Experience Our National Treasures
By Aaron Moore, MSN, RN-BC, travel nurse expert
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Recently I was at the zoo with my kiddos, and we stopped in to see a new IMAX movie called “National Parks Adventure.” What a great film! I highly recommend it. My kids were mesmerized by all the amazing places our country has to offer. They kept asking, “Dad, can we go there? Dad can we go there?”
I was proud to say that I had been to many of our nation’s treasures--and I have travel nursing to thank for seeing many of them.
In the film, the stars drive all over the Northwest, exploring and adventuring through a few national parks each summer. Over the years in travel nursing, my wife and I checked them all out, as well. But there was one big difference: I was getting paid the whole time. I didn’t need vacation, annual leave or paid time off. We got to see them while I was driving to my next travel assignment. We planned out routes carefully to see amazing things and get the most out of our road trips.
And road trips are my favorite part of the travel experience. It’s like Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Life is a journey, not a destination.”
My favorite national park experience had to be my Grand Canyon hike. We were heading from San Francisco to Nashville; while spending the night in Vegas, my wife got a call and had to travel home that next day. I continued on in our packed-out station wagon to Route 66 and spent the night in Flagstaff, Ariz.
I had some excellent craft beer and a burger and got some local advice about hiking the next day. Taking an early morning drive to the canyon, I started out on the South Rim and hiked the Bright Angel Trail down to the basin. What an amazing experience. The way the sun caught the rock cliffs as I hiked out was breathtaking, and so was the elevation change!
I could go on and on about all the amazing national parks I was able to see during my travels, and that would only be a chip off the iceberg of the amazing stuff I experienced. Travel nursing opened many doors for me, and left me with so many memories. If you want to hear more, I’m always open for a chat over a cold pint!
But first, why don’t you make a call to a travel nursing recruiter and get yourself signed up to try this hidden gem of our profession? Then we can meet up and share travel stories!
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