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The great thing about being a traveling nurse boils down to one key component - it’s about the travel! For those of us who love moving around and seeing the world, travel nursing is the profession of our dreams. There are many travel destinations available, based on weather, activities, cost of living, and salary. Therefore, I have gathered a list of my “Top Ten” destinations that nurses choose, based on the number of travelers who inquire about each location every month. Are you a travel RN scouting a new assignment? Then I’d like to suggest the following ten “Hot Spots”:

HAWAII - It’s no shock that Hawaii generates over 500 travel nursing inquiries per month. The wide range of outdoor activities from snow-capped mountains to snow-white sandy beaches elevates Hawaii to one of those meccas where you can build a snowman or a sand castle all in one day. Nurses tell me that you’ll discover virtually every type of outdoor activity imaginable-hiking trails that wind through erupting volcanoes, secret beaches, and lush green ranchlands. Many travelers also hunt, mountain bike, go rafting, and golf on some of the world’s most extravagant courses.

ALASKA - Travel nurses are intrigued by the possibilities of Alaska’s rugged mystery. Alaska is a huge wilderness with beautiful scenery, and travel nursing assignments offer plenty of time to see and do everything you want, whether in winter’s darkness under northern lights, or the glorious spring and summer where it’s light most of the time. Outdoor enthusiasts enjoy Alaska for its’ wildlife, spectacular natural landscape, and fishing expeditions where the fish really are as big as the stories about which they’re told. Countless day cruises and sightseeing expeditions abound, as well as opportunities to hike, kayak, canoe, ski… Need we say more?

MONTANA - Whether photographer, adventurer, or both, Montana is truly a state that beckons with open arms. River trips, fishing and camping, history, snowy mountain ranges, and waterfalls are what you’ll encounter, along with plenty of open space to explore. Assignments in Montana appeal to those travel nurses who just need some time to break away from their city grind to enjoy marching to the beat of an entirely different drummer. The Big Sky Country boasts some of America’s most famous mountains, canyons, river valleys, forests, grassy plains, badlands, and caverns, and many travelers find it just irresistible enough to keep coming back.

MAINE - Maine’s splendor has inspired artists like Georgia O’Keefe and three generations of the Wyeth family, since the mid-nineteenth century. Travel nurses can’t resist at least one adventure in this charming getaway. Whether you embark on outdoor adventures like skiing and snowmobiling, or if you prefer the cozy ambience of antiquing through charming villages or just strolling or riding horseback on miles of sandy beaches in the smell of salt air, Maine is legendary and offers some wonderful travel nursing experiences. Its’ unique culture is outdoorsy and quaint, and of course you get to enjoy lobster as the locals do-fresh from the ocean!

CALIFORNIA - Warm weather and world-famous beaches make California a favorite choice for traveling nurses. Nine-hundred miles of coastline gives nurses in all locations the chance to spend many hours near the waves; and for nature lovers, California is home to many wildlife parks, remote wilderness areas, and safe-havens for endangered animals. If you’re an excitement junkie, you can scout out a wide selection of theme parks; and no matter what your taste in music, concerts abound in every type of venue. Historic sites and museums invite, as do five-star restaurants and clubs in which to see and be seen. The shopping is unparalleled, whether it’s trendy Melrose Place, La Jolla, or the strand in Venice Beach; and of course it’s home to Hollywood, and, yes, movie stars. Whether northern, southern, or coastal locations, traveling nurses return to California time and again.

WASHINGTON - The Evergreen State boasts the gorgeous Pacific Ocean, the Cascade Mountains, desert experiences, rain forests, towering volcanoes, glaciers, and lush wine country. Washington State rates high on the list of many nurse travelers. Must-sees are the Space Needle and Coulee Dam. The culture here is incredibly diverse; sophisticated, outdoorsy, and loaded with resorts, history, parks, museums, and botanical gardens. Whether touring downtown Seattle for cozy antique and book stores, exploring ancient Indian grounds, or hiking and biking mountains or trails, Washington holds a strong allure for many nurse travelers.

SOUTH CAROLINA - Endless adventure, excitement, fun and exploration represent why South Carolina is always a favorite destination for travel nurses. America’s oldest landscaped gardens frame mansions rife with historical heritage, in addition to pristine beaches and legendary marshy wetlands. For all you golfers, with over 330 golf courses, there’s always a new place to swing your clubs. But what fascinates many traveling nurses is the rich heritage in which South Carolina has paved the roads of culture, art, and folklore in our past. You can visit several historical areas and discovery centers of American history, including the American Revolution and the Civil War.

COLORADO - World-class winter skiing and summer music festivals in the mountains are just two reasons that nurses love traveling to Colorado. Boasting four spectacular seasons, Colorado is where travel nurses get to explore the state’s 18 million acres of state and national parks, forests, and monuments for biking, hiking, fishing, mountain climbing, and kayaking, to name a few. Colorado has many cultural treasures, including ancient Native American sites and dinosaur fossil exhibits, historic ghost towns, and even award-winning vineyards in Grand Junction. And for those who enjoy city life, amid all this natural beauty lie wonderful metropolitan areas like Denver and Boulder, full of shopping, performing arts, and professional sports.

TENNESSEE - From energetic nights of blues on Beale Street, to gorgeous rolling acres of Tennessee Walker horse country, to peaceful Smoky Mountain sunsets, Tennessee is a vacation that offers many world-renowned attractions. Nurse travelers who visit Tennessee will find that they’re within a day’s drive of 75-percent of the U.S. population via quality interstates and highways. Attractions in Tennessee include the Jack Daniels’ distillery, Elvis’s Graceland, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and lots of southern hospitality. And don’t forget the crown jewel of the southern Appalachians, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

ARIZONA - If you adore the outdoors, then the Grand Canyon State might just be for you. The nurses who go there just rave about Arizona’s landscape which takes in tall mountain ranges, swift rivers, grasslands, sand dunes, and cactus forests all set against a beautiful sky that glows pink in the sunset. The traveler nurses who enjoy history will find plenty of it here, including Old West reformations, Native American nations, and Spanish-influenced areas all in one state. Arizona is also home to the nation’s greatest golf courses, resorts, spas, cabins, and ranches.

As you can see, limitless possibilities exist for those nurses who want travel, fun, and adventure to be part of their daily lives. If you’re a nurse who travels and it’s time for you to move on to a new location, try one of these top travel nursing destinations and see what new experiences lie ahead.

Janet Fikany is a “Placement Diva” for HealthCare Staffing Network. For travel nursing advice, please visit HSN online at http://www.hcstaffingnetwork.com, or call Janet toll free at 1-877-385-3097.

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Today, Norm Goldman, Editor of the travel site Sketchandtravel and the book reviewing site Bookpleasures is pleased to have as a guest, travel author, Bruce Hunt, expert on Florida Travel.

Bruce is the author of Visiting Small Town Florida Revised Edition, Florida’s Finest Inns And Bed and Breakfasts, and Adventure Sports In Florida.

Norm:

Good Day Bruce and thank you for participating in our interview.

Norm:

Could you tell our readers something about yourself and what prompted you to write books on Florida?

Bruce:

I’m one of those rarities-a Florida native. I’ve lived in Tampa all my life, and I’ve watched it grow from a medium-size town into a big city, with all the things that go along with that-traffic, crowds, etc.

I do love Tampa, but occasionally I need a break from the “big-cityness”, and I like to go visit off-the-beaten-path places-quiet and peaceful little towns where people you don’t even know smile, wave, and say Good Morning as they pass you on the sidewalk, where it’s still quiet enough in the middle of the day that you can hear birds chirping, and where Mom-and-Pop general stores and home-cooked-meal diners still exist. I figured there must be others like me, so I pitched the idea for the first volume of “Visiting Small-Town Florida” to Pineapple Press ten years ago.

That wasn’t my first book though. “Adventure Sports In Florida” (also Pineapple Press) came first. It’s out of print now, but it was a guidebook to high-adrenaline sports (skydiving, automobile racing, hang gliding, hot air ballooning, cave diving, etc.) and where to learn how to do them properly. I’ve been skydiving for 28 years and racing sports cars for 20, so this was a natural first book for me.

Some people think it’s odd that I have an interest in these types of things as well as the small-town stuff, but what can I say, I like them both. After “Visiting Small-Town Florida”, came Volume 2 of that book, and then “Florida’s Finest Inns and Bed and Breakfasts”, which complimented the “Visiting Small-Town Florida” series nicely, then in 2003 “Visiting Small-Town Florida, Revised Edition”.

Norm:

Do you believe that travel is a learning experience and by effectively employing our senses we will be handsomely rewarded? As a follow up and if you agree with this assertion, were there any events or experiences that would lead you to this conclusion? Please elaborate.

Bruce:

Travel is all about new experiences-placing yourself in a completely different environment-fresh sights, sounds, and smells. And I think the more you learn about the place you are visiting, the more you will enjoy it. That’s why I spend so much time digging up trivial tidbits of history about the places I go to and write about. Regarding events or experiences, I can’t pinpoint one-I’ve just had the travel bug as long as I can remember.

Norm:

What is your idea of the perfect romantic getaway, and the perfect romantic inn or BandB?

Bruce:

Quiet, private, and picturesque-like the places I list two questions down.

Norm:

Why should we consider Florida as a romantic destination?

Bruce:

Well certainly Florida has its tropical and exotic side, and there’s something about being around beaches and the water that’s enticing, but I think there’s a lot of romance in well-preserved historic Florida too-St. Augustine, Fernandina, Micanopy, Apalachicola, Cedar Key, Mt. Dora, to name a few spots.

Norm:

If you had to choose 5 unique and romantic Florida destinations for a wedding, which ones would you consider and why?

Bruce:

How about seven?

The top spot would have to be Little Palm Island, a private island off Little Torch Key, about 25 miles north of Key West. But at $700 - $1600 per night, it’s not for everybody.

I also like the Elizabeth Pointe Lodge on Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island-looks like an old Cape Cod house, very nautical, but actually built in 1992 (it’s on the cover of my “Florida’s Finest Inns and BandBs”).

The historic Don CeSar Hotel on St. Pete Beach is very elegant and posh.

Anywhere on Captiva (off Florida’s southwest Gulf coast)-The Castaways (simple little cottages right on the beach), the ‘Tween Waters Inn, or South Seas Plantation.

Seaside, up on the Panhandle between Panama City and Destin-perhaps Florida’s most beautiful beach-rent one of the many pastel bungalows.

The Herlong Mansion, a gracious turn-of-the-century red-brick Georgian (and maybe haunted?) bed and breakfast in Micanopy-about fifteen miles south of Gainesville.

The Dewey House BandB at the southern (quieter) end of Duval Street in Key West.

Norm:

As a follow up to the last question, which 5 inns or BandBs in Florida would you consider to be the most romantically unique and why?

Bruce:

See the list in the previous question-but it’s a constantly shifting list-depends on what you’re in the mood for. If you ask me a month from now I’m liable to give you five different choices.

Norm:

Which five restaurants in Florida would you consider to be the most romantically unique, and why?

Bruce:

With the same disclaimer as above:

Beach Street Grill in Fernandina on Amelia Island:

Bud and Alley’s in Seaside:

Marquesa Cafe in old town Key West:

Alice’s On Duval also in Key West:

Oystercatchers overlooking the bay in Tampa:

Beach Bistro on Holmes Beach/Anna Maria Island-all because they have outstanding food, they’re in picturesque settings, and in great locations.
Norm:

How much time per month do you devote to travel and how do you go about choosing your destinations? As a follow up, how long do you stay in each town or destination before writing about them?

Bruce:

The answer to questions #1 and #3-time devoted to travel and how long do I stay, is, “It varies widely”. One month I might be gone almost every week. The next month I might not even step out of my office.

As for question #2-choosing destinations, as I had mentioned, I tend to seek out quiet, out-of-the-way places.

Almost all the Florida destinations that I write about are places I’ve visited many times over the years. Choosing my “Visiting Small-Town Florida” small towns was not nearly as easy as I first thought it would be. I needed a definition for the purposes of the book, and finally settled (for a starting point) on towns with a census population of less than 10,000. That set how big it could be.

For how small, I decided that if it had a name it could be a town. That let me include some tiny crossroads like Two Egg-population 31, and Cross Creek-”The Yearling” author Marjorie Rawlings’ home. Many of the places I already knew about and had visited, but some were suggestions by friends, and a few I went to see just because they had oddball names-like Sopchoppy, Ozello, and Yeehaw Junction.

Not all of the places I visited made it into the book-only those where I found a good story, a good hole-in-the-wall diner, interesting history, or something that made the place special.

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to pass on to our readers pertaining to Florida getaways that we have not covered in this interview?

Bruce:

Just that there is a lot more to Florida than Disney and crowded beaches. There’s still plenty of off-the-beaten-path Florida, natural Florida, and old/historic Florida left to see, if you know where to find it-and that’s the purpose of my books.

Thanks once again Bruce for your participation.

Norm Goldman is the Editor of the travel site http://sketchandtravel.com and the book reviewing site, bookpleasures.com.

He and his artist wife, Lily, meld words with art focusing on romantic destinations. Their articles have been published on their own site, sketchandtravel.com as well as many other travel sites.

Norm’s book reviewing site, http://bookpleasures.com, comprises over twenty five international reviewers from all walks of life.

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