The RVing Physical Therapists: Courtney and Drew McGee
Drew and I graduated from Physical Therapy school in August with a pile of debt, unsure where we wanted to settle down and which therapy setting we wanted to work in. We wanted to figure a way to save money, pay off our debt and explore the US. We had been introduced to the idea of travel Physical Therapy in school but quickly brushed it off, assuming it wasn’t for us. During one of my clinical rotations in Phoenix, AZ I met a fellow PT student from Oregon who was living in a travel trailer. I had never met anyone who lived in an RV and to be honest my initial thought was, “there is no way I could ever live in something that small.” But, her story intrigued me so for the next hour, over brunch, I picked her brain about RV life. By the time I got home, I was researching RV’s and searching Instagram for full-time couples when I stumbled upon Mandy and Kevin from 188sq feet. I immediately called Drew and spewed out all the information I had gathered and said, “What do you think about buying, renovating and living in an RV after graduation? He laughed and said, “Sure, why not?” Over the next few months, we did tons of research on travel therapy and began to search different RV models and layouts until we found our Salem. It was gently used by an older couple, well kept and fell within our price range.
We are now both traveling Physical Therapists which allows us the flexibility to travel the US for work. A typical travel contract is 13 weeks so we will be moving every 3 months. We work Monday through Friday allowing us to explore the area and nearby cities on the weekends.
Amazing Views Right From Our RV
We chose our 30′ Forest River Salem Travel Trailer because we loved the rear living layout. We love our back window, it allows so much light into the camper and gives us easy access to amazing views.
Research, research, research. Find a floor plan you love, look for inspiration and design in your RV to represent you and your family.
Friendly RVers and A sense Of Stability
Our favorite part of travel so far has been the community. We have been able to connect with so many people both online and in person and we are shocked by how welcoming and helpful other travelers are. Prior to buying our Salem we had 0 experience with RVs so its been a lot of trial and error and learning as we go. We also love that no matter where we go, our home comes with us. It gives us a sense of stability and allows us to travel with our dog Dempsey and cat Dany.
Our First Trip Out
We picked up our RV in Phoenix, AZ with 0 towing experience and little clue what we were doing. We signed the papers, hitched the RV up and drove it off the lot and directly onto the highway for the 2,000+ mile journey to Cleveland, OH. After a 14 hour day of driving, we were thrilled to find a parking lot to sleep in. We walked into the RV to find our bedroom door had become dislodged during our trip and was now jammed shut. So at 2 AM Drew kicked down our bedroom door in a Cracker Barrel parking lot so that we could go to sleep. Every time we look at that door we can’t help but laugh.
Enjoying The Journey
We aren’t sure how long we will be in the RV or how long we will be working as travel therapists before we decide to settle down, we didn’t really set any time frames. But for now, we are in the process of planning our next assignment and hope to be out on the west coast by the end of February when our current contract ends.
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