Travel Blog

Come summer and you’ll find the highways and roads chock-a-block with vacationers and merrymakers driving to various destinations. More traffic on the road means more accidents and these figures become alarming. Studies show, there’s an automobile accident every 18 seconds and a death every 11 minutes on the road.

Safety Rules

By adhering to a few safety rules, you can ensure not only your own safety, but that of your family too. Let’s see what they are:

* The first step before driving off is to pack your car properly, especially if you’re carrying sporting and camping equipment. Tie your loads securely and don’t let them block your view of the road. Drive more slowly, if you’re carrying a large load.

* Before driving out be sure to buckle up and make sure everyone else does too. Use booster and child car seats for babies and young children. You’d be surprised to know that vehicle collision is the leading cause of death among children from ages 1 to 9.

* Be safe by adhering to safe driving practices. This includes staying calm at the wheel, keeping a safe speed and being courteous to other drivers. Speeding, tailgating, weaving in and out of traffic and not yielding the right-of-way increases your risk of accidents.

* Always remain on the lookout for traffic, since not only will there be a number of cars on the road, but cyclists and motorcyclists will come out of hibernation too in this season. Also, be careful near schools and be alert for pedestrians.

* Summer brings with it a lot of construction work on roads and highways, especially in the northern states that receive a good amount of snow or rain during the other seasons. So, anticipate this and maintain a safe speed within the construction zones, keeping the safety of road workers in mind.

* Since long drives and the heat can take their toll while driving, it’s best to stop at a safe rest area and treat yourself to a drink or an ice cream. This will rejuvenate you and make you more alert when you continue on the road.

* Whatever you take as refreshment, don’t drink alcoholic beverages, since drinking and driving just don’t mix. Also, don’t overindulge in alcohol if you’re to drive back from a get together with family and friends or a picnic or barbeque. If you do indulge, let someone sober take the wheel.

If you don’t want to end up as part of road accident statistics, it’s necessary to adhere to these basic safety tips. With these, you’ll not only enjoy your vacation or outing, but will remain safe too, and that’s the most important thing.

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The great thing about being a traveling nurse boils down to one key component - it’s about the travel! For those of us who love moving around and seeing the world, travel nursing is the profession of our dreams. There are many travel destinations available, based on weather, activities, cost of living, and salary. Therefore, I have gathered a list of my “Top Ten” destinations that nurses choose, based on the number of travelers who inquire about each location every month. Are you a travel RN scouting a new assignment? Then I’d like to suggest the following ten “Hot Spots”:

HAWAII - It’s no shock that Hawaii generates over 500 travel nursing inquiries per month. The wide range of outdoor activities from snow-capped mountains to snow-white sandy beaches elevates Hawaii to one of those meccas where you can build a snowman or a sand castle all in one day. Nurses tell me that you’ll discover virtually every type of outdoor activity imaginablehiking trails that wind through erupting volcanoes, secret beaches, and lush green ranchlands. Many travelers also hunt, mountain bike, go rafting, and golf on some of the world’s most extravagant courses.

ALASKA - Travel nurses are intrigued by the possibilities of Alaska’s rugged mystery. Alaska is a huge wilderness with beautiful scenery, and travel nursing assignments offer plenty of time to see and do everything you want, whether in winter’s darkness under northern lights, or the glorious spring and summer where it’s light most of the time. Outdoor enthusiasts enjoy Alaska for its’ wildlife, spectacular natural landscape, and fishing expeditions where the fish really are as big as the stories about which they’re told. Countless day cruises and sightseeing expeditions abound, as well as opportunities to hike, kayak, canoe, ski Need we say more?

MONTANA - Whether photographer, adventurer, or both, Montana is truly a state that beckons with open arms. River trips, fishing and camping, history, snowy mountain ranges, and waterfalls are what you’ll encounter, along with plenty of open space to explore. Assignments in Montana appeal to those travel nurses who just need some time to break away from their city grind to enjoy marching to the beat of an entirely different drummer. The Big Sky Country boasts some of America’s most famous mountains, canyons, river valleys, forests, grassy plains, badlands, and caverns, and many travelers find it just irresistible enough to keep coming back.

MAINE - Maine’s splendor has inspired artists like Georgia O’Keefe and three generations of the Wyeth family, since the mid-nineteenth century. Travel nurses can’t resist at least one adventure in this charming getaway. Whether you embark on outdoor adventures like skiing and snowmobiling, or if you prefer the cozy ambience of antiquing through charming villages or just strolling or riding horseback on miles of sandy beaches in the smell of salt air, Maine is legendary and offers some wonderful travel nursing experiences. Its’ unique culture is outdoorsy and quaint, and of course you get to enjoy lobster as the locals dofresh from the ocean!

CALIFORNIA - Warm weather and world-famous beaches make California a favorite choice for traveling nurses. Nine-hundred miles of coastline gives nurses in all locations the chance to spend many hours near the waves; and for nature lovers, California is home to many wildlife parks, remote wilderness areas, and safe-havens for endangered animals. If you’re an excitement junkie, you can scout out a wide selection of theme parks; and no matter what your taste in music, concerts abound in every type of venue. Historic sites and museums invite, as do five-star restaurants and clubs in which to see and be seen. The shopping is unparalleled, whether it’s trendy Melrose Place, La Jolla, or the strand in Venice Beach; and of course it’s home to Hollywood, and, yes, movie stars. Whether northern, southern, or coastal locations, traveling nurses return to California time and again.

WASHINGTON - The Evergreen State boasts the gorgeous Pacific Ocean, the Cascade Mountains, desert experiences, rain forests, towering volcanoes, glaciers, and lush wine country. Washington State rates high on the list of many nurse travelers. Must-sees are the Space Needle and Coulee Dam. The culture here is incredibly diverse; sophisticated, outdoorsy, and loaded with resorts, history, parks, museums, and botanical gardens. Whether touring downtown Seattle for cozy antique and book stores, exploring ancient Indian grounds, or hiking and biking mountains or trails, Washington holds a strong allure for many nurse travelers.

SOUTH CAROLINA - Endless adventure, excitement, fun and exploration represent why South Carolina is always a favorite destination for travel nurses. America’s oldest landscaped gardens frame mansions rife with historical heritage, in addition to pristine beaches and legendary marshy wetlands. For all you golfers, with over 330 golf courses, there’s always a new place to swing your clubs. But what fascinates many traveling nurses is the rich heritage in which South Carolina has paved the roads of culture, art, and folklore in our past. You can visit several historical areas and discovery centers of American history, including the American Revolution and the Civil War.

COLORADO - World-class winter skiing and summer music festivals in the mountains are just two reasons that nurses love traveling to Colorado. Boasting four spectacular seasons, Colorado is where travel nurses get to explore the state’s 18 million acres of state and national parks, forests, and monuments for biking, hiking, fishing, mountain climbing, and kayaking, to name a few. Colorado has many cultural treasures, including ancient Native American sites and dinosaur fossil exhibits, historic ghost towns, and even award-winning vineyards in Grand Junction. And for those who enjoy city life, amid all this natural beauty lie wonderful metropolitan areas like Denver and Boulder, full of shopping, performing arts, and professional sports.

TENNESSEE - From energetic nights of blues on Beale Street, to gorgeous rolling acres of Tennessee Walker horse country, to peaceful Smoky Mountain sunsets, Tennessee is a vacation that offers many world-renowned attractions. Nurse travelers who visit Tennessee will find that they’re within a day’s drive of 75-percent of the U.S. population via quality interstates and highways. Attractions in Tennessee include the Jack Daniels’ distillery, Elvis’s Graceland, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and lots of southern hospitality. And don’t forget the crown jewel of the southern Appalachians, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

ARIZONA - If you adore the outdoors, then the Grand Canyon State might just be for you. The nurses who go there just rave about Arizona’s landscape which takes in tall mountain ranges, swift rivers, grasslands, sand dunes, and cactus forests all set against a beautiful sky that glows pink in the sunset. The traveler nurses who enjoy history will find plenty of it here, including Old West reformations, Native American nations, and Spanish-influenced areas all in one state. Arizona is also home to the nation’s greatest golf courses, resorts, spas, cabins, and ranches.

As you can see, limitless possibilities exist for those nurses who want travel, fun, and adventure to be part of their daily lives. If you’re a nurse who travels and it’s time for you to move on to a new location, try one of these top travel nursing destinations and see what new experiences lie ahead.

Janet Fikany is a “Placement Diva” for HealthCare Staffing Network. For travel nursing advice, please visit HSN online at http://www.hcstaffingnetwork.com, or call Janet toll free at 1-877-385-3097.

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So you want to go on vacation - but how do you decide where? This is often one of the biggest problems, and can lead to family infighting. Everybody wants to go someplace else - but you need a way to choose.

First, you should decide whether you want to do a “repeat” or not. This will just sort of depend on your personalities - some people like to go to the same place. They enjoyed it, they thought it was fun, and they’d like it to be a “second home” of sorts. Others are interested in finding something new - the point of a vacation for them is to get away from their routines, not start up a new one. Make a family decision and stick with it - everyone should be able to find at least a few places they can enjoy that are either old or new.

Second, determine how much money you’ve got to spend. This will be your limiting factor - you want to go within your budget, and even if someone really wants to go somewhere else, they’re going to have to make do with what you’ve got. Third, let everyone list three places that are their top choices. Talk them over once they are out there - don’t let someone get fixed on one place as the only place they want to go, because they’ll be disappointed if it’s not chosen. Try to find one where everyone can have something fun to do - figure out the interests of everyone in the family, and what they’d like to do on a vacation. Then see which of the places on your family list have the various recreational activities. If you can come to a consensus, then great - everyone will be at least somewhat happy. If not, think about agreeing to go one place this year and another the next.

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