David Morrison
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While parts of the country are still trying to thaw out from the cold winter, spring is now in full swing, and one of the
best ways to take advantage of the season is to spread your wings and take a travel assignment thousands of miles away.
Where to go
When first starting out, most travelers tend to stay close to home and take an assignment only a state or two away. This is
actually a good idea if your travel assignment will be your first real experience away from home. That way, if you get homesick,
it is always possible to return home for a few days. As your experience as a traveler grows, however, you might start to branch
out a bit and consider exploring parts of the country a little farther from home.
Photos: Getty Images/OJO Images/Joerg Steffens
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I frequently encourage nurses to take—at least occasionally—an assignment not for hourly wage or for the number of overtime
hours, but rather entirely for fun. Most of the travelers I encounter who take assignments based on location have a "to-do"
list of places they want to see in their lifetime. The desire to visit some of these places will depend on the season in which
you travel. For example, many people would love to see the beauty of Alaska; however, an assignment that starts in late autumn
(and therefore extends your time in the Last Frontier to include winter) might not be ideal for most of us. But during the
spring and summer months, Anchorage and locations in the Northwest and Northeast can be excellent choices.
Before you leave
While the prospect of traveling a long distance to an assignment can be daunting, a little planning can go a long way toward
decreasing the stress of such a trip.
First, you will have to decide how you are going to get there. If you are flying, you will need to know what will be provided
with your housing. If having a television is important to you, it's not a big deal to pack it into your car when driving to
an assignment, but throwing it in your checked luggage is another matter.
This also holds true for linens, dishes, or any other extra items you like to take with you, such as camping or hiking gear.
All of these items can be shipped to you, but you will want to plan it out well before your assignment begins.
If you will require such things as a television or cooking utensils, be sure to let your travel company's housing coordinator
know well in advance. Often, if you have been with the company for a while, it may even offer to bundle the cost of a television
rental in with your furniture rental. It never hurts to ask, and even if your agency will not cover the cost of additional
rental items, your housing coordinator might be able to arrange for these items with the company providing your furniture.
How to get there
Now if your travel plans include driving to your location, then spring is an ideal time to hit the road. You might also want
to sit down and map out sights you would like to see along your route. If you have the ability to allow for a week or two
for traveling, this is certainly enough time to get you to your assignment destination and see quite a bit along the way.
One thing you will have to be conscious of is the preparation involved in taking a cross-country trek in your car. Next month,
we'll look at how to ready yourself and your vehicle for a long drive to a travel assignment. If you prefer to fly to your
destination, however, call your recruiter and see what suggestions he or she might have for a springtime travel assignment.
David Morrison, RN, is a Phoenix-based travel nurse and the author of the book The Travel Nurse's Bible: A Guide to Everything on Travel Nursing (ISBN: 978-0-578-00814-1, http://travelnursesbible.com/ . He has completed more than 30 separate travel contracts, holds nursing licenses in six states, and travels anywhere from
six to 12 months every year. He is a graduate of Mount Carmel School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio. He can be reached at david@travelnursesbible.com
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ModernMedicine NETWORK
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