How to stay safe while traveling.
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I recently came across a forum post over at HealthcareTravelbook.com about, “Things to do IN the car…” and at first glance I thought it would be about how to pass the time away when traveling great distances with children and whatnot. It was not, instead it was about what to do when you’re literally stuck in a car for hours, trapped on the road due to traffic/accidents/roadblocks or anything else out of our control. This traveler was stuck in her car for nearly 6.5 hours!!! That could seem like an eternity without some sort of entertainment, let alone some essentials for survival. Here’s an excerpt from her post, “Thank goodness I had an Ipod that I found out I could play a card game on and I happened to have a magazine in the car to read but otherwise….What do you do in a situation like that?? I also had two dogs in the car….which thankfully I had a gallon of water for all of us…But maybe we should all pack a “survival kit” for the car to keep as we travel….Any ideas??”

After reading this post, I felt it necessary to provide some useful tips on what exactly you can do to prepare yourself and your car for this or similar situations. Hopefully none of us will ever have to resort to these tactics and practices, but you just never know. Obviously before traveling any great distance in your car you’ll want to have it inspected by a professional mechanic and make sure everything on the car is tip-top. Next, you’ll want to equip your car with a “survival kit” that will help keep you warm and nourished if ever you were in a dire situation. Check out the blog, The Corporate Barbarian for his extensive list for an automobile survival kit. His list is pretty vast, and it seems he’s packed and ready for just about anything besides a nuclear attack.

Whether it's winter or summer, your car should always be packed with survival gear.

There are many items to consider and as always, it’s better to be safe than sorry! There are definitely some things you should strongly consider to have at your disposal should any road emergency arise. Always make sure your spare tire is fully inflated and there’s a tire iron, a car jack, and so on. Using common sense when traveling will take you far, but there may be some things you would never think to have available when you’re stuck. So before traveling near or far, always make sure your car is equipped for travel. I hate to put it this way, but it could be the difference between life or death. If you have any other tips you’d like to share regarding traveling by car, please share them in our comment section, especially anything about what to do about your bladder. That too is an all important topic!

Slow down... Or else!

Wintry weather can be tricky to drive through and every year without fail I notice three things. 1) People act as if they have never seen snow before, like it’s some strange phenomenon from the heavens and drive accordingly. 2) Just because you have a 4×4 doesn’t mean you’ll be able to stop as you fly by me after tailgating me for the last mile. 3) If there’s other cars stuck, I’m sure yours will too.

There are many things a traveling nurse must prepare for when driving in the winter, especially if you’re driving cross country. You as the driver need to take extra precautions on the road and you also need to make sure your automobile is properly prepared. Winter driving presents a number of challenges to both you and your car. Cold weather tests the limits of your car’s mechanical abilities. Treacherous driving conditions test your abilities as a driver.

Driving in the winter can end with unfortunate consequences… Either you’re stranded on some desolate highway or you’ve slid off the road and into a snowbank. Neither result is a good one and can be easily avoided by following some important tips for winter driving. Of course the best advice would be to avoid driving in winter weather at all costs – but if you must, please drive carefully and follow these guidelines provided by Weather.com.

If you’re headed somewhere with winter weather on your next travel nurse assignment, make sure to do the following to your vehicle before you head out.

• Get a Tuneup
• Check the Battery
• Check Coolant/Anti-freeze
• Repair any leaks in hoses, etc.
• Get winter wiper blades/check wiper blades
• Keep your gas tank full – helps for weighing down car and in case you were to be stranded, you can keep the car running to stay warm
• Fill washer fluid
• Carry sand bags – if your car is rear wheel drive and in case you get stuck, sand can help with traction.
• Snow tires or chains
• Carry supplies – food, blankets, reading materials
• Cell phone
• Keep your car clean of any debris and snow
• Drive slow/carefully

For more tips on winter driving, check out CarTalk.com and their Winter Driving Tips.

The other thing I discovered is that I cannot live without technology. I’ve been to Des Moines many times, but never had the chance to spend a whole lot of time enjoying what the city has to offer. Thankfully I own an iPhone and put it to good use over the weekend. As a travel nurse, I can see what a blessing a smartphone like the iPhone can be. It has so many applications to help you around your new surroundings. Besides smartphones with their many applications, a GPS or Global Positioning System is the perfect tool for those who travel a lot. I personally do not own one, but I’ve rented many cars that come equipped with these little gadgets and I have to say, they are a godsend for the directionally inept.

There are many GPS providers out there, with Garmin and Tom-Tom being a couple of the more popular brands. Although there’s nothing like peering through an atlas or road map and looking at the big picture, but having a GPS in your car as your guide is much more useful and safe. As a traveling nurse going from one coast to the other, having a GPS can be a great help. You just plug in your destination and let the satellites do the rest. These systems typically mount on the dashboard of your car and are usually spot on with their directions and can also guide you through areas under constructions and give you options to the type of route you’d like to take, from scenic routes to the fastest way possible.

Besides these GPS specific tools, you can also find similar applications for most smartphones available today. I know my iPhone has the generic Google map application and has been pretty accurate with its directions. Though it may be a bit clumsy, it gets me from point A to point B with little to no hassle. There are of course other free and paid applications as well, even offerings from the companies I mentioned earlier. I would highly recommend looking into some sort of navigational app if you don’t want to get a dash mounted GPS device. Just getting from one place to the next can be a challenge, especially if you’re just using road maps and such.

Take advantage of the 21st century and update your navigation means. A road-map can become outdated rather quickly and most times there won’t be maps available for specific cities and towns you may be headed to. With all the technology available at your fingertips, your next trip can be less stressful and give you the opportunity to enjoy the drive and the surroundings a lot more. Next week, I’ll give you a few applications and websites that will help you discover all there is to take advantage  at the next destination of your travel nursing job. Until then, travel safe!

- The time leading up to leaving for your next assignment you want to make sure you ready yourself and your body. Packing and all those things that go along with a move can be stressing, so make sure you are getting plenty of rest and sticking to your normal sleep schedule.
- It would be best to try and maintain all the things you would normally do like exercising, but don’t go overboard, it could only lead to more stress on your body.
- This ones a no-brainer. Wash your hands frequently and use hand sanitizers.
- Bring your prescriptions along and any extras if need be.
- Health insurance is usually handled by your staffing agency, so just have your recruiter contact information available so that you can notify them and in turn they can deal with the facility where you are to work.
- Always, always, always have a list of your emergency contacts handy, just in case.

I’m not exactly sure what the protocol is for travel nurses who become sick, if they are able to seek treatment at the facilities they are working for or if they must seek out their own care elsewhere. I suppose if it were I dire need it’s not like they’re going to turn you away… But if you are in need of medical attention and don’t know where to go or can’t get there by yourself you can use these in-home doctor services like InnHouseDoctor or Physician Finders at WebMD and one more, Find A Doc. Hopefully it never comes to that, but if it does there is help just a phone call away. I wish you all the best of health and good luck on all your travels.

When you accept an assignment, it is usually in a place where you want to see the sites and experience what the area has to offer. This will often lead a person to study up on the location and map out the attractions they want to see. However, you must also remember to map out the places that will be a necessity on your assignment, like the grocery store. If you plan ahead, you’ll know right where to find one. Looking up directions to grocery stores, gas stations, hair or tanning salons, and electronic or houseware stores before you arrive can help you familiarize yourself with the city of your new assignment.

Remember to include not only the places that you think you will need, but also the places that you hopefully will not need such as auto repair shops, local insurance agents, doctors, or emergent care centers.

To find detailed directions to just about anything, the Internet will probably be your biggest asset. In addition to mapping out routes to the places you will need, use a site like Google Maps to take a peak at an overview of the city. This will help you to see how the city is laid out and if there are areas that may be tricky to navigate.

Most of these functions can also be done on a GPS unit. You can now find GPS units for under $100 and for the frequent traveler, they are invaluable. Just be sure to update the maps in your unit about every six months or at least every year. If you do not have GPS, you can always purchase a street guide to the city once you arrive (usually available at any gas station convenience store).

Whether you use today’s modern technology (Internet and GPS), or still prefer to “kick it ol’ school” (maps and city guides), a little pre-assignment planning can certainly remove one of the stressors of starting a new travel nursing assignment.