| The great thing about being a traveling nurse boils | | | | Beach; and of course it's home to Hollywood, and, |
| down to one key component - it's about the | | | | yes, movie stars. Whether northern, southern, |
| travel! For those of us who love moving around | | | | or coastal locations, traveling nurses return to |
| and seeing the world, travel nursing is the | | | | California time and again. |
| profession of our dreams. There are many | | | | WASHINGTON - The Evergreen State boasts the |
| travel destinations available, based on weather, | | | | gorgeous Pacific Ocean, the Cascade Mountains, |
| activities, cost of living, and salary. Therefore, I | | | | desert experiences, rain forests, towering |
| have gathered a list of my "Top Ten" destinations | | | | volcanoes, glaciers, and lush wine country. |
| that nurses choose, based on the number of | | | | Washington State rates high on the list of many |
| travelers who inquire about each location every | | | | nurse travelers. Must-sees are the Space Needle |
| month. Are you a travel RN scouting a new | | | | and Coulee Dam. The culture here is incredibly |
| assignment? Then I'd like to suggest the | | | | diverse; sophisticated, outdoorsy, and loaded with |
| following ten "Hot Spots": | | | | resorts, history, parks, museums, and botanical |
| HAWAII - It's no shock that Hawaii generates | | | | gardens. Whether touring downtown Seattle for |
| over 500 travel nursing inquiries per month. The | | | | cozy antique and book stores, exploring ancient |
| wide range of outdoor activities from | | | | Indian grounds, or hiking and biking mountains or |
| snow-capped mountains to snow-white sandy | | | | trails, Washington holds a strong allure for many |
| beaches elevates Hawaii to one of those meccas | | | | nurse travelers. |
| where you can build a snowman or a sand castle | | | | SOUTH CAROLINA - Endless adventure, |
| all in one day. Nurses tell me that you'll discover | | | | excitement, fun and exploration represent why |
| virtually every type of outdoor activity | | | | South Carolina is always a favorite destination for |
| imaginable-hiking trails that wind through erupting | | | | travel nurses. America's oldest landscaped |
| volcanoes, secret beaches, and lush green | | | | gardens frame mansions rife with historical |
| ranchlands. Many travelers also hunt, mountain | | | | heritage, in addition to pristine beaches and |
| bike, go rafting, and golf on some of the world's | | | | legendary marshy wetlands. For all you golfers, |
| most extravagant courses. | | | | with over 330 golf courses, there's always a new |
| ALASKA - Travel nurses are intrigued by the | | | | place to swing your clubs. But what fascinates |
| possibilities of Alaska's rugged mystery. Alaska is | | | | many traveling nurses is the rich heritage in which |
| a huge wilderness with beautiful scenery, and | | | | South Carolina has paved the roads of culture, |
| travel nursing assignments offer plenty of time to | | | | art, and folklore in our past. You can visit |
| see and do everything you want, whether in | | | | several historical areas and discovery centers of |
| winter's darkness under northern lights, or the | | | | American history, including the American |
| glorious spring and summer where it's light most | | | | Revolution and the Civil War. |
| of the time. Outdoor enthusiasts enjoy Alaska | | | | COLORADO - World-class winter skiing and |
| for its' wildlife, spectacular natural landscape, and | | | | summer music festivals in the mountains are just |
| fishing expeditions where the fish really are as big | | | | two reasons that nurses love traveling to |
| as the stories about which they're told. | | | | Colorado. Boasting four spectacular seasons, |
| Countless day cruises and sightseeing expeditions | | | | Colorado is where travel nurses get to explore |
| abound, as well as opportunities to hike, kayak, | | | | the state's 18 million acres of state and national |
| canoe, ski... Need we say more? | | | | parks, forests, and monuments for biking, hiking, |
| MONTANA - Whether photographer, adventurer, | | | | fishing, mountain climbing, and kayaking, to name a |
| or both, Montana is truly a state that beckons | | | | few. Colorado has many cultural treasures, |
| with open arms. River trips, fishing and camping, | | | | including ancient Native American sites and |
| history, snowy mountain ranges, and waterfalls | | | | dinosaur fossil exhibits, historic ghost towns, and |
| are what you'll encounter, along with plenty of | | | | even award-winning vineyards in Grand Junction. |
| open space to explore. Assignments in Montana | | | | And for those who enjoy city life, amid all this |
| appeal to those travel nurses who just need | | | | natural beauty lie wonderful metropolitan areas like |
| some time to break away from their city grind to | | | | Denver and Boulder, full of shopping, performing |
| enjoy marching to the beat of an entirely | | | | arts, and professional sports. |
| different drummer. The Big Sky Country boasts | | | | TENNESSEE - From energetic nights of blues on |
| some of America's most famous mountains, | | | | Beale Street, to gorgeous rolling acres of |
| canyons, river valleys, forests, grassy plains, | | | | Tennessee Walker horse country, to peaceful |
| badlands, and caverns, and many travelers find it | | | | Smoky Mountain sunsets, Tennessee is a vacation |
| just irresistible enough to keep coming back. | | | | that offers many world-renowned attractions. |
| MAINE - Maine's splendor has inspired artists like | | | | Nurse travelers who visit Tennessee will find that |
| Georgia O'Keefe and three generations of the | | | | they're within a day's drive of 75-percent of the |
| Wyeth family, since the mid-nineteenth | | | | U.S. population via quality interstates and |
| century. Travel nurses can't resist at least one | | | | highways. Attractions in Tennessee include the |
| adventure in this charming getaway. Whether | | | | Jack Daniels' distillery, Elvis's Graceland, the Grand |
| you embark on outdoor adventures like skiing and | | | | Ole Opry in Nashville, and lots of southern |
| snowmobiling, or if you prefer the cozy ambience | | | | hospitality. And don't forget the crown jewel of |
| of antiquing through charming villages or just | | | | the southern Appalachians, the Great Smoky |
| strolling or riding horseback on miles of sandy | | | | Mountains National Park. |
| beaches in the smell of salt air, Maine is legendary | | | | ARIZONA - If you adore the outdoors, then the |
| and offers some wonderful travel nursing | | | | Grand Canyon State might just be for you. The |
| experiences. Its' unique culture is outdoorsy and | | | | nurses who go there just rave about Arizona's |
| quaint, and of course you get to enjoy lobster as | | | | landscape which takes in tall mountain ranges, |
| the locals do-fresh from the ocean! | | | | swift rivers, grasslands, sand dunes, and cactus |
| CALIFORNIA - Warm weather and world-famous | | | | forests all set against a beautiful sky that glows |
| beaches make California a favorite choice for | | | | pink in the sunset. The traveler nurses who |
| traveling nurses. Nine-hundred miles of coastline | | | | enjoy history will find plenty of it here, including |
| gives nurses in all locations the chance to spend | | | | Old West reformations, Native American nations, |
| many hours near the waves; and for nature | | | | and Spanish-influenced areas all in one state. |
| lovers, California is home to many wildlife parks, | | | | Arizona is also home to the nation's greatest golf |
| remote wilderness areas, and safe-havens for | | | | courses, resorts, spas, cabins, and ranches. |
| endangered animals. If you're an excitement | | | | As you can see, limitless possibilities exist for |
| junkie, you can scout out a wide selection of | | | | those nurses who want travel, fun, and adventure |
| theme parks; and no matter what your taste in | | | | to be part of their daily lives. If you're a nurse |
| music, concerts abound in every type of venue. | | | | who travels and it's time for you to move on to |
| Historic sites and museums invite, as do five-star | | | | a new location, try one of these top travel |
| restaurants and clubs in which to see and be seen. | | | | nursing destinations and see what new |
| The shopping is unparalleled, whether it's trendy | | | | experiences lie ahead. |
| Melrose Place, La Jolla, or the strand in Venice | | | | |
