Locum Tenens Logistics: Travel, Housing and Expenses
By Cory Kleinschmidt
On most locum opportunities the agency arranges and pays for your travel and housing. You cover the personal extras. As with everything else in locum tenens, the details are negotiable before you sign. Vague logistics are where a good rate quietly loses value.
This chapter is the overview. The line-item depth (who books what, how per diem works, what to pack for the first week) lives in the shared spokes at the end. Here’s the shape of it, plus the one rule that keeps a clean rate from leaking money.
How Travel and Housing Work on a Locum Opportunity
The agency handles the big-ticket logistics; you handle the day-to-day extras. The agency books and pays for your flights or reimburses your mileage, arranges and pays for lodging up to a budget and sorts out the details of getting you there. Meals when there’s no per diem, seat upgrades and trips home to see family are usually on you.
None of it is one-size-fits-all. Every piece is a contract term, so what one agency covers by default another treats as an add-on. That’s why the reading and negotiating you do before signing matters as much here as it does on the rate itself.
76¢/mi
IRS business mileage rate (Jul-Dec 2026)
4-8 wks
Average locum opportunity length
$0
What you pay the staffing agency
Key Takeaways
- On most opportunities the agency arranges and pays for travel and housing. You cover personal extras.
- Driving is reimbursed at the IRS standard mileage rate, 76 cents a mile for business use from July through December 2026 (IRS). Per diem varies by opportunity.
- You decide how much you travel by which opportunities you take. Schedules run in blocks, not a daily commute.
- Most opportunities run two weeks to several months, averaging four to eight weeks (AMN Healthcare, 2025).
- Negotiate travel, housing and per diem before you sign. Get every term in writing.
Will You Ever Be Home?
More than the word “travel” suggests. Locum schedules are built around blocks of shifts, not a daily commute, so you tend to work concentrated stretches then have real time off. How much you travel is mostly your call. Take opportunities near home and you barely travel; chase the best rates across the country and you will. The model bends to the life you want, if you set it up that way.
Who Pays for Your Travel
The agency does, at standard rates. It typically books and pays for economy flights, or reimburses mileage at the IRS standard rate if you drive, which is 76 cents a mile for business use from July through December 2026 per the IRS standard mileage rates. First-class or seat upgrades, in-flight extras and trips home mid-opportunity are usually yours unless you negotiate them in.
Get the specifics in the contract: who books, what class, what’s reimbursed and how fast. “The agency handles travel” isn’t a term you can hold anyone to.
Who Arranges Your Housing
The agency usually arranges and pays for it, up to a budget. Expect an extended-stay hotel, a furnished apartment or a short-term rental. You can specify minimum standards in your contract (a full kitchen, a separate bedroom, a short drive to the facility). It’s reasonable to do so.
Bringing family or a pet? Tell the agency early. Family-friendly or pet-friendly housing can run above the standard budget. You’d typically cover the difference, so sorting it before you sign avoids an unpleasant surprise on arrival.
Meals, Per Diem and Incidental Expenses
Some opportunities include a per diem for meals and incidentals; many don’t. Personal costs like meals, laundry and parking are generally yours unless you negotiate a stipend. As a 1099 contractor, many of these costs may be deductible as business expenses, so keep your receipts. The mechanics live in the pay chapter.
The deduction has a catch. Travel is only deductible against a tax home. If you don’t keep a permanent home base, the IRS can treat you as an itinerant worker. Then your travel isn’t deductible at all (IRS Publication 463). Work the specifics with your CPA.
How Long Is a Locum Opportunity?
Most run from two weeks to several months, with the average landing between four and eight weeks, per AMN Healthcare (2025). Shift-only coverage can be far shorter. Hard-to-fill roles can run six months or more. Many physicians prefer the one-to-four-month range, long enough to settle in, short enough to stay flexible. Plenty of opportunities renew, so physicians string them together into a continuous schedule.
Vague logistics are where a good rate quietly loses value. “The agency handles travel” isn’t a term you can hold anyone to.
What the Agency Covers and What’s on You
Here’s the rough split. Treat it as the starting point, not the rule, because every line is negotiable and varies by agency.
| Cost | Typically the agency | Typically you |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | Economy airfare, booked for you | Class or seat upgrades |
| Driving your own car | Mileage at the IRS standard rate | Tolls and personal detours |
| Lodging | Furnished housing up to a budget | Anything above that budget |
| Meals and incidentals | A per diem, on opportunities that include one | Your meals when there’s no per diem |
| Trips home mid-opportunity | Not usually | Usually your cost |
| Family or pet housing | The standard lodging | The difference for larger or pet-friendly places |
The One Rule: Get It in Writing
Almost everything here is negotiable before the contract is signed and very hard to change after. Travel class, housing standards, per diem, family arrangements: settle them up front and get them in the contract. Treat the logistics with the same care as the rate. A verbal “we’ll take care of it” is worth exactly nothing if it isn’t on the page. The full checklist is in the contract review guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does locum tenens cover travel and housing?
Usually. On most opportunities the agency arranges and pays for flights and lodging up to a budget. You cover personal extras like meals when there’s no per diem, seat upgrades and trips home.
How long is a typical locum tenens assignment?
Most run two weeks to several months, averaging four to eight weeks (AMN Healthcare, 2025). Shift coverage can be shorter and hard-to-fill roles can run six months or more.
Will locum tenens keep me away from home constantly?
Not unless you want it to. Schedules run in blocks. You choose how far you travel by which opportunities you accept.
Can I bring my family or a pet on assignment?
Often, but tell the agency early. Family-friendly or pet-friendly housing can exceed the standard budget. You’d typically cover the difference.
Does the agency reimburse mileage if I drive?
Yes, typically at the IRS standard rate, 76 cents a mile for business use from July through December 2026 (IRS). Confirm the rate and how fast you’re reimbursed in your contract.
Are locum travel expenses tax-deductible?
Many are for 1099 contractors whose work takes them away from their tax home (IRS Publication 463). Keep your receipts and work the specifics with your CPA. The pay chapter has more.
Go Deeper
- Travel and housing on assignment, who arranges and pays what, plus the first week, what to pack and doing locums with family or a pet.
- Per diem and stipends, how meals, incidentals and expense reimbursement really work.
- Pay, contracts and taxes, including which travel costs you can deduct.
Up: The No-BS Guide to locum tenens.