Being away from home during the holidays can get you down. For the thousands of travel nurses, the holidays can bring a more stressful time away from friends and family. We have a few tips for these professionals, who provide a service that our clients are very grateful for. Here’s how to still enjoy the holiday season even if you’re on the road for work.
Traveling During the Holidays
Whether you celebrate traditional Thanksgiving or Christmas, there are certainly a lot of marketing messages out there during November and December to encourage your participation. So, even if you don’t celebrate, you may feel the need to connect with people during this season of gratitude. Here are four ways to be festive during the holidays even if you’re on the road:
Make new traditions with new friends.
The November and December holiday season can be hard on a traveling nurse if they have no one to celebrate with. But one of the benefits of this career is the countless people you will meet while you are on the road. If having a national network of friends and colleagues appeals to you, this is one of the perks of the traveling nurse role. The best traveling nurses are social butterflies, always making new friends and meeting people during their adventures. So, don’t let the holidays hold you back from making new celebrations with new friends on the road.
Catch up with friends and family while on the road.
The pace of work and life today means that we don’t have the free time we once had to connect with people. But traveling nurses usually don’t have the busywork of homeownership or other activities that clog up schedules when you’re stuck in one place. This means the holiday season can really bring you together with people because you have more time to get in touch and catch up. If you’re a traveling nurse, treat yourself to videoconferences with the people that mean a lot to you. FaceTime and Skype are two great ways of keeping in touch with the people you are thankful for.
You can earn more by working extra shifts.
Some traveling nurses prefer to make even more cash by picking up extra holiday shifts. Some hospitals have a slower pace and a more festive air during the holiday season, so in addition to earning extra cash, some traveling nurses opt for more work during this time just to enjoy less stress.
Celebrate with an evening out.
If you’re on the road and not working this holiday season, but want to treat yourself, why not go out for a meal? Invite some of your new friends and have a “Friendsgiving” at a local restaurant. Many locations even offer brunches or dinners even on Thanksgiving and Christmas day.
For the traveling nurse, every new city is a kind of celebration. Meeting new people and exploring new places are just two of the perks of the traveling nurse lifestyle. If you’re curious about what it’s like to be a traveling nurse, talk to the MAS Medical Recruiting team. We are standing by to help you find your next adventure.
