Adding Adventure to Your Travel Nurse Assignments
By Lee Soren, contributor
Travel nursing assignments are a great opportunity to stretch yourself professionally and personally. With each assignment, you can explore unfamiliar places, learn up-and-coming medical techniques and try out different ways of doing things.
If you're looking to squeeze the most out of each job, it's time to challenge yourself and try something out of the ordinary. Here are five ways to add adventure to your next travel nursing assignment by making the most of the region you're visiting.
1. Venture off the beaten path
The best part of living someplace unfamiliar is discovering new and exciting attractions, and according to Forbes, exploring a new place can actually be good for your well-being. Unfortunately, it's all too easy to fall into tourist traps, especially if you're working from a guidebook. Challenge yourself to an adventure by venturing off the beaten path.
One great way to find unusual places to explore is to talk to people who call the city home. Ask colleagues for tips, or head to the local visitors' center and chat with the volunteers. These are the people who know the city best and are most likely to have stumbled upon the best places to explore.
2. Enjoy region-specific activities
Wherever your assignment takes you, you'll find region-specific activities. Whether you volunteer on a farm or get tickets to a Broadway show, sign up for an activity that's native to your temporary home. You'll get to try out activities that wouldn't normally be available to you while benefiting from experienced instructors and access to the best equipment.
If you're visiting a coastal region, consider:
- A whale-watching excursion
- Chartering a boat to go sport fishing
- Learn how to scuba dive
- Go snorkeling
- Take surfing lessons
If you're visiting the mountains, consider:
- Join a hiking group
- Learn how to rock climb
- Take skiing or snowboarding lessons
- Explore the world from above on a zip line
If you're visiting river country, consider:
- Rent a kayak or canoe
- Sign up for a white-water-rafting expedition
- Go tubing
- Slip on your waders and try out fly fishing
No matter what region you're visiting, you'll find opportunities for adventure if you just look.
3. Learn about local history and culture
Take a wine-tasting tour in the Napa Valley, learn how things were done in Colonial days in a Massachusetts restoration village or climb a haunted lighthouse in Florida. Learning about a region's history and culture can be exciting as well as enriching.
Another great way to immerse yourself in a region's culture is to learn the languages spoken there. If you're staying in Miami or Texas, take up Spanish. If you're planning a visit to New Orleans, sign up for a French class. Urban melting pots such as Manhattan can provide opportunities to practice a multitude of languages by visiting ethnic hot spots such as Little Italy or Chinatown.
4. Try regional cuisine
Think about Tex-Mex, Southern barbecue and Creole — and who hasn't wanted to try a gooey slice of real New York pizza or a Maine lobster caught fresh from the sea. One way to liven up your nursing assignment without breaking the bank is by trying authentic regional cuisine.
Remember, shiny modern surroundings don't always equate to the best food, so be sure to get plenty of recommendations from the locals. Although coworkers can be a great resource, don't overlook the potential of strangers. Whether you're on line at the supermarket or strolling down Main Street, most people are happy to offer opinions on the best places to dine.
If you want to be really adventurous and save money in the process, work your way through the best local cookbook you can find or, better yet, sign up for a cooking class. You will enhance your culinary prowess, and you might meet some new dinner companions along the way.
5. Learn something new
Regardless of what city you're visiting, escaping the obligations of home can mean time to pursue opportunities you never had time for. That can include learning an instrument, taking up a new hobby, signing up for speed dating or training for a marathon.
Bring on the adventure
Adding adventure to your travel nurse assignments can help you make the most of your time away from home and will ensure that you come back with plenty of stories to tell friends and family. Search TravelNursing.com's wide array of available travel nurse jobs to find your ideal assignment.