*by Whitney*
Jared and I just returned from a 5 day, 4 night trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic! This is a free trip we earned through Core Medical Group, one of the travel therapy companies that we work with. This was our first time going on this trip, and it was amazing! So I wanted to share a little about the trip, what we did, and how we were able to qualify!
What is Club Core Med?
Club Core Med is a loyalty bonus program from Core Medical Group that awards points towards a trip they host every year in the Caribbean for their employees, from the recruiters to the travel nurses and therapists. In the past, they’ve had it in Mexico, and this was their first year having it in Punta Cana.
The trip is all expenses paid for 5 days and 4 nights, including flights and the all-inclusive resort. This year it was held at the beautiful Paradisus Punta Cana resort which was incredible!
As a traveler, to qualify you must earn a certain number of points per year to be eligible for the trip. There are a few different ways you can earn points, including taking an assignment with Core, extending a contract, taking a home health contract, and referring a friend.
For the full details and rules for qualifying, you can learn more here.
The Fine Print
The trip awarded is considered a bonus, such as a cash bonus that some companies offer. Since it’s a bonus, the value of the trip is considered taxable income. So, this should be taken into account come tax time.
More Than Just a Bonus
While the trip itself is an awesome company bonus, it’s really so much more than that. We learned after going on the trip that this is like an annual reunion for those who attend every year! It was such an amazing experience being part of this event.
The travelers and staff who return year after year have become like family. They look forward to this all year long. It’s really a unique experience to be together on a big trip like this with a group of hundreds of other healthcare travelers (this year they had over 400 attendees)!
Even if you don’t know anyone when you first arrive, you will by the time you leave! Getting together with fellow healthcare travelers is like making instant friends. You all understand each other and can connect on a level different than anyone else.
Our Experience
We knew going into the trip that we would get to meet some of the awesome travel therapists we know from our online community, including fellow bloggers, podcasters, and travel therapy “influencers” who we’ve chatted with online for years. It was wonderful finally getting to connect with all of them in person!
In addition to this though, we met so many others that we’d never connected with before! It was so much fun meeting other healthcare travelers and their significant others, sharing stories, and making new connections.
We spent a lot of time enjoying the beautiful resort, including lounging by the beach, soaking in the sun, hanging out at the pool swim-up bar, enjoying room service and fancy dinners, plus dancing and losing our voices from singing and chatting it up all night long! There were a few organized events (all optional) with Core, and a ton of free time to do whatever you pleased!
We also were able to go on an excursion with a group of other travelers we bonded with throughout the week. We went out on a boat tour which included snorkeling and a boat party in the ocean with some awesome views, good music, and of course cold drinks!
By the end of the trip, our only regret was that we couldn’t stay longer! We hope to be able to attend the trip in future years, and if so we plan to go down a couple of days early next time (at our own expense) to be able to enjoy the beautiful Caribbean for longer!
Are You Interested in Club Core Med?
If you’re a healthcare traveler and are interested in learning more about working with Core Medical Group and qualifying for Club Core Med, feel free to reach out to us and we can help get you connected with our recruiter!
Fifth Wheel Physical Therapist 
Looks like you had a great time! Awesome!
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