Travel Nurse

Lodgeur’s ideas, inspiration and resources for travel nurses.

Jan 22 2023

Why travel nurses book flexible housing

Finding furnished housing for travel nurses no longer needs to be an overwhelming task. With the vast range of rental listing websites and endless sublets, it can easily become time-consuming – however there is now help in navigating through this process; leaving you with just what you need for your upcoming assignment: A comfortably furnished place that fits both conveniently into budget, and meets all requirements.

Choosing nurse housing for your travel assignment can seem daunting, but with the increasing popularity of taking a stipend and finding accommodation independently it’s becoming simpler. Not only do you have more control over where to stay to ensure an enjoyable experience during your contract period, but any remaining tax-free money is yours alone – giving further financial incentive to search online and sift through pages of search results. With all this in mind, securing quality fully-furnished housing need not be difficult if you know what resources are available – making sure that each new position or relocation opportunity has income potential as well as career advancement opportunities!

Searching for a short-term, flexible furnished housing solution has never been easier. With Lodgeur, many travel nurses enjoy amenities and services from the comfort of their own home with an adjustable budget option to fit any lifestyle needs. Every property is available on a 30+ day basis so there’s no need to worry about long leases or scouring other websites in search of what you need – Everything is right here!

Finding properties for traveling nurses has never been easier! Get all the latest on how you can secure your ideal nurse housing, or take action and book your apartment now. Make sure to read more for maximum convenience when it comes to finding where you’ll rest up between shifts.

Lodgeur makes it easy to find housing options near the best hospitals and walkable locations as a travel nurse! Get all the latest on how you can secure your ideal housing, or take action and book your apartment now. Make sure to read more for maximum convenience when it comes to finding where you’ll explore the city or rest up between shifts at the hospital.

Benefits of Lodgeur’s Rentals for Travel Nurses

Easy Peasy

Lodgeur makes apartment selection and booking easy for your travel nurse assignment – no emails, housing request forms, roommate interviews, or any other hassles. With one simple click you can find the perfect place to stay! You can even view floor plans and virtual tours of our listings before you book travel nursing housing.

No landlord

Enjoy hassle-free living with no landlord hassles. Our service makes it easy for travelers to settle in—we take care of the rest!

All-inclusive price

Travel healthcare professionals enjoy the ease and convenience of having all their utilities and WiFi ready for they as soon as they arrive at their apartments. We even include cleaning services every two weeks on stays of 30+ nights. With our inclusive price on longer stays, you won’t have to pay any hidden fees.

No lease commitments

Forget about ever having to sign a lease. Our properties are available month-to-month. Stay as long as your travel nurse contract calls for—down to the day.

Avoid booking fees

When you book a furnished property directly on Lodgeur’s website, you can skip the booking fees charged on other platforms (saving up to 14%). Read more about how to save money on your next extended stay.

Move-in today—or any day

Enjoy the comfort of flexible living with our month-to-month rental option. Make your home away from home fit perfectly to any travel nursing contract, whether it’s for a few weeks or several months!

Move out or extend your stay

With the ease and convenience of online management, you have full control over your accommodation. Whether it’s time to move on or stay a bit longer—accommodation adjustments are just one click away! Got an extended travel nurse contract? No worries — instantly extend your residence with absolute flexibility.

Benefits of Flexible Housing for Travel Nurses?

Being a travel nurse can be incredibly rewarding; however, long-term leases do not always fit the lifestyle. Luckily, there are alternative living arrangements that provide great flexibility! Month-to-month accommodation offers some fantastic advantages such as no added fees for terminating your booking when your next travel nurse assignment arrives.

Flexible Bookings

For traveling nurses and other traveling healthcare professionals, Lodgeur is the perfect solution to find housing quickly that you’re glad to come home to each day. With no long-term leases and dozens of listings for furnished apartments in two locations available near the Texas Medical Center, you’ll have maximum freedom & flexibility – especially important if you’re a healthcare worker on contract!

Save Money on Utilities and Moving Costs

Move-in costs for a lease agreement can be expensive, but there is an easier way! Month-to-month bookings with furnished housing allow more flexibility – all you need to do is pay your first month’s rent when you book, authorize a credit card hold, and complete the background check. Once that’s taken care of, utilities are already set up along with WiFi access so you just have to show up with your suitcase in hand and start enjoying the benefits of working as a travel nurse.

Save Money on Rent

With Lodgeur, money-saving short-term housing options await. All of the rental properties are fully furnished with beds, dressers and other essentials you need to live comfortably on your travel nurse contract – no extra costs needed! And even better? Utilities and WiFi come included in the rent so there’s one less expense for you to worry about each month. Stretch your agency housing stipend as far as you can.

Try before you buy

Unlike corporate housing or short-term rentals, Lodgeur doesn’t require guests to have an end date for theirs booking. Booking a property for even just a few nights can be the perfect way to get acquainted with your new neighborhood and make sure it’s right for you. Take advantage of this stay by gaining an in-depth understanding of what the location has to offer, such as proximity to your travel nursing assignment. Depending on how much you love the location during those initial days, consider extending or booking an extended stay!

Travel nurses need flexibility

With Lodgeur, guests are free to choose the length of stay that fits their lifestyle. Say goodbye to short-term bookings and take full control with our flexible term properties. Choose from one month or longer housing arrangements tailored exclusively when and how long you want – living on your terms has never been easier!

Book a home now for your TMC travel nurse assignment

Lodgeur is the perfect place for nurses looking for travel nurse housing. Our platform eliminates long hours of searching different sites and apps by providing you with tailored accommodation that meets your preferences, budget and includes furniture, utilities, in-unit washers and dryers – plus pools and gym amenities!

Easily find a furnished apartment near Houston’s major hospitals on our website; reserve it on-the-spot so you can move in right away – no need to worry about any hidden costs involved. Plus if it’s everything you hope for? Extend your stay just as easily then continue enjoying all Lodgeur has to offer healthcare workers seeking comfortable accommodations during their assignment travels.

Click here to learn more about traveler safety, and the security measures that travel nurses and other healthcare travel professionals should look for when they rent their next travel nurse housing.

Dec 27 2022

Top 5 Reasons Healthcare Travelers Choose Houston

If you’re a travel nurse or healthcare traveler, then you know that Houston, fourth largest city in the Unites States, is one of the best cities for travel nurse assignments. There are many travel nurses love Houston, from its vibrant culture and booming economy, to the world-famous Texas Medical Center. Not to mention all the amazing recreational activities and shopping options!

Here are the top 5 reasons to choose Houston for your next travel assignment:

1 – Texas Medical Center

Houston is home to the world-renowned Texas Medical Center (TMC), an unparalleled healthcare destination for travel nurses around the world.

Texas Medical Center by the numbers:

#1 medical complex in the world
10 million+ patient visits per year
120k+ jobs
9k+ beds
100+ research institutes, academic centers and supporting facilities
21 hospitals, including MD Anderson, Texas Children’s Hospital, DeBakey, Memorial Hermann, Methodist Hospital, Children’s Memorial Hermann, and Texas Women’s
6 nursing schools
3 medical schools (University of Texas, Baylor College of Medicine, and Texas A&M College of Medicine)
2 dental schools

With world-class health care and top-notch medical research taking place every day, travel nurses have a greater chance of landing the exact assignment they’re looking for with ease.

2 – Shopping in Houston

Houston is a great destination for shopping, offering both a wide variety of stores and plenty of entertainment options. The city offers something for everyone, including high-end shopping malls, smaller boutiques, art galleries and specialty shops. The Galleria Mall is the most famous shopping destination in Houston, but newer indoor-outdoor experiences hold sway with locals.

Houston’s Shopping by the Numbers:

2.1 million sf of shopping at the Galleria Mall, with 375 stores and an ice rink
1.3 million sf of shopping at the Woodlands Mall, with an outdoor waterway and waterfront dining
700k sf of shopping at Houston Premium Outlets
600k sf of shopping at City Centre in a mixed-use setting with bougie restaurants and outdoor spaces
460k sf of shopping and restaurants at Rice Village, including independent boutiques and mall staples

Shopping in the historic Heights neighborhood is harder to quantify, but always popular choice for travel nurses looking for quaint boutiques and local shops.

The bottom line? If you’re looking for the perfect pair of jeans, a cute new dress, or the latest trend in home décor, Houston has all your shopping needs covered. Whether you’re looking to splurge or just browse – and sometimes both – there are no shortage of stores to explore while living as a healthcare traveler in Houston.

3 – Houston Parks and Recreation

Outdoor activities abound in the city’s parks and trails, such as biking, hiking, kayaking and more. From biking the Buffalo Bayou to kayaking the San Jacinto River or strolling along the trails and gardens in the Houston Arboretum, travel nurses can find plenty of outdoor activities and attractions to keep them entertained during their stay.

Houston’s Green Space by the Numbers:

500+ parks and green spaces
40k+ acres of parks
20+ lakes and reservoirs, as well as along miles of rivers and bayous.
12 acres of park, playground and gardens at Discovery Green
10+ miles of kayaking on Buffalo Bayou

As one of the greenest cities in the country, Houston provides ample opportunity for travel nurses looking for a break from work or some fresh air.

4 – Year-Round Events and Celebrations

Houston is one of the most vibrant cities in the US and offers travel nurses plenty of ways to experience the city’s culture and entertainment. From jazz festivals, cultural art events, and outdoor concerts, this diverse city has something to offer everyone.

Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo

Travel nurses who are looking for a true Texan experience should definitely attend the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. This 3-week event honors Houston’s western heritage with rodeos, livestock shows, concerts, barbecues, carnival rides, and shopping. Along with the Houston International Festival celebrating different cultures from around the world, travel nurses can explore their curiosity about new places and people. (See our post about the top 10 things to do at Rodeo.)

Bayou City Art Festival

Travel nurses looking to explore Houston’s diverse cultural scene often join the locals at the Bayou City Art Festival in the spring and fall. Boasting works from over 300 juried artists and exhibitors, the Bayou City Art Festival showcases traditional media such as painting, photography, and sculpture alongside more modern mediums such as street art and digital media.

Houston’s Events by the Numbers:

Every year, roughly 4 million people in Houston celebrate nearly 1,500 events and festivals each year, including:

470 major citywide and community events
400 concerts and performing arts events
220 sports and outdoor recreation events
210 food and wine celebrations
125 multi-cultural events, including several Lunar New Year festivals and the Polish Festival

Houston is a city that loves to celebrate. With an event happening nearly every day, it’s no wonder healthcare travelers flock to the Bayou City for some fun! And with so many different types of events, there’s sure to be one that will interest you – whether you’re into food and wine or sports and outdoor recreation.

5 – Global Cuisines in Houston

As if great healthcare opportunities and a rich cultural experience weren’t enough, travelers who visit Houston can also take advantage of its amazing culinary scene. Houston is a travel destination that’s full of delicious eats. It boasts an array of restaurants and cuisines to choose from, ranging from the classic Texas barbecue to Indian, Mexican, and even French food. With so many cultural influences, you’ll never be bored when it comes to trying out new dishes.

Houston’s Restaurants by the Numbers:

8k+ restaurants in Houston
1200+ restaurants serving East Asian or Southeast Asian food
1k+ Mexican restaurants
270+ seafood restaurants
200+ barbecue joints
66% of Houstonians say that they eat out at least once a week
60% of all restaurants in Houston are independent

These stats make Houston the perfect travel destination for a travel nurse or healthcare traveler looking to expand their taste buds. With so many diverse restaurants, you’ll never get bored of trying something new and exciting every day. Plus, since the Texas Medical Center is right in Houston, you can easily find food that caters to your dietary needs.

Exploring Houston

If you’re a travel nurse or healthcare traveler looking for your next travel nurse assignment, Houston has something to offer everyone. With its vibrant culture, diverse attractions, and state-of-the-art medical facilities, travel nurses can enjoy all that the city has to offer while still making a difference in the healthcare field. Whether you’re looking for adventure or just a place to settle down for a few months, Houston is perfect for your next travel assignment.

To find fully-furnished apartments in the Texas Medical Center for travel nurses and other healthcare travelers, check out our Healthcare Traveler Guide to Extended Stay Housing in Houston and our post on using the METRORail to get around Houston and TMC without a car.

To learn about the safety features your next TMC furnished apartment should have, read our blog post here.

Our Houston City Guide is a great resource for the best food, drink and attractions near Houston’s TMC.

Dec 20 2022

Top Safety Features to Look for in Furnished Apartments

finger and fingerprint — Lodgeur uses state-of-the-art tech-based and physical security measures to improve security for all guests in the building.

If you’re considering a furnished apartment for your next travel assignment, there are some important safety features to look for. Every furnished apartment should have deadbolts, sprinkler systems, and conduct fire safety drills. Those are table stakes.

Lodgeur’s founder was interviewed by Nurse Journal about safety and security for solo travelers renting furnished apartments. In 2023, these are the safety features every furnished apartment should offer:

Tech-Based Security Measures

1 – Super smart criminal background checks. (They deter more guests than you would expect.)

ID verification screen — Lodgeur’s ID verification with Autohost.ai.

Having hosted thousands of solo travelers, we know that robust criminal background checks are an important factor when you choose where to stay and the communities in which we operate all require criminal background checks for guests and staff.

You want to be sure the other guests have been screened and that any staff in the building have been screened. Your furnished apartment provider should use a robust background screening tool to check for as many domestic and international criminal record databases as possible.

Lodgeur uses Autohost.ai, which checks 280,000+ databases across the US, Canada and global resources! These databases include everything from sex offender registries to alias and identity cross checks.

We sometimes have guests cancel their bookings as soon they need to provide their ID for the background check and that’s ok! Strong security systems deter bad actors before we even screen them out. Hosts that don’t require background checks become magnets for the guests with a criminal background, placing everyone in the property at risk.

2 – Super smart key boxes

keycafe digital key box — Lodgeur uses digital key boxes.

Lodgeur stores the keys to furnished apartments in a Keycafe digital lockbox that each user opens with a unique code. The technology is so good that Mercedes-Benz and Toyota dealerships use it for car keys.

When a customer books with Lodgeur, our technology creates a unique code that corresponds to that specific booking. This system offers important security measures:

The code won’t work before or after your booking. This means past guests cannot return and access the keys to your apartment.
Your code will not be generated until the criminal background check comes back clean, so you don’t need to rely on a human to perform the checks before anyone else picks up their keys.
Each time guests or staff access a set of keys, our system logs the access automatically, so we always know when keys are picked up or returned – and by whom.

3 – Privacy-compliant noise monitoring

Good hosts ensure that their noise-monitoring equipment is privacy compliant. Technology like Noiseaware ensures that no speech or sounds are captured, but decibel levels are monitored.

This technology maintains your privacy while deterring partiers from booking the apartment next door to you. We’ve even used the decibel logs to prove our guests did not have an unauthorized barking dog!

Physical Security Measures

4 – Enclosed parking garages

With a gated parking garage attached to your apartment community, you’ll enjoy the added layer of security that comes with restrictive access via key fob entry. Most of our guests bring a car, even if they use the METRORail or a scooter to commute to work. (See our post about using the METRORail.)

While guests appreciate the convenience of keeping their car cool in the Houston summer or dry during a thunderstorm, the parking garages provided increased security for guests and staff. The security cameras and direct building access are especially popular with solo travelers.

5 – In-house cleaning and operations teams

Some hosts use apps to find cleaners or other errands-runners, without ever meeting these service providers. This can be a safety risk. In-house teams that are hired, trained and managed by the property manager help ensure service providers have been properly vetted.

Lodgeur reduces risk by having a trusted, in-house cleaning and operations team. Most of our cleaners have been with us since we started 2019, and have prepared apartments for more than 5,000 guests! We believe it’s good business to know who has access to our guests and our apartments.

Why we think security is so important

At Lodgeur, we understand that feeling safe in your home is important. We also host a lot of solo travelers in our furnished apartments, such as travel nurses, patients in the Texas Medical Center and summer interns. That’s why we only operate in Houston’s best apartment communities and we’ve implemented additional tech-based security measures to give our guests peace of mind.

Safety should be your number one priority when looking for a furnished apartment. Make sure to ask about the safety features that are included in each rental. Lodgeur uses sophisticated background check platforms, key access management, noise monitoring, along with trusted, in-house staff and gated parking garages to ensure our guests feel safe and secure while they’re away from home.

May 11 2021

How to find travel nurse housing in Houston, TX

Travel nurses love working in Houston! A combination of trendy food, fantastic nightlife, and culture helps make Houston attractive to a diverse group of people, including medical professionals. The city ranks as one of the top ten hottest dream cities in the USA for travel nurses for all the reasons listed above, and then some.

The availability of on-demand housing also contributes to the popularity of living and working in Houston on a travel assignment. When a nurse can find suitable accommodation quickly and move in with minimum fuss, it’s a win!

Before booking an expensive stay at a hotel or Airbnb (something many nurses do), take a minute and explore the option of professionally furnished apartments and on-demand housing.

Things for travel nurses to consider

When making housing arrangements, many travel nurses end up booking an extended-stay hotel. Some find temporary accommodations through the online vacation rental marketplace. While we don’t recommend it for safety reasons, some nurses search Craigslist for an apartment or co-living situation.

Each option has pros and cons, but the cons likely outweigh the positives associated with most temporary housing options.

Hotels, even the better extended-stay units, come with a high price tag. The living space is usually small, and may not even include a kitchen, but the rent is far from negligible. Frankly, kitchens in most of these properties consist of a microwave, small refrigerator, and maybe a cooktop. Dishes and cookware tend to be minimal or non-existent.

Online booking sites like Airbnb offer a seemingly endless array of choices, but there’s a disappointing level of quality control. Craigslist and other similar sites can open up a Pandora’s Box of potential issues. Misleading information, intrusive landlords, and rental scams top the list.

Flexible furnished housing offers a better solution to the hunt for temporary living accommodations!

Houston, TX is a popular destination for travel nurses.

What is on-demand housing?

We live in a world where we want what we want, and we want it now. With the click of a mouse, we can order dinner, a ride, or a date!

After the short-term rental trend gained mainstream acceptance, another trend began to emerge: on-demand housing, and it’s ideal for traveling nurses working in Houston.

The difference between an extended stay hotel, corporate housing, and housing on-demand is in the details. On-demand housing offers:

Convenience and Flexibility. A digital, fully transparent booking process, with no need for a long-term lease agreement. Only book the dates you want – without worrying about whether it fits neatly into weeklong or monthly boxes.
Furnished Means Fully furnished. Well-appointed kitchens with cooking tools, blenders, and cookware are not found in most short-term or extended stay hotels.
Turnkey Living. All utilities, including the internet, are set up and ready to go when you walk in the door.
Stylish, Professional Design. There is a happy medium between matchy-matchy, institutional hotel furniture, and the usual mishmash of furniture, decor, and personal items found in the listings of amateur Airbnb hosts.

Benefits of on-demand housing for travel nurses

Choosing flexible furnished housing offers multiple advantages to individuals looking for healthcare traveler housing in Houston. Most nurses begin their search by filtering for accommodation near their travel assignment or in an area with a lively, walkable neighborhood.

In the Houston area, the monthly cost to rent an unfurnished one-bedroom apartment ranges from $1,200 to $1,800, not including utilities. That’s for a long-term rental for 12-months! Short-term leases tend to be much higher. Adding furnished to the description will only further increase the cost.

With on-demand housing, the monthly rental price typically includes everything — high-quality accommodations, modern furnishings, utilities (including high-speed WiFi), and resort-style amenities, like well-appointed gyms and sparkling pools.

Don’t forget about the convenience factor. Whether searching for travel nurse housing near the Texas Medical Center, or another of the Houston-area’s hospitals, be sure to consider the time needed to get to your hospital and whether your hospital has parking available on site. Some hospitals have no parking available for nurses, who then need to park in a remote lot and take a shuttle bus to the hospital. If you can take the METRORail to the Texas Medical Center instead, you can save time and money by not needing to drive to TMC. Lodgeur has on-demand housing available for travel nurses only 5 stops away from TMC on the MetroRail, directly next to the Ensemble/HCC stop. With covered parking available to guests, travel nurses can bring a car for personal use and take the MetroRail to TMC for quick access to their hospitals.

These are only a few reasons travel nurses prefer on-demand housing solutions with fully furnished apartments. The travel nurses we host often share that they are looking for housing that allows them to reduce their commute time while making the most of their personal time.

Houston’s METRORail provides convenient transportation from Downtown to the Texas Medical Center via Midtown and the Museum District.

What should all furnished apartments include?

When evaluating whether a furnished apartment is the one, there’s nothing wrong with having high expectations. Travel nurses tell us that this is their wish list for a great temporary home:

Flexible booking dates with flexible cancellation terms, so nurses can extend or terminate their booking when their contract dates evolve.
Housekeeping every two weeks, because no one wants to spend their day off cleaning a bathroom.
WiFi ready to go, so you can stay connected.
Free and secure parking, with easy METRORail access to TMC and downtown.
Curated locations, with walkable, lively neighborhoods.

Why Lodgeur is great for travel nurse accommodations

Beyond price and location, travel nurses look for a wide range of benefits when choosing housing. What often gets overlooked is a stress-free move and a great first day on a new assignment. Lodgeur is an excellent solution for travel nurse housing because we take care of the details:

No boxes or movers
Live in a professionally designed, Instagram-worthy home
Convenience and flexibility, no lease commitments
You’re busy. We’ll deal with the utilities, set up the WiFi router, connect the smart TV, and come to clean and change your linens every two weeks

We go above and beyond to ensure our furnished apartments are not only at the right price and in the right location but include the extras that healthcare professionals appreciate. For example, our newly constructed units keep outside noise, well, outside where it belongs so that a person can sleep peacefully. Polished concrete flooring instead of carpet cuts down on dirt and allergens.

Put it all together, and Lodgeur is a great solution for travel nurse housing.

Rentals for travel nurses in Houston, TX by Lodgeur at Mid Main Lofts in Midtown.

Book your stay today

Our travel nurses deserve a comfortable, safe, move-in-ready option for housing. Booking a furnished apartment in Houston with Lodgeur offers all of that and more.

We make it easy to find nurse rentals and book with nothing more than a click. After all, this is on-demand housing. Welcome home!

30+ night extended stays