Fuel prices…seems like if there was ever a timely topic, fuel prices would be it this summer travel season. What a more fitting blog topic, especially right before one of the biggest summer holiday travel weekends of the year….Independence Day. Well for us all, when you travel potentially long distances every 13 weeks for a living, fuel prices can make or break your budget. So, we did some research to try to find our travelers some ways to save at the pump, as that’s what we do…find ways to make your journeys as seamless/ painless as possible.
We’re slightly partial to our roadtrippin’ partners at AAA, and our Travel OSM + AAA benefit, which has been a valuable tool to those in our industry traveling the country for finding gas stations (and prices) along the way to an assignment. Though, a paid membership to AAA means that if you get a flat tire or run out of gas on the road, you'll be sent help, like a tow truck or a mechanic (which EVERY traveler with OneStaff gets as a FREE benefit of working with us…to follow through with ensuring we are there along your side every step of the way). Well, the AAA TripTik Travel Planner can also be leveraged to help you find the cheapest fuel prices on the way, or while on, an assignment. That said, we’ll start with that one, in our top three picks…
1. AAA TripTik Travel Planner. AAA’s version of a “gas app” shows all of the gas stations and their gas prices for 85,000 gas stations throughout the country. The “bonus value” in TripTik, for those in our industry, is that it can also help you plan your road trips to your next assignment and back home; from the must-see stops (for the adventure-seekers) to the diners, dives and drive throughs on the journey (for all the foodies). After all, that’s why most of you got into this crazy biz, right? The adventure? So, why not soak it in even on the road trips to/from the next assignment!
2. Gas Guru. Recently featured on some main stream news outlets, Gas Guru gives you the typical real-time fuel prices in your area, based on Oil Price Service (APIS), and is owned by a reputable company, Yellow Pages. It will also let you see what’s close to the area, so you can be efficient when making dinner, or errand, plans.
2. Gas Buddy. One of the most well-known, and longest-standing apps we found for fuel prices, Gas Buddy goes beyond just fuel prices. You can sign up for card that can offer up to 25 cents off a gallon (currently at the time we wrote this). They also have a premium service (at $99 annually) which saves you a guaranteed 20 to 40 cents per gallon (up to 50 gallons/ month). Do the math there, at minimum you’re saving $120/ year (at the most $240/ year). Not a bad deal.
For a full list of apps that could help you find the best gas prices on your next journey to an assignment, click here.
Now if you are looking for other ways to avoid the soaring fuel prices, here’s a couple other options:
Ditch the car (once you are settled in your new city). Consider taking assignments in bigger cities where public transportation is known to be more readily available. America’s Top 10 Public Transportation cities, based on factors from accessibility and convenience, to frequency and technology, are; Portland, OR, Pittsburgh, PA, Denver, CO, Madison, WI, Chicago, IL, Washington DC, New York, NY, San Francisco, CA, Boston, MA, and finally, Seattle, AW.
Travel with a Partner. Consider finding a, or group of, travel buddies. This not only gives you company in a new location, a travel buddy to make memories with, but also someone to share the costs of gas, and other expenses, with. Traveling with others may not be ideal for everyone, but when soaring fuel prices start to disrupt plans and budgets, well, we adapt. That’s what this industry is all about…adapting quickly to the needs of any assignment.
Hopefully this was a useful topic, that you find the need to bookmark and refer back to in the future and/or share with other travelers. We’re always open to feedback on topic you find valuable!
As always, if you have any immediate questions on traveling nursing, assignments or available opportunities, feel free to contact your recruiter and we’ll get you answers. We’re here to help in any way we can.
To browse some of our current top-paying travel nurse jobs, click here.