Somehow, we are rolling into the holiday season of 2023 already! Hopefully, by now, you have your holiday contracts (or holiday vacation) planned out.
While it might seem like every travel nurse takes the holidays off, in reality, a lot of people use this time of year to maximize income and save for time off later in the year. If this is you–we feel that! There are still plenty of ways to enjoy the holidays while taking advantage of holiday pay and flu season rates.
Even if you aren’t near loved ones this holiday season, we have several ideas that will help keep you in the spirit and full of cheer. Here are a few of our favorite ways to celebrate.
Get together with other travelers.
Chances are, wherever you are, there are other travel nurses who are also looking to connect and socialize during the holidays. Reach out to other travelers on your unit, or try asking your recruiter if they know of other travelers living in the area to help you connect.
A lot of the time, people are too shy to actually reach out, but they are happy to have the opportunity to connect if it is initiated. Offer to host a Friendsgiving or gift swap for travel nurses, or make a reservation somewhere for a meetup. You never know–you might just meet your new best friend!
Find local holiday displays.
This might feel a little awkward to do solo but give it a try. You can pick the place, how quickly you move through the displays, and what time you go–it’s all on your terms! Take a little time to savor the beauty and reflect if that feels good to you. It’s hard to not feel festive sipping hot cocoa while enjoying Christmas lights.
Invite friends and family to visit.
Reach out to friends and family who might want to stay for a bit during your assignment and see if they can come specifically during the holidays. This is great because even if you can’t get a full 4-5 days off to go home, you might have someone who would come stay or even get out and explore if you have to work one of the days they are in town. The key here is to be intentional and invite people directly–sometimes our loved ones don’t want to “impose,” so make sure they know it’s not an issue for you to host them!
Dollar tree decor.
Since you might not want to drop a ton of money on holiday decorations for your short-term rental, try checking out Dollar Tree for more budget-friendly options. Give yourself a small budget (think $20) and see what fun display you can come up with. You will be surprised by what fun and cute options you can get for a little more than a buck.
Block time before or after the holidays to go home.
Asking for the actual holiday off might not be an option for your contract, so instead, try going home before or after an actual holiday to see your family. Most hospitals relax their time off policy after January 1st, so you might be able to celebrate a late Christmas in January.
Another option is to trade into the “undesirable” dates around each holiday (such as Black Friday). This can help you get a stretch of days off before or after, which allows you enough time to fly home.
Even though some of these ideas are a little non-traditional, that’s okay! Many times, as a nurse, our holidays look a little non-traditional, and travel nursing is just a variation of that. Remember that this lifestyle is only forever if you want it to be–so make the most of the time you are on the road, and have fun making new holiday traditions along the way.
Interested in a travel nursing job? Our job board is a great place to search for assignments, and if housing is an issue, our housing page can help. It’s time to make a difference!
