. Then we subtracted what they were paying in housing and pay, which is about all they were offering. This way we knew how much they were making. We went to another company and made more than $1500 per month more than with the last company. To us, that's a significant amount of money.

That's all for today. Here the answer to last entry's trivia question: One answer could be that they are tougher than people and are not crybabies. But a more scientific answer: penguins' feet are kept from freezing by their unique circulatory system. Arteries carry warm blood toward the toes, while veins next to them carry cold blood back in the opposite direction. The two bloodstreams exchange heat so that the circulation level can remain low enough to conserve heat and just high enough to prevent tissue damage and frostbite. Penquins feet have few muscles, Instead, their feet possess a vast network of tendons, which do not become as painful as muscles when cold.

Til next time think abou this: How can the relative humidity be under 100 percent when it is raining?

(These questions and answers are all furnished courtesy of "Imponderables, The Solution to the Mysteries of Everyday Life" by David Feldman.) If you want to try and give an answer, send it to me at Loosenutbtw@yahoo.com. I'll put the best answer, if not the correct one, in the next entry.

Answers next time and more travel adventures. Happy trails, travelers.

The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.
- Voltaire

"Expect the unexpected" is a phrase that really makes no sense. You can't know everything that is going to happen and therefore you can't really prepare for it.

There we were enjoying the gorgeous weather in Sarasota, while others much farther north were experience brutal cold, snow, ice and high heating bills. It could almost make one feel guilty, almost.

If you believe in some sort of divine retribution, what happened next might seem like punishment for our feeling so good about our circumstances. My wife, the Traveler, stepped down off a curb that was slanted into a ramp for the handicap and misjudged the distance to the street. Afterall, she was gawking around at the stores, the decorations, the architecture and the people as I was.

I had just started to take a picture of something, I don't remember what, when Carol disappeared. Actually, she dropped from sight like falling through a manhole cover. She didn't really fall through a hole. She turned her ankle as I was looking slightly away and dropped down. I thought she had just stumbled and offered my hand to assist her up. But she couldn't stand.

I felt like an idiot afterward. My wife had fallen, and rather than be concerned, I was being very nonchalant about it. An unknown woman came up and offered assistance. We didn't get her name, as the Traveler and myself were worried about looking foolish. To that unknown woman we say, thank you very much for your assistance. Sorry we didn't say something then.

What you do in life comes back to you. Her offer of assistance will come back to her in a blessing.

The Traveler's right foot swelled up like a cantaloupe. For those of you wondering what to do when you sprain an ankle, use the RICE method. That's rest, ice, compression and elevation. Rest the foot - don't keeping walking on it; pack ice on it - not directly on the skin. Use a cloth to protect the skin. Don't keep it on any longer than 20 minutes; keep the ankle compressed with an ankle wrap; and of course, keep the ankle elevated.

We couldn't expect that she would turn her ankle, but we did have some money in a medical savings plan that we hoped would cover any doctor's bill that might come up. We waited about three days, three days of missed work, before we went to a doctor.

He looked at her foot, recommended X-rays, for which we had to go to a nearby hospital to have it done, and sent us home with instructions to take acetaminophen for pain and use the REST method. We were to come back the next day for the X-ray results.

That's enough for now. More next time. In the meantime, think about this:

Why don't penguins in the Antarctic get frostbite on their feet?

You'll get the answer next entry.

'Til next time, Happy trails, travelers!

Another image of Sarasotas St. Armands Circle. The clown in the left middle section is juggling various items at the time we visited. The top photo is the nearby marina.

If You've Got the Money, Honey, I've Got the Time.

Everyday you get out in the same rush hour traffic. You see the same people at work, and you see the same patients and the same scenery and pretty soon there is a rut in the roads and health care facility where you work with your name on it. It's worn there by you doing the same thing day after day.

For some people, routine is a blessing. But for others, get out the prozac. If you are among the latter, you may be ripe for working as a traveling health care worker. There are literally dozens and dozens of staffing agencies for doctors, nurses, therapists - both occupational and physical, and therapy assistants as well as in almost every area of health care.

I am not going to recommend one over the other. This series of entries will help guide you in finding, and choosing one that is a fit with you.
As a traveler, you will work for a rehabilatation facility of some kind for about 13 weeks, sometimes longer. Then you can move on to another place in another city or even another state - all on someone else's dime.

Typically, the staffing agency finds you a place to live and makes sure it is stocked with everything you need to live pleasantly. Depending upon where you take an assignment, you may get a nice one bedroom apartment close to where you will be working. Or it may be an extended stay hotel with a kitchenette. A lot of it will depend on whether you are alone or traveling with a spouse. (Wait until I get into the benefits of traveling with a spouse who is also a health care worker. You can really bring in some bucks!)

And the pay is typically better than if you hired on permanently at a facility, but the benefits you get at some places may not be as good. If that is important to you, the intangible benefits that you don't see in your paycheck, then you need to ask questions of the staffing agencies, because many of them have more benefits than others.

But I will tell you this, what a staffing agency gives you in one area, they typically take away in another. For example, when you sign on with a staffing agency and go to work for a health care facility, the staffing agency pays you, not the facility. So if you sign on with an agency that offers great benefits, like paid medical and car allowance and per diems, they will usually offer you a smaller hourly pay.

I can't stress enough how important it is to compare what the various agencies offer. Some are great and others will take you to the cleaners, while making it sound like they are doing you a favor.

But first, how do you go about finding an agency? The first step is to go to a search engine like, Google, or Yahoo or MSN and type in "traveling health care jobs." One of the best sites showing job availability is Absolute Health Care found at www.healthjobsusa.com.

What's one big drawback to being a traveling healthcare worker? Medical coverage may be slim to none. Everyone knows adequate health plans are expensive, and many companies that were giving it to their employees as part of their benefits have begun to ask them to chip in some money by reducing their pay.

And that's how we get into the $3,000 mis-step my wife took in Sarasota, FL not too long ago.

I know I said I would get into it in this entry, but I think I will save it for next time. Right now you have enough on your plate to digest.

Happy trails 'til next time.

Life Is A Highway.

Recently, Carol and myself were traveling south along the Gulf of Mexico Highway. It was this past December and we were just tooling around checking out cities around Florida. We're travelers. Or I should say, Carol is the traveler and I am her go-to man, the person she goes to to ease her path while she works as a traveling occupational therapy assistant. I'm also her husband.

I used to drive a tractor-trailer long haul and I did it for 12 years. I've been in all the states in the contiguous United States, but I've spent most of my time on interstates or, sometimes, U.S. highways. The back-country roads or scenic highways I, like most truck drivers, stay off of them. So now I was getting a chance to see some of the more quaint bucolic areas that I missed while driving. "Life is a highway/I want to drive it all night long. . . " kept rattling around in my mind as we drove through Anna Maria Island, Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach, Longboat Key and into Sarasota.

As we came into Sarasota, the song switched to, "Money, is divine. . ." by Pink Floyd. The mansions and varying architectural styles, the millions of dollars in cost and the beauty of the landscape was boggling. Now don't get me wrong. Not only have I been in 48 of the US states, I have been in 7 countries in Europe and Asia, and of course, Canada. I even lived for over a year in Germany. So I'm not some country bumpkin. But I sure felt like one.

We came to Florida because we wanted at least one winter where the weather was mostly warm and sunny and we could wear shorts and sandals. And for the most part, we got it. We drove through the trendy shops of St. Armands Circle and continued on our scenic route. The air was warm, the sky a baby blue, and we felt like we were on vacation.

Nearing the marina, we rounded a curve and there, in a park-like strip of lawn, standing at least 5 stories high, was a statue of the sailor kissing the nurse that immortalized magazine covers and denoted the joy people felt when World War II had ended. Right about that time the tune in my head switched to Glenn Miller's "In the mood, " because the atmosphere suddenly had a 1940s feel.

We parked and explored a little and then went back to St. Armands Circle. It was decorated nicely for Christmas. We enjoyed ourselves, walking through the shops, eating pizza at a sidewalk table and generally feeling like we were on vacation. That's the one aspect of being traveling health care workers that we wanted to feel - like we were on vacation.

Everything was fine until we, or I should say, Carol, took that one step - and then things went downhill after that. It was a $3000 misstep that I will tell you about next entry. I will also give some tips to travelers to help make their traveling easier. No need to reinvent the wheel if somebody has already made one.