Bringing the Holidays with You When You Travel
By Melissa Wirkus, associate editor
Celebrating the holiday season as a travel nurse allows you to connect with nearby friends, relatives and co-workers while sharing your favorite personal traditions in your home away from home. It’s also the best time of year to get to know new friends and fellow travelers while experiencing holiday activities and events that are unique to your destination area.
Deck the Halls
Decorating your home is the first step to bringing the holidays with you when you travel. There are many ways you can decorate your home without having to lug around a bunch of decorations every time you start a new assignment. Creativity is key.
Experienced travelers such as Jennifer Guest, RN, understand that a few small touches can turn any home into a festive winter wonderland.
“Before I started traveling, I had two Christmas trees and would always decorate with wreaths, stockings, lights and anything else I could find,” said Guest, an ER nurse with American Mobile Healthcare. “It was hard for me to box everything up! So, for traveling during the holidays, I bring a few items that will help me celebrate without taking up too much space.”
Guest credits her “Charlie Brown Christmas Tree” with giving her home that nostalgic feel while also not taking up to much room.
Christy Lance, RN, is on assignment with American Mobile in San Diego, California, and uses pine cones she finds around her apartment to make holiday decorations. Using some glue and sparkles, Lance is able to give her home on the road that special holiday feel using natural decorations.
Creating a Festive Mood
Travelers who want to bring the scents and sounds of the holidays from home can do so by utilizing seasonal music and scented candles. Instead of packing bulky CDs, travelers can load their favorite holiday songs and carols on to portable music players so the music can be enjoyed anywhere.
Carol Creger, RN, has several tips to share for giving your temporary home that special holiday feel.
“This is my first travel assignment and normally I would have plenty of snow to play in but this year I bought myself a little tree, decorated it and put it on my counter,” she said. “I also bought garland with lights to light up my veranda and I’m playing Tran Siberian Orchestra on CD. I have several apple cinnamon spice candles in strategic areas to keep me from getting homesick.”
Baking your favorite treats is also a good way to get in the holiday spirit and to give your new home that special holiday aroma of fresh baked goods.
Establishing New Traditions
Every city has special holiday events and activities that are open to the public, and are a great way to experience the holiday traditions in your assignment city. Liz Austin, RN, an OR nurse with American Mobile Healthcare, looks to her local community to create new holiday traditions from the road.
“As far as keeping the holidays with me when I am traveling—I read the local holiday listing of events. Last year, I participated in a sing-along-Messiah with full orchestra for free,” Austin said. “Our local community has a holiday dinner for free at the local fair grounds and the apartment community hosted a holiday dinner. If you are open to the variety and richness that your new job and locale offer, can also be open to sharing in the holiday festivities they offer.”
Gathering fellow travelers who may not have any family or friends nearby for a special holiday feast is a great way to build camaraderie and celebrate the season, according to American Mobile Healthcare travel nurse, Kat Goepel, RN.
“In San Diego, we have ‘Thanksgiving in October.’ It makes for a fantastic, best-we-can-do-away-from-home dinner,” she said. “Christmas has been a mix of events, but one that was fun and festive was our ‘Ugly Sweater Christmas Party.’ Since most travelers are in the same boat with each other, it’s important to come together and have as much fun as you can. We have become a family away from home because that’s what we do as travel nurses. We tend to incorporate our personal family traditions into our festivities, which brings nostalgia, comfort and brand new experiences to everyone involved.”
‘Tis the Season
For Suezanne Martin, RN, a positive attitude and a few decorations are all she needs to bring the holidays with her to every assignment.
“I love to bring cheer and happiness to all around me. I make every effort to keep my spirits high for the holiday season! This not only passes along to my co-workers but seems to uplift the patients I work with,” Martin said.
Christina Cittadino, RN, said that although it is sometimes hard to be away from home during the holidays, she talks with her family on the phone while putting up decorations and wrapping presents to make her feel more at home.
“You have to look on the bright side that you are making a difference and helping people who are sick and stuck in the hospital,” she said. “Even though you aren’t with your family they can always be with you by the little traditions that your family holds dear that you continue even when you’re not with them.”
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