Working Tourist: When One Door Closes…

Successful people take advantage of opportunities in life. When faced with a challenge they dig deep and strive to overcome. In March 2014, radiology technician Barb Houston did exactly that! As is happening throughout the healthcare industry, her long-time employer went through a series of managerial changes and Barb found herself out of a job. Living in a small town, her options were limited, but the fact that her son was grown and on his own, Barb knew she could take her time to figure out what was next.

Since that time, Barb has embraced her new healthcare life as a travel CT tech. She credits her recent years as a traveler for making her a better technologist.

“I have grown in every way possible,” she says. “I am a better tech because I am always learning something new at every place I go. I am very happy and proud of myself for just being me!”

Oftentimes, travelers ease into their new world. Barb just jumped in! She has been collecting amazing experiences ever since she started. While traveling in Alaska, Barb spent time helping out at the world-famous Iditarod dog race as a dog handler. In Gig Harbor, Washington, Barb chose to live on a houseboat in the Puget Sound and spent time kayaking among the seals. While she was in Arcata, California, Barb participated on a team in the Kinetic Race, which features teams creating human-powered, all-terrain vehicles that look like works of art.

As you can tell, Barb goes “all-in” when she is on assignment. She learns as much as she can about the local community and the people who live there, especially native arts and crafts from the area. She also tries to visit as many state and national parks as possible, to take full advantage of her opportunity to see the natural beauty our nation has to offer.

Barb has learned that she is drawn to the ocean. While in Hawaii, Barb was moved by her experience of snorkeling with spinner dolphins. “I want to find more assignments that bring me near the ocean. There is something about it that brings peace to my soul.”

Looking back at what led her to where she is in her career today, Barb is grateful that she made the decision to start traveling for work. Her advice to someone considering making the leap? “Go for it!” she says. “You only live once, and it is important to remember to stop and smell the roses.”

If Barb’s story has motivated you to give travel assignments a try, use our powerful job search tool to check out all our currently available opportunities we. You can also contact us today and speak to one of our travel recruitment professionals for more information on how you can change your career today!