| Selecting Assignments Where You Desire | | | | site of the road picture on my first travel |
| | | | nursing book, Highway Hypodermics: Your Road |
| No one else can tell you where to go as a | | | | Map to Travel Nursing. |
| travel nurse-well, not unless you're married. | | | | |
| You are free to fly with the wind to the | | | | While on assignment in Iowa, we toured the |
| most exotic and out-of-the-way places like | | | | bridges of Madison County and John Wayne's |
| the rural areas of Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska | | | | birthplace on one road trip, and later made a |
| or Iowa, or enjoy an assignment in the | | | | trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota to watch the |
| metropolis of New York City, Miami, Los | | | | Twins play baseball and visit the Mall of |
| Angeles, or Phoenix. Travel to the beaches | | | | America. |
| of Southern California, Atlantic City or | | | | |
| Hawaii. Assignments can also be found | | | | One assignment in Tupelo, Mississippi not |
| ranging in areas from the Virgin Islands to | | | | only took us to the site of Elvis's |
| the great state of Alaska. | | | | birthplace, but a day adventure took us to |
| | | | the place where he lived and died, at |
| You might have to change companies, but so | | | | Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee. On a |
| far I have gone every place that I have | | | | bigger adventure, we spent some time a week |
| wanted to visit. This is easier done if you | | | | before Christmas at the Opryland Hotel in |
| have more than one specialty, like medical | | | | Nashville and had the extraordinary |
| intensive care, surgical intensive care, | | | | experience of Christmas in Nashville. While |
| cardiovascular intensive care, and emergency | | | | in Nashville we explored many sites, such as |
| room, or telemetry, medical, surgical, | | | | the Ryman Auditorium, the Country Music Hall |
| step-down and rehab. | | | | of Fame, and took in a show at the Grand Ole |
| | | | Opry. |
| What other career will allow you to be a | | | | |
| snowbird when you are thirty-five years old | | | | See The United States |
| instead of sixty-five years old? When it | | | | |
| comes time to make a move, my husband | | | | When I started out as a traveling nurse, I |
| selects what state he would like to go to, | | | | had been east of the Mississippi River once, |
| then I put my state into the mixture and we | | | | and that was for less than twenty-four hours. |
| submit to those hospitals and see who gives | | | | Now I can say that I have not only crossed |
| us the best deal. My son would have a | | | | the mighty Mississip, but I have even made it |
| choice, but he just wants to go to | | | | to the Eastern Time Zone. In the last two |
| Washington, where his girlfriend is. For the | | | | years alone I have been from the beaches of |
| summer, I wanted Nebraska and hubby wanted | | | | Pismo, California to Southern Miami Beach, |
| Iowa; we went to Iowa. For the winter, I | | | | and from the swamps of Louisiana to the lakes |
| wanted Florida, hubby wanted southern Texas: | | | | of Minnesota. |
| I'm writing this chapter in Florida. And | | | | |
| yes, next summer we plan on spending it in | | | | If water and beaches are not your thing, then |
| Washington State. | | | | how about an amazing sunset in the Arizona |
| | | | sky? Or you can take in the breath-taking |
| Miniature Vacations | | | | view from the top of the Colorado mountains. |
| | | | |
| One of my favorite aspects of travel nursing | | | | How about a goal of seeing all the National |
| is the mini-vacations. These are little two | | | | Parks that the United States has to offer? |
| nights away to some place a little farther | | | | You can visit the Everglades, the |
| than you could go on a day trip. | | | | Appalachians, The Rocky Mountains, |
| | | | Yellowstone, The Grand Canyon, and Yosemite. |
| When I was in Central California, my family | | | | |
| and I went to San Francisco one day then up | | | | Are you into history? How about a trip |
| the Pacific coast highway to the Redwoods. | | | | through the history of the United States, |
| The first night we stayed at a small motel on | | | | from Washington D.C. to the Battle of New |
| the outskirts of San Francisco in an older | | | | Orleans, the Battle of Shiloh, or the Alamo. |
| fishing village. | | | | Don't forget to visit the many military |
| | | | museums, including the Smithsonian, the Air |
| The second night we stayed in the Redwoods. | | | | Force Museum in Pensacola, FL, and there are |
| The trees were gorgeous, with their red and | | | | several battleships to visit. |
| green colors. The Redwood Trail is also the | | | | |