A stress-free start in 2026 begins with seamless travel arrangements. With a trusted locums partner, you can skip the hassle of booking flights, managing itineraries, or dealing with last-minute changes—we’ve got it all covered so you can focus on what matters most: patient care.
We spoke to Travel Supervisor, Renner Melo, at Hayes Locums to give us insight into how an in-house travel agency removes the headaches from travel so physicians can focus on preparing for their assignment.
What Sets the Hayes Locums’ Travel Team Apart?
The travel department at Hayes Locums isn’t just a team, its a personal in-house travel agency that goes above and beyond to create a stress-free experience for our providers.
“Everyone on the team is so caring. Going above and beyond is the nature of our business. We want to help our providers get to their locums assignments and back home safely,” says Renner.
Keeping our locum physicians’ needs top of mind is what makes Hayes Locums so successful—that, and having the experience to anticipate what a provider will need in order to make it to their assignment safely and seamlessly.
“We try to provide options that will eliminate unnecessary stress during travel. For instance, we like to avoid the last flight of the day, especially if the provider needs to start their assignment the following morning,” explains Renner. “We want to make sure they’re getting to work on time, and back home to their families when the assignment is over.”
Both your consultant and travel coordinator work together to make sure that your locums experience is a positive one. Our consultants build relationships to understand your priorities, while our travel team handles all of the logistics, so you don’t have to create your itinerary. Instead, you can rest easy knowing that we’ll get you to your patients, and back to your home, on time.
How Does Hayes Locums Handle Unexpected Travel Challenges?
The advantage of an in-house travel agency means that we can anticipate challenges before they happen—and when they do happen, we’re well-equipped to solve them.
When bad weather, flight cancellations, or other unexpected delays come up, our team is proactive in meeting those challenges head-on.
“When we have a consultant tell us that a provider is stuck at the airport, we can handle it with peace of mind,” says Renner. “We have direct access to the airline inventories and can see the same thing an agent at the airport is seeing—and we’re often able to quickly book an available seat on the next flight out.”
That level of expertise and on-call service means that if something we booked doesn’t match up to what was promised, we step in to handle it immediately, so you don’t have to.
“Once we had a provider starting a long-term assignment, and he checked into his apartment only to find out the A/C wasn’t working. On top of that, it was football season, and nothing was available because everyone was in town for a big game. I was determined to help this provider, so I got on the phone with all of my contacts in the area, and I was able to find a place for him. He was able to move into a nice apartment, relax, and perform his job in the community.”
We care deeply about every provider’s locum tenens experience, and that often begins with travel. What feels stressful to you is routine for us. Our team is equipped to handle the unexpected and solve problems quickly, so you can focus on your assignment. No matter what comes up, you won’t be stuck at an airport help desk or searching through reservation sites—we’ve got it covered.
How Can Locums Providers Best Prepare for Upcoming Travel?
While your Hayes Locums team will handle all of your travel logistics, signing up for TSA PreCheck and letting your consultant know of your loyalty programs can make booking your upcoming travel even smoother.
“One thing I always recommend is enrolling in airline, hotel, and rental car loyalty programs. It will give you a smoother experience and even a higher quality of service,” says Renner. He also recommends enrolling in TSA PreCheck. “We can link your tickets to your TSA Precheck, so that if you’re in a rush when you get to the airport, you can skip the line.”
