Feb 11, 2026

Traveler Highlight: How Travel Helped Angela Find Her Way Back to Herself

For some healthcare professionals, travel assignments are about seeing new places or earning competitive pay. For Angela, traveling with Aequor became something much bigger. It became a fresh start.

When Angela first connected with her Aequor recruiter, Mckenna, she made a bold move from the warm, familiar comfort of LA to a winter assignment in Michigan. It was completely out of her comfort zone, and as Mckenna jokes, her dog’s too. But when Angela started sharing that things were going well despite the below-zero temperatures, Mckenna knew there was more to the story. This wasn’t just another contract. It was a turning point.

Before travel, Angela had spent nearly 20 years at her home hospital. It was steady and familiar, but life outside of work had become overwhelming. Within just three years, she lost both of her parents, went through a divorce, moved back home, and watched her only child graduate and prepare for his own future. The weight of those changes took a toll. She found herself in the deepest depression she had ever experienced and struggled physically and emotionally to get through each day. “I physically and emotionally couldn’t make myself get up,” she shares. “Medication didn’t work. It just made me sleep. I was at the end of the road, stuck.” After nearly two decades with the same employer, she was even at risk of losing her job.

That’s when she decided something had to change. Taking a travel assignment felt like a leap of faith, but it ended up being exactly what she needed. “Honestly, the whole decision to travel saved my career and possibly my life,” Angela says. With each new assignment, she began to feel a sense of purpose returning. Having a contract to look forward to, a new city to explore, and new colleagues to meet helped her slowly rebuild her confidence and energy. Travel gave her the chance to rediscover herself, not just as someone’s daughter, wife, or mother, but simply as Angela.

She describes the experience as both exciting and humbling. Visiting new places, meeting different teams, and learning about communities she never knew existed reminded her that there was still so much life ahead of her. That perspective shift made all the difference. Travel didn’t just change her location. It changed how she saw herself and her future.

Her journey also inspires her family, especially her son. “My son knows I’m not perfect, and when I tell myself I can’t, he tells me his mom can do anything. So I have to prove that every day,” she says. That determination shows up in every assignment she takes on, whether she’s adapting to a new facility or braving a Michigan winter far colder than anything she experienced back home in California.

Angela credits part of her positive experience to having the right support system behind her. She’s grateful for the guidance and encouragement from her recruiter and the Aequor team along the way. “I’m with a great company with excellent recruiters that changed my whole life, and I’m very thankful for that,” she shares.

For Angela, travel healthcare has been more than a career move. It has been a path forward during one of the most difficult seasons of her life, offering healing, independence, and renewed purpose. Her story is a powerful reminder that sometimes stepping outside your comfort zone is exactly what helps you find yourself again.

If Angela’s story has you thinking about taking the leap, your next opportunity could be closer than you think. Browse open travel healthcare jobs on Aequor’s job board to explore assignments across the country, and connect with a dedicated Aequor recruiter who can guide you every step of the way. Whether you’re looking for a fresh start, new experiences, or a renewed sense of purpose, we’re here to help you build a travel career that feels right for you.

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