Travel nursing offers considerable benefits, but one downside is having to settle into a new place every few months. While you can’t predict every quirk of your new place on assignment, you can plan ahead to make yourself as comfortable as possible. To get you started, here are 10 lifestyle devices and tools to help you feel at home faster while you’re on the road.
- Instacart: Nearly everyone has heard of this grocery delivery service, but if you want to settle into a new location as fast as possible, you can use Instacart before you even check Schedule a delivery of all your home essentials to arrive half an hour after you do, so you’ll be ready to go with your favorite snacks and supplies right away.
- Dreamegg White Noise Machine: One of the major challenges of sleeping in an unfamiliar location is all the new sounds. Whether your travel nursing assignment puts you in a hotel near train tracks or an old house that settles and creaks, noises can keep you awake when you need to be resting for your next shift. A white noise machine like this one will neutralize those sounds and help you get restful sleep from the get-go.
- Perytong Sleep Headphones: Don’t let the word “sleep” in the name throw you – these lie-flat headphones are also ideal for running, flights, and cold weather. If you do use them to sleep, they double as a sleep mask in a pinch, and they’re a good alternative to the white noise machine if you’re spending the night at the hospital or in transit. And if you prefer over-ear headphones to earbuds, these fold up nice and small for packing
- Travelpro FlightCrew5 Cooler: In many hotels, mini fridges are no longer standard. With shifts ending at all hours of the day and night, travel nurses need to plan meals ahead of time in case restaurants and stores are closed. That’s where this jumbo lunch box comes Large enough to hold several meals and drinks, simply fill it from the hotel ice machine to safely store your perishables. A cooler like this is also useful for bringing meals to the hospital if you’re on-site without access to a break room fridge.
- Sarmert Retractable Power Strip: Any frequent travel nurse knows that architects sometimes put outlets in the strangest places. This power strip lets you charge all your electronic devices in a central location instead of having to crawl behind the dishwasher to plug in your phone charger.
- Scrubba Wash Bag and Seropy Clothes Drying Rack – In many hotels or apartments in older cities, there’s often no washer and dryer access. Fortunately, these little tools allow you to wash essentials in the sink so you can spread out your visits to the laundromat. The Scrubba Wash Bag has an internal textured washboard to scrub your clothes, and the small drying rack can hang in a closet or over a chair.
- TripIt: This handy app keeps all your travel info in one place. It automatically imports confirmation emails from your inbox, so you don’t have to worry about losing any important details about your travel nursing From flight information to AirBnB addresses, dinner reservations to movie tickets, you can put everything in TripIt and stay organized until you get home.
- LifeStraw Filter Water Bottle: Even in America, not every city can guarantee clean and healthy tap water, and staying hydrated throughout your travel nursing assignment is crucial. A filtered water bottle like this one helps protect you from whatever’s in the water and improves the taste too.
- Maison Miru Nap Earrings: As a travel nurse who is traveling AND working, the last thing you want to worry about is losing Fortunately, you can’t lose your earrings if you never take them off. These nap earrings are designed for you to fall asleep in, so you’ll never have to spend another morning scrambling to find a stud. Plus, if you’re on-call and the hospital wakes you at 1am to come in, you’ll already be accessorized.
- PackPoint – Being comfortable on a travel nursing assignment largely comes down to what you pack for it, and this app can help you make sure you’ve got what you need. Just enter your trip details, including duration, weather, and activities, and PackPoint will suggest a customizable packing list for you. This app is even more useful at the end of your trip, to make sure you don’t forget anything when you leave. Just pull up your original packing list, check everything off, and no precious items will be left behind.
The next time you head off to your travel nursing assignment, give some of these tools a try. A happy, stress-free stay will help you take care of yourself and your patients.