JIM KLUS-SALISBURY, OTR/L, and family.

But then our plans changed. We both love adventures and our two young boys, Eliot and Simon, would be in school soon. So we decided to keep traveling for a few years, just until the boys made it necessary to settle down.

Over the past two years, I've taken assignments in Michigan, Illinois, and Florida. The whole family travels with me, and Colleen stays home to take care of the boys while I'm working. They're great adventurers and love exploring the region as much as possible. Eliot is a museum addict and loves to walk on the beach, and we all enjoy trying new restaurants. It's almost as if we're on a permanent vacation.

Traveling has been great for me professionally, too. Every setting is different, and I'm challenged to adapt quickly to fill the needs of the facility. I believe I'm drawn to certain places for a reason. For example, when I was working at Tendercare, a skilled nursing facility in Rogers City, Michigan, I met a writer who hadn't been able to read a book in years because of deteriorating vision. My specialty is in low-vision rehab, so I was able to retrain her to read. I don't think it was an accident that I was in exactly the right place at the right time to help her improve her quality of life.

I believe it's easier to adjust to traveling after you've had some solid work experience under your belt. Once you're confident in your skills, head on out and experience what other facilities have to offer. It's also extremely important to be able to make friends quickly. I've found it's easy to make friends with the patients and staff during an assignment, and so hard to leave. But we do try to keep in touch with everyone.

Looking to the future

Colleen and I aren't sure how long we'll continue to travel. Eliot is 5 years old now and will soon need to be in a permanent school. We probably have about another year at our disposal. There's no solid plan yet, but we've been thinking about heading up the Eastern Seaboard or to the Pacific Northwest.

Colleen and I talked about traveling for a long time before making the leap. We weighed the pros and cons, and were still a little nervous when we finally decided to go for it. But we're so very happy we made that decision! It's been such a wonderful experience for the entire family. I wouldn't trade back the past two years for anything.

As told to Julie Anne Eason, freelance writer, by Jim Klus-Salisbury, OTR/L, an occupational therapist on assignment with Core Medical Group, a medical placement company based in Salem, New Hampshire.