By Megan Hutcherson

June 4, 2020

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Packing Tips from Travel Nurses

Deciding what you will need for 13 weeks can be difficult. Megan and Ty have put together some packing tips to help you get started. They currently live in a repurposed van, so space for them is limited. Before they lived in the van they would pack 2 cars to the brim, they almost couldn’t see out. Because space is limited now, they are very mindful of what to pack for each assignment.

Clothing

They recommend thinking about your lifestyle and what activities you enjoy doing. To pack your clothes around that. They also emphasis to pack your clothing based on the location of your assignment. If it is a warmer climate, you won’t be needing your winter coat and boots. Likewise, a colder climate might mean you don’t need shorts and tank tops.

Scrubs: They suggest packing enough scrubs to get you through a week. Generally 3-4 pair each.

Megan and Ty use packing cubes for their clothing. Amazon has a wide variety of packing cubes, these are the ones that Megan and Ty use Shacke Pak – 5 Set Packing Cubes – Travel Organizers with Laundry Bag.

Kitchen

Megan says pack what is essential to you. If you are going to be staying in furnished housing you may not need to pack many appliances, however, if a blender is something you use daily it may be a good idea to pack it. Also if you have a favorite mug or cup bring that as well.

Collapsible Items: Megan and Ty suggest getting as many collapsible items as possible. Storage containers, gadgets, and strainers. These tend to take up less room when packing and storing them.

They also use magnetic spice containers so they can store them right on their refrigerator and don’t take up space in the cabinets.

Decor/Books

Making your housing feel like your own and personalized can help with loneliness, however don’t go overboard. Megan suggests thinking about just how much time you plan to spend inside and pack your decor and books accordingly.

Megan and Ty really emphasis keeping in mind the location of your assignment when you are packing. They also say to keep in mind if your housing is furnished you may not need to pack as much. If it is an item that you don’t use more than 2-3 times a week, don’t pack it. Remember, you can pick another one up or have a family member ship it to you if you find yourself needing it.

We hope you found this video from Megan and Ty on packing tips helpful. Do you have any packing tips you would like to share? Comment them below.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)