When traveling for work, you want to make sure that everything goes off without a hitch. You’ll want to make a positive impression with your new colleagues, and get the most out of your stay in that new town. Finding the right housing will make accomplishing goals much less stressful.
With that in mind, let’s look at a few things you should remember to help you reach your short-term housing goals.
Before You Look for an Apartment
Many factors will affect your ability to find a place, like: how much you’ll pay, distance from work, and deciding whether to search for a furnished or unfurnished apartment. Many consider the former the best bet for short-term healthcare travelers, but weigh a couple of pros/cons, and make sure you agree:
- Pro: It’s obviously easier to move into a furnished apartment. This is especially critical if you’re prone to moving frequently. Taking your own big items from city to city is difficult and expensive.
- Pro: With a furnished apartment, it’s easier to get that short-term lease; you might even be able to get a month-to-month lease that better fits your needs.
- Con: You might have to pay more in rent. The owner of that furnished space spent money and time making it look great, after all. You’ll be looking at higher monthly costs and a hefty security deposit. May consider contrasting with damage done to one’s own property during repeat moves.
During your search, be careful not to fall prey to any scams. The specifics of these can vary. Most, though, follow the general formula of “individual with no authority to rent a space to you, trying to get your money.” Make sure you keep your guard up when searching for an apartment. You might also want to stay up-to-date on some of the warning signs of rental scams.
Consider Other Short-Term Options
While short-term apartment leases are by far the most common option, they aren’t the only option. Instead, you could turn to one of these short-term rental companies to aid your search:
- Airbnb, for instance, is a name you’ve likely heard of before. Many know them for their vacation rental listings, but they do more than that. You can look for short-term rental properties through the company that will last the length of your work-travel. Remember, though, you’ll have better luck searching through Airbnb during those “non-vacation” months.
- Vacation Rental by Owner (VRBO) is another network of vacation rental property options. You can communicate with property owners through this network and negotiate a stay for the length of your travel.
- Owner Direct, like VRBO, lists properties and allows you to search by various criteria.
One final option you might also want to consider is an extended stay hotel. Unlike run-of-the-mill hotels, extended stays take into consideration the fact that, well, you’ll be staying for an extended period. The rates reflect this and are usually reasonable. With some extended stays, you can book a stay just as you would a regular hotel.
If you’re considering becoming a medical traveler, which you totally should, you’ll want to keep the many avenues for securing short-term housing in mind. Get excited about finding your new home away from home and start checking out your next assignment on our job search page.