Travel nursing is exciting, adventurous, and thrilling but can also be challenging! Leaving home for periods of time can leave you feeling like you’re missing a part of yourself, and you can even get homesick from time to time. We’ve put together a few tips to help you avoid this feeling and make any place you’re living feel like home!
Ways to avoid homesickness while travel nursing:
Bring some familiar bedding.
Any great rental property will provide plenty of bedding, including extra blankets and sheets, but sometimes just having a blanket from home can make you feel more settled in. It doesn’t have to be something bulky and hard to travel with, just something that reminds you of the coziness of your bed back home.
Have some photos.
Yes, we all have thousands of photos on our phones, but it’s much more inviting to have some photos printed that you can put on the fridge, on the mirror, or your nightstand. They don’t have to be in a big frame. Just quick and easy prints or even Polaroids can suffice to remind you of the people you love.
Get out and about.
This may seem obvious, but all too often, when working long shifts, the last thing you may want to do is go explore. Take advantage of your days off to really go explore the city you’re in. Join a Meetup group, find a friend through work, and go adventure together. You can even make a city bucket list of things you want to see before you’re off to your next adventure!
Check out nature.
One of the best parts about traveling the country is the ability to see the different parts of Mother Nature. Even if it’s a bit of a drive to get to the local nature areas, make time for it and get out there to see what it has to offer you! From the oceans to the mountains and everything in between, there are some amazing things to be seen when you go looking!
Have some visitors.
If your home has space for it, have a visitor come stay with you for a while! You can explore together while spending good, quality time with someone you might miss from home. These days, with so many people working remotely, this can be easier than ever!
Order your favorites from home.
Are there certain foods, drinks, or anything else from home that just make you feel good? Online ordering can be a great thing! Order some of these to have on hand for homesick times when you can have a bit of home!
Carve out time to visit.
It’s often common to go from a travel assignment to a travel assignment but consider taking time to visit home for a week or two, maybe longer, if you feel like you need a break from the road. Don’t let yourself get burnt out! You’ll take your travel career much further if you give yourself the grace and space to take breaks!
Remember that travel nursing is a way to explore and bring joy, and never forget to make it an adventure! We hope that you found these tips for avoiding homesickness while travel nursing helpful. Do you have any tips for fellow travel nurses to help avoid homesickness while travel nursing? Comment them below.
Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.
