Travel Nurse Packing Guide

So you got a travel job!  Pat on the back and celebration in order! In the whirlwind of events that transpire within the few weeks of accepting the job, getting credentialed, doing online preliminary testing, finding housing, etc it can be easy to overlook the daunting task of packing your life for the next 3 months. In my humble opinion and experience, its best to simplify.  Here’s my travel nurse packing guide!

Travel Nurse Packing Guide: FIRST – The Situation

No, I’m not going all Jersey Shores the Situation on you…but maybe more of nursing let’s assess the situation! (Don’t worry…this isn’t the NCLEX to pick the MOST correct answer either!)

Your ride

You got the keys to the Jeep or are you rollin’ in a Honda playing workout tapes by Fonda?

The size of your car is a big factor in deciding what to pack for your 3 month stint. Obviously for a smaller car, you will have to make more concessions on what to take due to the more limited packing space. Bigger car allows more stuff, but either way you need to realistically think about what all can fit inside of your car.  Just be practical and safe. Remember you are driving this bad boy across the country and need to be able to see out the back window!

The season

What kind of weather are we expecting here for the next 3 months? Are you going to be packing for one season or a crossover of seasons?Are you going to be able to go home at any point during or after the contract?

Pro tip: If you are able go home during the assignment and in the middle of season change, swap out clothes for the upcoming season!

Traveling companions

Is Fido/other pet coming along? Don’t forget the loot that comes with them! Crates, food, blankets, beds, treats, meds, etc.

Shamless plug for my adorable and handsome travel pup Benny ❤️

Travel Nurse Packing Guide: The Necessities

So we talked about assessing the situation, now let’s talk necessities in the travel nurse packing guide. Really there are three main categories of necessary things: documents, clothing, and personal items.

Important Documents

• Passport/Social Security Card/Birth Certificate/IDs — all forms of identification you may need for employment verification/tax documentation
• Copy of certs – ACLS/BLS/PALS/ etc
• Checkbook – Or know your bank routing/account number for those direct deposit dolla$z
• Medical Records/Copy of immunizations/TB test results, etc

**Travel nurse hack**

Pro tip: Upload all your documents to Google Drive/Cloud or whatever is easily convenient for you to email or get a hold of.  I have all my certs, med records,  copies of important documents including Drivers license, and voided copy of check uploaded.  Really only thing I keep with me physically is passport(for all those amazing trips you will take!) SS card, birth cert, and driver’s license.

The Game Changer…..

I am going to write a post specifically about credentialing (getting all your paperwork in for your job) and what to expect soon, but if you want to know who is changing the GAME for credentialing and having all of your info in one convenient place…check out my these guys! ⬇️⬇️⬇️ Trust me, you will come to appreciate this immensely!

KAMANA HEALTH

These guys are truly BRILLIANT. Founded by travel nurses and associates FOR travel nurses. What once used to be a a major hassle keeping all your documents together including certs, vaccines, licenses, references, even CHECKLISTS are all kept in one SHARP looking profile that you can share with potential recruiters.  Boom!

Clothing

I am speaking from a woman’s perspective who has trouble packing light…Obviously we need clothing on our trip…but how to pack clothes practically and succinctly?  Two words for you:  As my mom says in her most perfect southern drawl…. layers, baby.

Figure out the weather you will have and do your best to pack clothes that can be layered…i.e. tank tops, short sleeves, with cardigans, vests, fleeces.  Pack things that are versatile and go with multiple outfits (Yes the neon orange and purple scarf that really jives with that one shirt and your white pants and that specific pair of boots is great but how often will you REALLY wear that in 3 months? Go Clemson Tigers! 😉🐅)

The idea here is to not bring your entire wardrobe.  Not only is it not feasible nor practical but half that stuff you won’t even wear! And it is certainly annoying moving your entire wardrobe every 3 months. Trust me on that one! I learned the hard way when I packed entirely too much clothes and STUFF on my first assignment.

If you are an active person don’t forget your gym clothes as well!

Pro tip: When packing clothes, rolling them up is the way to go to save space! You could also get real fancy and do vacuum sealed bags…but I think that’s a little too much hassle. Keep it simple!

Suggestions

This is usually what I end up packing at it suits me well no matter where/when I am going:

Suggested clothing packing list: 

• 9-10 pairs undergarments (bras/undies/sports bras)
• 10-12 pairs socks, some warm winter socks as well as lighter summertime socks
• Outerwear: rain jacket, 2 warm jackets, 2 light jackets/fleeces, 2-3 everyday sweater/cardigans, 3-4 versatile scarves, 1-2 pair gloves, 1-2 hats
• Bathing suit – definitely got to throw one or two of those in somewhere! You never know 🙂
• Shoes: I usually pack about 8-10 pairs of shoes and mix it between versatile flip flops, sandals, boots, heels, hiking shoes, work shoes, gym shoes
• Pants/Shorts – 3-4 of each and ones that are VERSATILE and go with multiple outfits
• Tops – LAYERS! 3-4 tanks, 3-4 short sleeves, 3-4 long sleeves
• Dresses – This is probably the one I cheat on the most, as that’s really all I wear in the summer!
• Gym Clothes – 6-8 outfits with mix between warm and cold weather outfits
• Formal wear/going out wear – Just depends on you! But you probably will have a few times this will be needed, so maybe 2-3 or more if you are a going out all the time kinda person

Obviously, this is already adding up even trying to keep it simple! Try not to fret too much though! You can always buy whatever you may need that you didn’t bring or forgot to bring. Just remember, you have to pack that at the end of your contract… so keep that in mind!

Personal Items

This category encompasses a lot and can be a tough one to narrow down. Some things are necessary, others you will need to make a decision on whether or not these are vital. I try and visualize what things do I go through and use on a daily and/or weekly basis and then decide what else I can bring.

Necessary:

• Toiletries/Medications/Hair care items
• Towels/Bedding (If you have a furnished place, most of the time this is provided for you unless you prefer to bring your own. Personally, anything less for me to pack works for me!)
• Computer/lap top/iPad

Items You May Want

• Everyday household items – your fav coffee cup, lunch box, my French press 🙂
• Jewelry/accessories
• Things to remind you of home/friends – framed photos, candles, your fav blanket
• Books to read
• Yoga mat/weights/gym accessories if you are a gym rat like me 😉

Travel Nurse Packing Guide: Hacks

I think that about covers the basics for packing, but I wanted to share with you a couple of “mom” hacks/tips I have taken to along the way to help make things easier in your road trip and transition to your new place!

“The Starter Bag” 

I like to have a little supply of simple household items to get me through the first few days arriving at my new place.  Roll of toilet paper, roll of paper towels, couple of trash bags, some ziploc bags. When you are traveling across the country to a new place you are mostly likely arrive completely exhausted and all you want to do is get your stuff in the house and crash! This keeps you from having to immediately run out and get the necessary things.

Bring a Cooler

I have a small cooler I bring everywhere with me and it is immeasurably valuable and useful! Great for snacks/drinks on the road. I also put my milk/creamer in there for coffee, also my wine for the evening! 🙂 But I invariably find that I use it throughout my contract for lots of things whether other road trips, picnics, happy hour playing tennis, lake trips, etc.

Road Trip Emergency Items

I am planning on actually dedicating a whole post to emergency items as well as general great things to pack for road trips at some point…but a few really important/handy things you should pack for emergencies:

• Water, water, water! Extra water for you and for your traveling companion (pup/cat) if you have one. You never know when you may get stranded on the road.
• Tire inflator – Pick up on of those car battery operated tire inflators with a flashlight at Walmart. Saved me from a few scares of slow tire leaks in the middle of nowhere.
• Jumper cables – Self explanatory
• Dedicated Car Blanket – Multipurpose! Good for snuggling in if you are stranded somewhere, but also great for spur of the moment picnics, cushioning for items packed in your car, and towel when your dog decides to throw up in the car 😂
• First Aid Kid – We ARE nurses right? I personally carry a first aid kid, and a pharmacy arsenal of OTC meds…Benadryl, antacids, NSAIDs, cold/flu meds, etc. It’s just nice to have and not always have to go buy all the time. My mom taught me well and made me the girl scout I am today !

Travel Nurse Packing Guide: 5 Takeaways:

1. Clothing – pack layers and practical.
2. Documents- carry your non-replaceables, but upload everything else to a secure location in the computer world.
3. Personal items – Try to really visualize what you use on a daily and weekly basis and stick with it.
4. Don’t forget Fido’s things!
5.  Remember your emergency items!

From Benny and I, we wish you happy and safe travels on the road gypsies! Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have! Follow my blog for more advice and adventures from the road 🙂

Gyspy ❤️,

Katie

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