This Surgical Tech is Living and Traveling to the Max!

Meet an adventurous Surg Tech who escaped the New England winter -- while getting paid to travel to the Texas and South Carolina sunshine.

First and foremost, my name is Filipe (basically it is the Latin way of saying Phillip). Originally from Brazil, I moved to the United States when I was 11 and grew up in the outskirts of Boston. I have been traveling with American Traveler for nine months, as a Surgical Technologist. I have always loved to travel and try new things. I'm surprised it took me so long to realize that I could travel while getting paid. That all changed one morning in January when I woke up to a foot of snow, and I told myself, “Okay, it's time for warm weather like what I had in Brazil as a child.”

After some internet research on travel nursing I came across Amy R., who is a recruiter with American Traveler. I really lucked out there, I can't say enough about how pleasant it has been working with Amy. She communicates very well, and has helped me start my new life as a consistent traveler.

At first I was a little concerned because I had just under two years of experience as a Surg Tech, but Amy was able to place me in El Paso, Texas! That's right, 90 degree weather even during the winter! No more snow. My time there was absolutely amazing. I met some wonderful people, and the sightseeing was breathtaking. On my days off, I visited the national parks and caverns around Texas and New Mexico. If you ever get a chance to visit that area, make sure to check out White Sand Monument in New Mexico as well as Carlsbad Caverns. If you are feeling adventurous, crossing the border to Cuidad de Juarez can be fun, too!

Although I loved my time in El Paso, I was ready for a change from the dry, desert landscape. It was time for some sand and warm ocean water. Amy and I were able to score an assignment in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. My summer in Myrtle Beach was filled with golfing (twice a week), beaching, and country music on the weekends. During my time in South Carolina, I made many long-lasting friends. Another bonus was the fact there were some amazingly cheap flights along the East Coast -- which made it affordable to fly home to Boston to visit my family and friends.

Despite all the traveling that I had done in the past, I had never been to the West Coast. As my assignment neared expiration at Myrtle Beach, an opportunity came up for Oregon, which is my current assignment. I will be honest, the first week I wasn’t sure if I liked it. I had grown used to the warmth of the Mexican-Americans in Texas and the southern hospitality in Myrtle Beach. Oregon felt a little different. But, like so many things that you’re not sure about in the beginning, Oregon is winning me over. I’m figuring out how to get around, and developing a real appreciation for the local spirit. It has been five weeks now, and I have met some awesome individuals who most likely will be part of my life forever.

So far I have been able to visit several parks, including Smith Rock State Park. I took a seven mile hike there, and it was absolutely gorgeous. If you can get away for a couple of days, you can visit the awesome waterfalls at Salt Creek Falls and check out a University of Oregon Ducks football game. Oh, by the way, one hour to the coast you can find an absolutely beautiful spot called “Cannon Beach.” Thanksgiving weekend I will be taking a short flight to Banff, Alberta Canada to visit family. I also plan to take a weekend vacation to Hawaii since it’s a short flight and very inexpensive. As you can see, I’m packing in as many experiences as possible while I’m in Portland.

One of the best things about being a traveler, is that you can take time off between jobs. In between assignments I have been lucky enough to visit places like Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Whistler Canada, as well as Bali Indonesia.