It’s inevitable.
Spending a lot of time on your own can be one of two things – refreshing or incredibly isolating. Actually, if I’m to be quite honest, it’s more often than not a mix of the two and comes in waves of emotions throughout your solo travels.
But that’s half the fun of solo travel – learning to manage your emotions, enjoy your time in solitude, and get in touch with your thoughts, because at the end of the day that is all you are left with.
But there are ways to combat the solo travel blues and after a while, you soon learn to block out these feelings completely. Better yet, there are some sure fire ways to combat solo travel loneliness by meeting people on the road.
How to meet people when you travel solo
1. Accommodation – you’ll be more likely to meet fellow solo travellers in B&B Guesthouses and hostels than you will in hotels. If you prefer hotels, look at booking a business hotel instead of a romantic resort – there’s plenty of solo corporates jet setting around the world constantly.
2. Travel by train – you’ll meet interesting people in transit, particularly when travelling via land.
3. Free walking tours – in many European cities there are free walking tours on offer. This is not only a great way to see the city with commentary, but also a great chance to meet fellow travellers.
4. Be open to encounters – speaking to strangers is not nearly as daunting or unsafe as you were led to believe in your childhood.
5. Take a class – learn a language or a new skill such as cooking or pottery – it’s a great way to meet people!
6. Ditch restaurants – instead opt for a tapas bar or a casual cafe where you can mingle with others instead of watching on as couples gaze into each others’ eyes and you awkwardly get busted gawking at them.
7. Do a tour – sometimes it’s nice to break up your trip by going on an organised tour. This is the easiest way to meet people as you are all forced into being friends.
8. Smile – sometimes that is all it takes to spark a conversation.
9. Join the blogging community – for me, this has been the easiest way to meet up with people all around the world. When I announce I am visiting a city or when I arrive I often get a bunch of invites from readers to meet up – while it is not always possible as I am simultaneously working, I absolutely love to arrange it where I can!
10. Get out there! The only way you will meet people is if you are out there in social situations, ready to make new friends. While it is tempting to spend a day indoors when you’re feeling lonely, the only thing that will guarantee is that you won’t meet anyone!
Ties that Bind: Travel Nursing And Relationships
by Director of Marketing
- 10.01.2016
- Posted inHealthcare Industry, Travel Nursing
- 0 Comments
Trying to begin a relationship while working in travel nursing can be a challenge, BUT it is not an insurmountable one. Despite the challenge, it is important not to neglect current relationships, or avoid creating new relationships when on an assignment. Republic Health Resources recognizes understands the importance of recent research about the correlation between close relationships and happiness levels.
Why Dating and Relationships Are Important
A study published in 2009 found that the stronger a person’s support system, whether that be from friends or a romantic partner, the more their likelihood of mortality decreased. One hypothesis to explain this result comes from a study conducted four years earlier. It showed that people with strong relationships reported greater levels of happiness and personal satisfaction.
In 2005, a study was published that indicated that happiness levels can predict lower heart rate and blood pressure. A 2010 study expounded on this, asking people to rate their happiness on a scale of one to five, and measuring their heart disease risk based upon a variety of factors. A staggering 22% decrease in heart disease risk was noted for each one-point increase in the patients’ happiness rating. As it turns out, a “broken heart” may actually contribute to worse heart health.
In short, relationships can help travel nurses take care of their health by reducing stress and providing greater satisfaction in their lives. So, what can a travel nurse do to help make meeting people and forming relationships easier.
Meeting People at Work
A great way to form relationships as a travel nurse is at your new job. One advantage to meeting a potential partner at work is that they would be able to start working as a travel nurse with you, if that were something you both decided to do. Imagine, getting to travel the country doing what you love, with the person you love.
Workplace relationships actually have among the highest rates of success if measured by number of resulting marriages. A study shows that nearly 40% of romances that spark in the workplace end up walking down the aisle. So, if you’re looking for Mr. Right, you may not have to look too far!
Workplace relationships are also good bets because you have s certain amount of predetermined shared interests, a similar economic status, and education level. So, the odds of ‘hitting it off’ may be higher in this type of situation.
Finding a Mate While Traveling in Becoming More Common
A study by YouGov determined that 1 in 8 males under the age of 30 now hope to find a significant other while traveling. The same study revealed that one in eleven people now have, in fact, met their significant other while traveling. It seems that adventure and love do mix.
You DO Have Time to form a Lasting Relationship as a Travel Nurse
Statistics show that if you have been dating for at least 3 months, you are likely to end up dating for 4 or more years. This means that by the 3-month mark, people know whether they view the other person as a long term mate. Once that decision is made, their willingness to make changes in their life in order to continue the relationship increases. Most travel nursing assignments are 13 weeks, which is around 4 months. In addition, many travel nurses choose to extend their assignments, giving them even more time to meet and get to know people in their new city.
Make Friends (or Maybe More) While Exploring Your New City
Common interests are crucial for every type of relationship, whether friendly or romantic. Try joining some local meetup groups or pursuing your interests while in town. If you’re seeking love or companionship in the local bars, you may be looking in the wrong place. Statistics show that only 9% of women and 2% of men meet their significant other in a bar.
Instead, try going places that suit your interests and passions. If you’re artsy, why not tour a museum in your new city and strike up a discussion about the paintings. Or maybe you’re the sporty type? Try out one of the local golf courses. You’ll be put in a group with three other people who probably live in the area, and who knows, maybe Prince Charming can help with your putting. If you’re more intellectual, book clubs are a popular meeting place where you can engage on a more cerebral level. Or if you’re a music fan, why not see a hometown band play in a small venue. Who knows, they might make it big someday and you’ll be able to say you saw them before they made it big. Ask that cute guy or girl in the crowd what their favorite song is and enjoy the evening.
By pursuing your own interests, you’re more likely to meet people you will connect with. Meetup (an app for your phone) can be a great resource to see about meeting groups to do these things with in your new city also.
Consider Your Partner’s Needs
With friends, it’s easier to stay in touch once you leave town to pursue your next travel nursing assignment. You can make a friend for life on a job, and keep in touch through the various social networks that are now available. However, it is much harder to maintain a dating relationship if your significant other cannot travel with you.
When dating people on travel nursing assignments, it will be important for you both to determine whether travel together will be possible. Only 10% of marriages begin as, or start early on as, long distance relationships. For this reason, it may be prudent to take your partner’s situation into account before getting too serious.
Ideally, your mate has a career that allows them to travel. They might be in the military, or maybe a fellow nurse. Perhaps they work as a remote contractor, or they run their business online. There are plenty of rewarding careers that do allow for flexibility and mobility, so don’t be scared of meeting people or assume that it has to end when your assignment does. Travel nursing and relationships CAN work together!
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Meeting New People Sites
Ashley has worked as a nurse for almost two years in her hometown hospital. Everyone once in a while, a travel nurse comes through to work alongside her in the emergency department. After meeting a few travel nurses, Ashely finds herself thinking about her life and wondering what it would be like to get out of her small town for a while and experience something different. Travel nursing sounds like fun, but there are so many unknowns. She wonders, is travel nursing worth it?
Like Ashley, there are many of you out there wondering the same thing. Keep in mind that there are challenges and benefits to any job, but with anything, you have to decide if the good outweighs the bad. So, when you ask, is travel nursing worth it, the answer really depends on the person. Some people can overlook things that others cannot. Everyone thrives in different environments. When deciding if travel nursing is worth it, you should consider the big picture challenges and benefits of the job in order to decide if it is worth it for you.
Is Travel Nursing Worth it? Benefits of Travel Nursing
- Pay
Typically, travel nurses get paid higher rates than staff nurses, because they’re typically called upon to fill gaps in coverage and so they’re doing a huge favor to the healthcare facilities they’re working in. Plus, they get a few extra perks for being travelers, such as stipends for travel, food, and housing.
- Flexibility
Another benefit of travel nursing is the flexibility in your schedule. Most assignments last about 13 weeks. You can schedule assignments back to back, or you can take breaks in between. This leaves flexibility for you to travel to someplace other than for work, to spend time with your friends and family or to simply take holiday.
- Adventure
Is travel nursing worth it? If you love to travel and experience new places and new people, it is absolutely worth it. Travel nursing not only gives you the opportunity to make money and use your degree, but you get paid to explore the country while you do it!
- Exposure
The last of our top benefits of travel nursing is the fact that it exposes you to so many different healthcare systems. You can work in rural or urban areas, each offering vastly different experiences. You’ll also get exposed to various demographics of people, depending on where in the country you go.
Meeting New People Sites
Is Travel Nursing Worth it? Challenges of Travel Nursing
- Competition
One of the biggest challenges of travel nursing is the competition. There are many people who want to work as travel nurses, so sometimes there’s an influx of people applying for the same assignments. Because of this, the more nursing experience that you have the better.
- Inconsistencies
Another challenge of travel nursing is that it’s not always consistent. You may want a travel assignment in Florida, but have to settle for one in the Carolinas instead. You definitely have to have a flexible personality in order for travel nursing to be worth it.
- Distance
Is travel nursing worth it? It depends on how comfortable you are being away from your friends and family. If you don’t mind distance between you and your loved ones, you’ll be fine. If you spend a lot of time with your family, travel nursing can be challenging.
- Unknowns
There are lots of unknowns when it comes to travel nurse assignments. You could arrive somewhere and it could be nothing like what was promised to you during your phone interview. Your job might be harder, your apartment not as ideal, and on and on.
So, is travel nursing worth it? That comes down you! Now that you know the challenges and benefits of travel nursing, decide for yourself! If you’re ready to take a chance, browse jobs here! You can also check out our travel nurse recruiter video for more information about how to start traveling!