Since finishing nursing school in 2022, traveling pediatric ICU nurse Emma Larson has worked in St. Petersburg, Florida, upstate New York, Columbus, Ohio, New York City, and Phoenix, Arizona. Where is she headed next? TBD. “I’m really open to anywhere,” she said. Traveling nurses on short-term contracts became indispensable during the COVID-19 pandemic, when healthcare worker shortages forced hospitals to bring on record levels of temporary help. According to a research report by Staffing Industry Analysts, travel nurse revenue peaked in 2022 at $44.6 billion dollars. Since then, the market has shrunk. But as more registered nurses age out of the labor force, travel nurses are expected to remain in high demand in 2026 and beyond. “I think it takes a certain personality to be a travel nurse,” said Larson. “You have to be extremely flexible, adaptable, be able to go with the flow, but also know kind of when to stand up for yourself.”Despite the challenges that come with travel nursing, such as searching for temporary housing and constantly interviewing for your next gig, Larson said she “wouldn’t trade it for anything.”The average annual pay for travel nurses in the United States is $101,132 a year as of May 2026, compared to $87,868 for registered nurses as a whole, according to the job site Ziprecruiter.As the Wall Street Journal recently reported, some travel nurses make additional income as content creators, sharing their experiences online. Larson said she started creating nurse content for social media about two years ago. “It’s turned into some brand collaborations and sponsorships every now and then, but I really just do it for fun,” she said.Click the audio player above to hear Larson talk about her life as a travel nurse.