After you have found a great recruiter and they have matched you to a travel nursing assignment, there is still a bit to do before you start your first day! If your travel assignment is far from home, you might be asking: Should I drive or fly to my travel assignment? This is a great question! But the answer depends on your situation. Things like your assignment location, traveling with pets, or family, and your personal preferences will ultimately guide your decision.
Do travel nurses fly or drive?
Well, honestly some travel nurses decide to drive to their assignments where others choose to fly. So regardless of how you travel either option is completely fine! Just make sure to carefully consider your options, personal preferences, assignment location, and any other factors that will lead you to the best choice for yourself. On average, more of our travelers tend to decide to drive to their traveling assignments than to fly, but just because they do you still have the freedom to choose the option that works best for you!
Driving to Travel Nursing Assignment Pros
Like we said before, the decision to drive or fly is completely up to YOU! But here are some pros of driving to your travel nursing assignment:
Driving your car to your assignment, then you’ll have a car with you to get around.
This one is obvious but comes as a major factor. If your assignment is in a small town or anywhere more car-friendly, then having a car might be a big bonus while you are on your assignment. Depending on your assignment location you’ll want to think about how you’ll be able to access things like grocery stores, drug stores, banks, your commute to your new facility, and other necessities. If you’ll need a car to get to your new location then driving your car there might be a must. Of course, the flip side can be if your facility is located in a major city with access to great public transportation, here a car might not be necessary.
Making your trip a scenic one!
You may want to leave your assignment location early to take a scenic road trip! You might find yourself busy once you start your assignment so making the most of the time before or between assignments might be right up your alley! You can mark scenic, fun, or interesting places to stop along your drive to make the most of your traveling! Nothing is better than kicking off your new assignment with some fun adventures and sightseeing.
Driving lets you bring more of your belongings.
It’s not easy to fit 13 weeks’ worth of clothing and belongings into your carry-on! You can fit a lot more things in the back of your car, and if that’s not enough you can always attach a rented trailer if you need some extra space. If you chose to live in an unfurnished apartment, driving could be crucial to bringing everything you’ll need. If you’re the type who likes to have all your stuff with you then driving could be for you.
Driving lets you better accommodate your pets.
It’s a lot easier to manage the transportation of your pet companions in your car where you can take things at your own pace! You can make stops when needed and make sure they have enough space to be comfortable.
Flying to travel nursing assignment pros, flying is faster.
This is an obvious one but time might be a limited resource if you have a quick-start assignment. Not only is flying the quickest way to get to your travel assignment, but it’s also an easier option! Some people don’t care for road trips and would rather have a quick trip. Plus, you won’t have to worry about the occasional flat tire or breakdown, no one wants to get stuck in the middle of nowhere right before they start their new assignment. Although flight cancellations and delays do happen, they are usually much easier to resolve than car trouble.
If your assignment is in a big city with effective public transportation, you won’t want the burden of having your car.
In small towns and rural areas, having a car to get around can be essential. But in locations like NYC, San Francisco, or even Chicago for example, having to park your car, and in some cases paying to store your vehicle can be difficult as an example. Choosing to fly and leave your car behind might relieve you from this burden.
When you fly you still get out of town for day trips!
Like we said before, many larger cities where you don’t want the burden of having your car along, usually have great public transportation like trains, and buses that will allow you to still take fun adventures and excursions on your days off. If that isn’t possible, you can always rent a car for the weekend, make some friends in your facility, or even use a ride-share service like Uber. You can even fly and still have a car on assignment, some travelers rent a car for the whole duration of their time at their facility or even have their car shipped to them.
You choose what option works best for you at the end of the day! As you continue your travel nursing career you’ll get better and better at knowing which choice to make for each of your assignments. But if this is your first assignment or just have general questions you can always reach out to your recruiter for advice. They have worked with many travelers like yourself and can give you their advice based on others’ experiences. Make sure to reach out to them for the support you need!