Housing (No RV Needed)
Not pulling a camper? Here are the usual ways travelers find a place for 13 weeks, where to look, and how to not get scammed.
Your options
🏠 Furnished monthly rentals
Houses, apartments and rooms rented by the month, already furnished. This is the classic travel-nurse setup. On Furnished Finder you message the landlord, sign a lease with them directly, and pay them directly (the site doesn't take your rent or hold your deposit).
📝 Short-term leases
Some apartment complexes will do a 3 to 6 month lease, often for more per month than a 12-month lease. Ask if they have furnished units or a furniture rental partner. Read the early-move-out terms closely in case your contract gets canceled.
🏨 Extended-stay hotels
Good for your first week, a short contract, or when nothing else pans out. Extended Stay America and WoodSpring Suites both have in-room kitchens and lower rates for 7+ nights. WoodSpring also has monthly rates (28+ nights) at some locations. Usually no lease, and some are pet-friendly.
🛏 Rooms for rent
Renting a room in someone's home is usually the cheapest option. Sometimes it's even with staff at the hospital. You trade away privacy, so ask about shared spaces, the kitchen, quiet hours for night shift, and who else lives there.
Agency housing vs. taking the stipend
Agency housing: the agency finds a furnished place and pays for it, and you give up the housing stipend. It's less work, there's no deposit out of your pocket, and it's usually less risky if the contract gets canceled. The trade-off is that you get less say in where you live and what it has.
Take the stipend: you find and pay for your own place. You pick the neighborhood and the setup, and if you find something cheaper than the stipend, you keep the difference. But you handle the deposits and the lease, and if the contract gets canceled you could still owe rent.
A lot of folks take agency housing on their first contract or two, then switch to the stipend once they know the ropes. Ask your recruiter to show you both versions of the pay package in writing before you decide.
Where to look
- Furnished Finder: furnished rentals of 30 days or more. It started with travel nurses. Landlords have to pass an ID check before they can list.
- Airbnb: search 28+ nights. Lots of hosts give a monthly discount, and you pay through the app.
- Zillow Rentals: apartments and houses. Filter for furnished and short-term.
- Extended Stay America (weekly rates) and WoodSpring Suites (monthly rates): extended-stay hotels with kitchens.
- Your recruiter and other travelers: ask what the last traveler on that unit did for housing. Travel groups and hospital staff often know of rooms or places opening up.
Questions to ask a landlord
- What's the total monthly cost, and which utilities, Wi-Fi and parking are included?
- How much is the deposit, and how and when do I get it back?
- If my contract gets canceled or ends early, what's the notice and what do I owe? Can we put a clause in for that?
- Can I extend month to month if my contract gets extended?
- How far is it from the hospital, and what's parking like?
- Is it quiet enough to sleep during the day? Are there blackout curtains? (Night shift folks.)
- Are pets OK, and is there a pet fee?
- Washer and dryer? Kitchen fully stocked? Are linens and towels provided?
- Who else lives there or has a key? Is there a lock on my door? (For rooms.)
- Can I see it on a live video call before I sign?
🚩 Rental scam red flags
- They want a wire transfer, gift cards, crypto or a payment app before you've seen the place. The FTC says that's a scam. Money sent that way is gone like cash.
- The rent is way cheaper than everything else around it.
- The landlord is "out of the country" or always has some excuse why you can't see the place, and keeps pushing you to decide fast.
- The same photos show up in another listing under a different name, or the house is listed for sale instead of for rent.
- They ask for your SSN or credit report before you've even agreed to rent.
How to protect yourself: get a live video tour, not just photos, or have a friend or coworker go by. Look up who owns the property on the county tax assessor's website and check that it matches the landlord's ID. Search the address and the landlord's name with "scam" or "reviews." Get a written lease before you pay anything. If you run into a scam, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
What to pack if you're renting furnished
"Furnished" can mean anything from fully stocked down to a bed and a couch. Ask what's there, then bring what's missing:
- Your own pillow and a set of sheets that fits (ask the bed size)
- A couple of towels and a shower curtain liner
- Blackout curtains or a sleep mask, plus a white noise machine or fan (night shift)
- One good knife, a skillet, a pot, and your coffee setup
- Basic toiletries and cleaning supplies for the first night
- Extension cord or power strip, and phone chargers
- Small first aid kit and any meds
- Laundry bag and detergent pods
Sources: FTC: Rental Listing Scams; Furnished Finder: How it works and Is Furnished Finder legit?; Extended Stay America weekly rates; WoodSpring Suites extended stay and monthly rates; TravelNursing.org: agency housing vs. stipend; AHS Staffing: provided housing vs. stipend. Last checked Oct 2026.