4 min read
Chloe Mumford
Travelling is fun, but it can be even better when you get to share your experience with friends. Many nurses don’t even realize that this is even a possibility. Imagine being able to explore new places and try new things with your friend by your side.
The benefits of travel nursing with friends
Not only is it way more fun, but it could also provide some benefits:
- Improve your mental health: Having a friend to speak to will help you to wind down after a long shift (a problem shared is a problem halved). It means that you can air out your struggles at the end of the day, with a friend who will understand and could provide some great advice. You can also do the same for them.
- Cut living costs: You can split all of your household payments! Not only could you get better accommodation as it’s two incomes vs one, but it would cost much less. This could be the same for groceries, by making meals together and splitting the cost.
- Enjoy better experiences: For some, traveling alone is highly fulfilling. However, for others, it can be quite daunting. Traveling together with a friend, therefore, is the perfect solution. You not only get to try new restaurants, visit different museums, and go to the places you’ve always wanted to go, but you get to share it with someone else.
Our Tips
With these benefits in mind, we’ve put together some tips on how to be a travel nurse with a friend.
Talk to your recruiter
Though it is possible to find assignments in the same location for two travel nurses, it can be difficult. Therefore, you can discuss the possibility with your recruiter. Your recruiter wants to help, and they will try to find a way for you both to do this.
Also, it’s important to note that your chances of finding matching assignments will be higher if you’re both flexible. Don’t expect to be in the same facility, as this slims the field of opportunities. But it is possible to get assignments in roughly the same location. Plus, do you really want to be working AND living together?
Communicate & Be Considerate
Living with other people isn’t always easy. From someone who lived with 5 other people in the same house – communication is key. Communicate your expectations of living together beforehand. Who is going to do what, how will bills and household chores be handled? Figure out the arrangements beforehand, so everyone is on the same page.
But also, be considerate of each other. It’s likely that not everything will go according to plan, and thirteen weeks can feel like a long time. But if everyone is doing their bit, there’s no reason that it shouldn’t go well.
Have fun
While traveling with your friend, your priority should be having fun together. That’s why you’re doing it in the first place! While a shift may be tiring, make sure you don’t miss out on the exciting things you wanted to do. Write a bucket list of all the things you want to do together and tick them off. Have your adventures, and don’t miss out on the wonderful things your destination has to offer.
Final thoughts
Travel nursing with friends can have multiple benefits, but it can also have some cons. You may find yourself more limited in options or, when you arrive, you have contradicting shift patterns so you don’t get to spend quite as much time together as you had hoped. However, it really is worth the experience, particularly if you’re not fond of being in new places all alone. If you plan the assignment well with your recruiter and with your friend, there’s every hope that it will be a wonderful experience.
