Everyone asks us the same question: "How do you and Tricia always end up in the same place?"
The short answer is: intentionally. The long answer is what this post is about.
We're Otis and Tricia — a travel MRI tech and a travel ultrasound tech who've been doing this together for years. Different modalities, sometimes different hospitals — but always the same home base. Here's exactly how we make it work.
Rule #1: Cast a Wide Net, But Hunt as a Team
We don't target one hospital or even one city. We start by opening the map wide and working multiple job boards — Highway Hypodermics, Travel Nursing Central, BluePipes, and a few others — simultaneously. We also connect with 3 to 4 recruiters across different agencies at the same time, not one at a time.
The goal is volume of options, not speed to a single offer. More options means more chances to find overlap — whether that's the same hospital, same health system, or two facilities within 30 minutes of each other.
We also have a standing rule about geography: we actively avoid markets where winter is brutal. Snow, ice, long dark winters — not our thing. The Carolinas, the South, Texas, the Southwest — that's our lane. Life's too short to scrape ice off your car at 5am before a 12-hour shift.
Rule #2: One Home, Always — No Exceptions
This is the non-negotiable. We always live together in one place. No "I'll be in Durham and you'll be in Raleigh and we'll see each other on weekends." That's not travel healthcare as a couple, that's just long distance with extra steps.
If we end up at two different facilities, we find the geographic midpoint and split the commute. If one of us has call responsibilities, we live closer to that person's hospital — call doesn't care about your commute time.
The logistics of finding that shared location are worth every minute of extra planning. Coming home to each other every night is the whole point.
Rule #3: Housing Is a Shared Decision, Not an Afterthought
We look for housing together before either contract is signed. If we can't find a place that works for both commutes, that market is off the table — full stop.
Non-negotiables: furnished short-term rental or month-to-month lease, pet-friendly when needed, and positioned between both facilities. Furnished Finder is our go-to. Facebook Marketplace for furnished rentals is underrated. Extended stay hotels work for a week max — after that the cost and the vibe both wear on you.
Rule #4: One Recruiter Per Agency Handles Both of Us
This is the setup most travel couples don't think about — and it makes everything smoother. We use one recruiter at each agency who handles both of our contracts. Not two separate recruiters who don't talk to each other. One person who understands our situation, our timeline, and our target market for both of us at once.
That recruiter knows we're a package deal. They know we need overlapping start dates in the same market. That context cuts weeks off the search process and eliminates the chaos of two separate conversations going in different directions.
If your current recruiter doesn't get it or keeps sending you solo opportunities without thinking about your partner's situation — find someone who will.
Rule #5: Someone Has to Blink First — and That's Okay
Here's the real talk: sometimes the perfect co-location doesn't exist. One market has great MRI rates and mediocre ultrasound opportunities. One facility has the right schedule and the other doesn't line up perfectly.
We've made tradeoffs. We treat our finances as a household — what's good for us collectively matters more than what's individually optimal. That mindset shift is what makes doing this long-term actually sustainable.
The goal isn't a perfect contract for each of us. The goal is a great life together.
The Bottom Line
Co-locating as a travel healthcare couple isn't luck. It's a system. Wide job search, multiple recruiters, one shared home, a single recruiter who handles you both, and a willingness to make tradeoffs for the bigger picture.
It's not always perfect. But it's always worth it.