Travel opportunities for 'seasoned' physical therapists

I am a recently retired PT with over 33 years of experience working full time in a variety of settings.  I am enjoying retirement but I miss working with patients.  I love to travel and don't have young kids or elderly parents to tie me to a specific locale.  I am wondering if being a travel PT would enable me to travel, keep my skills up, experience different working and living cultures... but not work full time/year round.  I wouldn't mind working 40 hour weeks but after a 13 week assignment, I would want to take a month or two or three off before considering another assignment. Or I wouldn't mind working 3 days a week or some modified work schedule that would allow me to experience what a new community had to offer.
It seems like travel work is more populated by younger, single PT's who do not have a home base but it seems like an ideal opportunity for a seasoned PT.  Is there a reason for this or is this a misconception?  Are travel companies looking only for PT's who want to work full time/year around?  
I no longer need health insurance or paid time off.  Do travel companies have 'contractor' type positions for limited time periods?  Can the therapist request a geographic area or setting?

Hello cvani!

I think I can help answer a few of your questions.
Many companies, mine being one of them, employs many different types of PTs-newly graduated to very experienced. The reason you most often see the newly graduated PTs traveling is because they tend to be unattached and more eager to travel and see where they want to settle down. This is not to say that a more experienced or retired PT wouldn't be a perfect fit for our type of positions!
It is most common that a 13 week position is 30-40 hours a week, but taking a month to a few months off in between would be fine, and would give you the option to be more choosy about where your next assignment would be! There is no reason to need to have back to back assignments if you choose not to work that way. The travel industry opens up so many options for you! It really gives you the option to work as you want, there are always shorter or longer contracts if that is what you want. Often the only reason that we suggest that people take positions back to back is to keep their insurance active and make sure that we can continue to provide them with those benefits. Obviously, this would not be a problem for you, so there would be no reason to need that type of back to back work.
Basically, what you want to do, we can make happen. If you have places that you prefer to work, then that is where we will market you! We will always be open and honest about where positions are the most prevelant and help you to choose what is best for you.

I hope this helps! Please let me know if there is anything that you need! I would love to help place you in your ideal travel position, so please feel free to contact me so that we can work together to get you there!
I can be reached by email at Katie@alegiantservices.com and from there we can expand at your pace if you so choose! Have a wonderful night!

Cvani,

Hello!  Travel is a great avenue for someone with your experience. I agree with "kmastel" on the reasons why you may hear about the "younger" PT traveling but quite frankly, we have quite a few retired PTs that travel with us as well. One in particular likes to travel during the summer with us and then spend the rest of the year visiting family.  It's all about your personal motivations and what you want to do.  Travel is flexible and if you are wanting to take a break between contracts, that's absolutely fine.  When working with a recruiter, make sure you have these conversations so everyone is on the same page.  Your recruiter can guide you in the right direction especially in telling you where is your best bet, but you set the tone and preferences. 

Please feel free to contact me with any further questions at ssnook@aureusmedical.com.  If you decide to travel, I hope I can help you with that too.

Sunny