Navigating Holiday Assignments: How to Maximize Pay and Time Off This Season
November brings more than festive lights and family gatherings. It’s one of the busiest and most lucrative times of the year for travel clinicians. Search trends for “holiday travel nursing” and “holiday nurse pay” are starting to rise, and facilities nationwide are looking for skilled nurses and allied professionals willing to step in while permanent staff take time off.
At Nomad, we see these trends firsthand in our internal data—and for clinicians, it’s the perfect time to make a meaningful impact and maximize your earnings.
What to expect: high demand, higher pay
Facilities tend to offer elevated pay rates for holiday coverage, especially during the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. Internal data shows that many travel nurse contracts see pay spikes during peak holiday periods, particularly in high-demand specialties like L&D, Med Surg, and ER.
If flexibility is your strength, now’s your time. Taking assignments that overlap major holidays often comes with:
- Holiday pay multipliers (up to 1.5–2x hourly rates)
- Completion bonuses for hard-to-fill shifts
- Extended contracts that bridge into January for continuity
- Broader choice of facilities due to higher seasonal demand
Balancing earnings and time off
While some clinicians chase the highest-paying holiday shifts, others plan strategically, opting for pre- or post-holiday assignments that allow time off with family without losing momentum between contracts.
Consider the following:
- Book early: Holiday contracts fill fast; apply 6–8 weeks ahead. Facilities also often offer extra PTO flexibility after holiday coverage.
- Ask about holiday scheduling upfront: Many facilities rotate major-day assignments, and these details are often listed in the job posting. Take time to review the description and understand expectations before you apply!
- Leverage travel flexibility: Consider warmer or smaller markets where rates stay strong but demand is steadier.
- Budget for downtime: Set aside part of each paycheck for your “between contracts” cushion - that financial freedom lets you be more picky about your next assignment.
Holiday’s look different for everyone
The holidays can look different when you’re in scrubs instead of at the dinner table. But connection and joy still find a way. It might be a shared meal with your unit, a quick call home after a night shift, or a plan to celebrate later when your schedule slows down; however, you spend the season, take credit for the care you give to others. Working through the holidays is one of the most generous gifts there is.
Whatever your version of holiday balance looks like, Nomad gives you the autonomy to choose and the transparency to make informed decisions on your terms.
Get ahead of the holiday season
Search interest for holiday travel jobs is increasing, and so is facility demand. Whether your goal is maximizing pay or maximizing time, now’s the time to line up your next move. Explore holiday travel jobs and find where your next adventure — and paycheck — can take you.
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