new nurse travel assignment

Packing Checklist for Travel Nurses

• Last Updated: December 11, 2024

So you landed a travel nursing contract in a place you’ve always wanted to go. Congratulations! You’ll progress in your career, experience what a new part of the country has to offer, and enjoy the many other benefits of travel nursing . But do you know what to pack for a travel nursing job?

Whether this is your first travel job or you want to brush up on the essentials, knowing what to pack for a travel nurse assignment is critical. Factors like the location and housing options you choose can change your necessities. Read on to learn how to plan and pack for a travel nursing assignment.

Table of Contents

Considerations before packing for a nursing assignment, what to pack for a travel nursing assignment, travel nurse packing list: recap.

Someone flying to a job in the Arizona summer will have a much different packing list than a nurse driving to Michigan for a winter assignment. Here are a few important things to consider before you start packing for a job.

What’s the Weather Like?

Many parts of the U.S. are charming during one part of the year and swelteringly hot or brutally cold during other times. Boston is a very different place in January compared to June, for example. Packing for a cold region requires thermal layers and heavy-duty coats, while you’ll want breathable fabric and sun protection for warmer locations.

What’s Your Housing Situation?

Travel nurse housing options come in all shapes and sizes. You might have a hotel-type experience with a kitchenette or a full kitchen with a gas range in a home. Amenities like on-site laundry, a fitness center, or a pool can change some items on your packing list. 

Get all the details on your housing and amenities from your recruiter if you’re using an agency. If you opted to secure housing on your own with a stipend, check in with the landlord or short-term rental owner about these details.

How Long Is the Assignment?

No matter the length of your assignment, you should strive to pack light. You might see the seasons change during a longer contract and need to pack a few more pieces. However, try to make the bulk of your wardrobe work for the entirety of your assignment.

Are You Driving or Flying?

You can pack many more items if you drive to your assignment location instead of flying. You can fit things like camping gear, shoes for different conditions, multiple coats, and even a bike or a pair of skis if you drive. You’ll have to be more selective if you fly to your new assignment location.

Be sure to get an oil change and tune-up if needed before you set out on a long car journey. Consider roadside assistance from your insurance company or another provider for extra security along the way.

Travel nurse essentials include clothing, work items, household items, entertainment, electronics, personal documents, and toiletries. If you have a birthday or holiday coming up, some of these items can make great travel nurse gift ideas !

1. Clothing

Pack your essentials for casual and going out, and choose lightweight items or pieces that work for multiple uses to save space:

• Casual outfits
• Dressy options for going out
• Long-sleeved shirts and cardigans for hospital wear
• Seasonal accessories like hats and scarves

2. Work Essentials

Some of your space will be dedicated to things you use day-to-day at your nursing assignment:

• Multiple pairs of scrubs
• Scrub caps if you’ll be in the OR
• Stethoscope
• Nursing scissors
• Reusable water bottle
• Lunch box/bag

3. Household Items

While an Airbnb might be “fully equipped,” the knives could be dull and the cookware scratched and worn. You might also find bedroom curtains don’t block out the light if you need to sleep during the day. Here are a few household items to consider:

• Blackout curtains
• Collapsible laundry basket
• A pot and a pan
• Measuring cups and mixing bowls
• Coffee machine
• Smoothie blender
• Corkscrew/bottle opener

4. Hobbies and Entertainment

Think about personal items you might need after a long shift :

• Books and notebooks
• Crochet hooks or knitting needles (and plenty of yarn)
• Games and puzzles
• Crafting supplies
• Outdoor gear for adventuring
• Sport or training equipment

5. Electronics

Don’t forget electronics if you use them for connecting with family and friends or reducing stress after a nursing shift :

• Portable power bank
• Gaming console
• Bluetooth speaker and/or headphones

6. Personal Documents

You should have all your necessary documents in physical or electronic formats to set up a home base in your new location:

• Nursing contract
• Nursing license and certifications
• Driver’s license
• Social security card
• Health insurance card
• Proof of car insurance (for your car or a rental)
• Registration (if you drove your car)
• Housing information

7. Toiletries

Whether you bring toiletries with you or get them after you arrive, plan for the following on your travel nurse packing list:

• Shampoo and conditioner
• Body and face wash
• Shaving supplies
• Oral health supplies
• Keep in mind that controlled medications usually can’t be filled across state lines, so you’ll need to plan ahead to make sure you have enough for your entire job.
• Travel first aid kit

Packing everything you need can ease some stress when starting a new nursing assignment. If you’re running low on space, concentrate on important pieces like clothing, work items, documents, and electronics. You can pick up things like toiletries, books, etc. when you get to your destination.

Be sure to work with your travel nurse agency to understand what your housing situation offers so you know what to pack. And when the time comes to look for a new assignment, you can find the perfect travel placement through BetterNurse .

Brogan Woodburn is a writer with a passion for clarity. Based in Central Oregon, Brogan has been a professional writer in the consumer finance industry since 2018. He’s contributed articles to publications like MarketWatch and USA Today, decoding complex topics like car insurance requirements and loan rates.

Brogan studied composition and guitar performance at Berklee College of Music. He approaches writing like composing music—with a combination of creativity and structure. When he isn’t writing, Brogan enjoys performing music at local events and hiking with his family.

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Tips for Preparing for a Travel Nurse Assignment

Have you just accepted your first travel nurse assignment and are thinking, “Now what?!” or have you been at it a while and thinking there has to be a better way to prepare for a new assignment? We have been at this for five years now and have about got it down to a science. That being said, we are always tweaking the way we prepare for an assignment to be as efficient as possible. And we have learned over the years that every traveler has their own way of doing things.  My advice is to use my tips as a guideline and make your own personal tweaks along the way.

Find your dream assignment here.

Know and respect your deadlines

Tips on how to ensure you have the Must Haves

• Create a “Travel Binder” with all of your documents you need for assignments. It’s so much easier to have all of your important papers in one spot each time.
• Communicate with your agency representative helping you prepare for the assignment. Skyler will often tell them something to the effect, “I am emailing all of my licenses/immunization records/certs/etc today, I work the next two days but will get my testing done on Friday, and will make it to my scheduled drug testing Monday morning. What else do you need?”
• At the end of each day leading up to the assignment, ask whoever you are working with at your agency what you still lack to have your file in compliance for the contract. They appreciate you staying on top of things and keeping in communication with them.
• Make sure to read your contract thoroughly so you know what you are agreeing to. If something doesn’t sound like what you had verbally agreed to, discuss it with your recruiter immediately.

New travel jobs available now!

 Important questions to ask yourself before you leave for assignment

While you are working on making your file compliant, it is also important to get things at home in order for while you are gone. This is going to mean something different for everybody, depending on your specific circumstances. We always try to spend time with all of our close friends and family when home (and eat at our favorite restaurants – haha). Some things to keep in mind regarding your permanent residence when preparing for a travel assignment include:

• Do you have pets? Are you taking them with you or leaving them at home? If leaving at home, do you have reliable care lined up for them? If taking them with you, have you discussed this with your recruiter?
• How are you planning to handle your mail?
• If leaving a house, do you have somebody to keep an eye on things for you? Keep in mind the season and what you need to prepare your home if leaving vacant (i.e. winterize it, keep yard mowed, etc.).

Save the headache – know the difference between needing and wanting

• Bedding & Pillows – think bed in a bag or something similarly compact.
• Clothes & Scrubs – appropriate clothes/shoes for the weather where you are going and what you plan to be doing. This is something we whittled down a lot over the years.
• Toiletry & Beauty Items – blow dryer, straighteners, hair brush, etc. I would recommend buying as many toiletry items once you are there though. They are heavy and can be messy.
• Kitchen Items – we bought a kit that has all the staples in one box – then you have to decide what else you would use enough to justify bringing (coffee pot, blender, crock pot, etc).
• Vacuum & Swiffer
• TV if your agency doesn’t provide one (or if they do and you like to have 2 TV’s).
• Laptop & Printer – these are essential for us, but I suppose you could use the apartment complex business center if it’s not a big deal for you.
• Medications & Prescriptions (including contacts and glasses, etc.) – we actually keep a small medicine box that we travel with.
• 1-2 Hobby/Entertainment Items – Skyler brings golf clubs and I bring my photography gear and we take a deck of cards.
• Important Documents & Nursing Binder/File.
• Things to get you started until you make a trip to the store. I like to always pack 1-2 rolls of toilet paper, some Clorox wipes, bottled water, travel packs of laundry and dishwasher soap, etc. Just a few essentials to get you started.

Travel jobs available across the country – find your perfect assignment

The power of the the list

I have an initial shopping list saved to my computer that I print before each move. I usually try to make it to a Target or Wal-Mart and a grocery store within the first couple of days. And for us, this shopping trip is costly and usually takes a while. You have to essentially restock a house each time, so budget accordingly. These lists are just a start to get you to thinking about what specific things you need to take care of as you prepare for a travel nurse assignment. But of course, everybody’s situation is different. My advice is to start your own “to do” list and as you think of something new, add it to the list! And try to pack as minimal and compact as possible! It will make your experience as a traveler much more enjoyable, I promise!

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A Guide to Travel Nurse Assignments: Your FAQs Answered

Table of Contents

Whether you’re a new travel nurse or a seasoned traveler, travel nurse assignments can be confusing and sometimes difficult to understand the terms. Let’s review the advantages of working with a travel nursing agency and some FAQs below.

Find Travel Nursing opportunities all over the United States

Registered nurses have the opportunity to become travel nurses at any point during their nursing career. Most of the time, travel nursing agencies require at least two years of nursing experience before becoming a traveler. However, this varies by agency and specialty. 

Just like a career in nursing offers a variety of specialties and job opportunities, so does the world of travel nursing. As a travel nurse, you have the opportunity to work in your specialty while traveling the country. You get the opportunity to meet new people, work with a variety of patient populations, and expand your professional network.

If you’re interested in exploring what travel nursing opportunities are out there, many travel nurse agency websites offer job boards , including Health Carousel Travel Nursing. Most  job board postings detail the location, start date, assignment length, weekly hours, and expected pay ranges. Due to most job boards’ transparency in this criteria, it’s easy to compare agencies and nursing jobs.

Advantages of working with a professional Travel Nurse Agency 

There are several benefits of working with a professional travel nursing agency. Get to know your recruiter first. Your recruiter should understand your needs, wants, and preferences in an assignment. Once they understand your assignment preferences, they can help you with your travel nursing job search . Oftentimes, they can better filter nursing jobs and may offer new jobs that haven’t been made public yet. 

Next, your travel nurse agency recruiter is your assignment advocate and liaison between you and the healthcare facility. They will prepare you for your interview by providing typical questions and prepping your responses. If you need any days off or a more flexible schedule, they will help you ask for these as well. 

Once you have an offer, navigating a compensation package can be pretty difficult to understand. An advantage of working with an agency recruiter is that they will help you through every step of the process. This can include benefits, sick leave, stipend amounts, etc. If you don’t understand an area or amount, or would like more compensation, then ask. Your recruiter will help you negotiate Your recruiter will help you negotiate your travel nursing contract with the healthcare facility, depending on their company policy. Typically, no two contracts will look the same.

Now that we’ve reviewed the advantages of working with a travel nurse agency, let’s detail some frequently asked questions (FAQs) below.

How long are typical travel nurse assignments?

Travel nurse assignment lengths vary depending on the nursing demand, healthcare facility, unit, and season. Most assignments last 13 weeks but can be shorter or longer. Some crisis contracts are as little as two weeks. Other contracts start as 13-week assignments, but hospitals sometimes offer contract extensions of up to a year.

Do travel nurses get easy assignments?

Travel nurse assignments are based on nurse shortages and increased demands in the area and unit. Every travel nursing experience is different. There’s no way to determine beforehand if an assignment is going to be easy. We all know that one day at the hospital can be fairly easy and the next can be draining. 

To prepare, ask about typical unit assignments, patient-to-nurse ratios, and patient populations during the interview process. If the patient-to-nurse ratio seems high for your specialty, consider this before accepting an offer. 

How do I choose a travel nursing assignment?

Many travel nursing agencies offer nursing job boards for you to search for available assignments. Before beginning your search, write down a list of your preferences, including locations, units, and desired pay. This will help you filter your initial search. 

Many states are transitioning to the nursing licensure compact agreement . If you hold a compact license, this means you can practice nursing in that state without applying for a new nursing license. It makes it easier for travel nurses especially since they work in different states. However, keep in mind that you may only obtain a compact license if you reside in a compact state.

What type of travel nurses are most needed?

Travel nurses are  always needed. However, the demand for what specialty of travel nursing varies greatly, depending on the area, nursing shortages, and employers. Most of the time, there is a high demand for medical-surgical, intensive care, and emergency room nurses.

Is it hard to find jobs as a travel nurse?

Typically, it’s not hard to find travel nursing jobs. You may not get your first assignment choice, but there are always plenty of other options available. To make it easier during your job search, apply for several assignments and obtain your compact state nursing license if you haven’t already done so. 

Is travel nursing risky?

Working as a travel nurse comes with the same risks as working as a staff registered nurse. You will need to understand the state regulations, the scope of practice, and the healthcare facility’s company policies as you would with any other new nursing job. 

Is travel nursing worth the money?

Many registered nurses transition to travelers and make travel nursing their career. Most travel nurses find travel nursing worth the time and money. You get to travel the country, typically make higher pay than staff nurses, and make your schedule (for the most part). ZipRecruiter shows that the national average salary for travel nurses is $118,400, which is well beyond the average staff nurse salary.

Health Carousel Travel Nursing Boasts Travel Nursing Assignments To Advance Your Career

Health Carousel Travel Nursing has travel nursing jobs available for you throughout the country. Our recruiters work to understand your needs and want to keep you aligned with your career goals. We partner with top healthcare facilities throughout the United States, so you have many career options available. We also offer great benefits, including medical and dental insurance, and sick leave.

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Travel Guide

Maximizing your 13-week travel nursing assignment.

• October 16, 2024
• Nurses and Allied Health Professionals

Travel nursing is a satisfying career filled with challenges and excitement. Perhaps you are a new travel nurse accepting your first assignment? Or maybe you are considering an assignment and do not know where to turn? Here’s a week-by-week guide to help you make the most of your 13-week travel nursing assignment.

Week 1: Onboarding

As you begin your new assignment, expect your assignment facility to offer some travel nurse orientation. You will learn about the organization and its policies and procedures and likely meet supervisors and coworkers. Orientation is the time to ask questions and take notes. Be sure to spend time reviewing your notes.

Week 2: Building Relationships

You must make the first move to build relationships at a new facility. Do not wait on your new coworkers. Introduce yourself to people, and perhaps invite a coworker to grab a coffee. If you can find colleagues with similar interests, use it to connect with these like-minded people. Remember that short-term assignment does not mean a smaller level of commitment. So be your best from day 1!

Week 3: Adapting

In your third week, you should be adjusting to the new day-to-day workflow. This week is about adapting to new protocols and systems and mastering ones unique to your new facility. It is also a crucial time for asking questions. Be sure to seek clarification to ensure you are on the correct learning path.

Week 4: Professional Growth

There is always room for improvement, so seek opportunities for professional growth. This week, identify any skills you lack or a procedure you wish to learn. Ask your colleagues and supervisors for guidance if possible. Remember that you have many experts around you and new procedures you might not be familiar with, so soak it all up.

Week 5: Seeking Performance Feedback

Your fifth week is all about getting better. It is the week to fine-tune your work. Ask for performance feedback from your supervisors. You can use this feedback to improve your performance by making the necessary adjustments. Take a proactive approach to improving your performance.

Week 6: Networking

This week, treat your travel assignment as an opportunity to network beyond your immediate team. Each encounter with physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, and others can be a chance to form a meaningful connection. These relationships can go beyond your current assignment and become lasting connections, leading to possible future opportunities.

Week 7: Reflecting and Goal Setting

You are now midway through your assignment. How has the experience been so far? Take some time to reflect and answer that question. This week is also the perfect time to set goals for the remainder of the contract. Consider the areas of your performance you can improve. Perhaps set a goal to deliver better patient care or become a better communicator. Regardless of the goal, the process will give you motivation.

Week 8: Staying Organized

A lack of organization can lead to burnout. So, list the tasks you wish to complete during each shift. Prioritize them by urgency and importance. A list can keep you on track. Ensure you track your shifts, patient care plans, and personal time. Prioritize your self-care. You can incorporate deep breathing, meditation, and yoga techniques into your workday. Stretch and take short walks periodically. It is crucial to maintain a work/life balance on the road.

Week 9: Extension Opportunities

If you enjoy your new location, you might consider extending your contract. Week 9 is a great time to do so. Talk to your recruiter. Even if you are unsure precisely what you wish to do, the recruiter can help you understand your options. The sooner they are aware of your decision, the better they will be to negotiate on your behalf.

Week 10: Creating a Legacy for Future Nurses

You are nearing the end of your contract now. Dedicate yourself to leaving a positive impact. Do this by leaving notes for nurses taking over your patients. Do what you can to make the transition smooth, and you will build a solid professional reputation.

Week 11: Connecting with Recruiter

Contact your recruiter this week. It is time to plan your next assignment. Talk to your recruiter, share your experiences, and discuss new opportunities. Week 11 is for future planning and exploring different career options.

Week 12: Ending Your Assignment and Offering Feedback

The assignment is wrapping up, and now is the ideal time to offer feedback to the facility about your experience. What can they do to improve for future travel nurses? Positive remarks about the good stuff will help to build a solid relationship with the facility.

Week 13: Time to Say Goodbye

The first thing to do this week is celebrate completing the assignment! Please give yourself a pat on the back; you deserve it. Tell your new friends goodbye, and stay connected with those you built strong relationships with because they can be valuable contacts for future assignments.

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