Think about the things you want to have with you when you’re traveling for your job. What about what you need to have with you? Do the two lists have anything in common? It’s important to pack what will make you comfortable, but if you’re starting a job as a travel nurse, here are some travel nurse essentials you need.
1. Medications and Supplements
Make sure you pack an adequate supply of whatever medications you need or take regularly. If you take long-term prescriptions, make sure you have enough to cover your stay plus some extra. If you’re not taking any prescription medication but take something over the counter like allergy medicine, bring a good supply of that too. This applies to supplements as well. While many medications and supplements can be found in any grocery store, convenience store, or pharmacy, it can be better to make sure you pack what you need, especially if you buy your supplements online and don’t want to ship them to a new address every few months. For example, if you take high impact endurance coupon, you can buy a larger amount of it at once, so it lasts longer instead of buying it monthly while you’re on the road.
2. Important Paperwork
When you go on vacation, you bring some form of ID with you, whether your driver’s license or passport. When you travel for a longer period of time, there are other documents you’ll need to bring with you too. You should pack whatever documents you need for your work, such as your travel nurse contract and your nursing license. Bring along copies of your social security card, birth certificate, and any other credentials you think you might need. You don’t need the originals, and if possible, you should keep these in a safe place at your home base or somewhere else safe like a safety deposit box.
3. Climate Appropriate Supplies
When you accept a travel nurse position, you’ll be assigned a location. Once you know where you’re going to be working, you can do some research on the area. What is the climate like? How often does the weather change? This will help you figure out whether you’ll need to pack rain gear, sun protectant, or cold-weather clothing. Knowing these things will provide you with an easier time packing. If you know in advance that you’ll need sweaters and heavy coats, you can adjust the rest of your packing accordingly.
4. Space Saving Storage
You can purchase space-saving items such as packing cubes and vacuum storage bags. Packing cubes don’t reduce the space your things will take up in your luggage, but they will help you organize your things most efficiently and maximize the use of your available space. On the other hand, Vacuum storage bags are meant to reduce the size of certain items so you can store or pack more. You can fill them with bulky but soft items such as pillows, sweaters, and quilts, then vacuum out the air and compress the items, so you have more room to pack. They’re also made of waterproof materials like plastic, so they’re good at keeping fabric items dry.
5. Electronics
Electronics are ubiquitous in this day and age. If you’re a travel nurse, bring along your phone, laptop, and chargers so you can keep in touch with your friends and family you’re living far away from. You can also use them to familiarize yourself with the place you’re living and working in. Additionally, some travel nurse agencies will provide you with appliances like televisions in your living space. However, if one of those isn’t provided, you’ll still have access to videos and media through your devices.
When you travel for work, make sure you have what you need to live away from your home base for an extended amount of time, but don’t overpack. Think about how you’re traveling and where you’re going to figure out what you’ll need and what you’re able to bring.
We hope you found this list of 5 travel nurse essentials to pack helpful. Are there any other travel nurse essentials to add to the list? Comment them below.
