Packing for a 13-Week Assignment
When packing for a 13-week assignment, the general rule is to pack light, according to Julie Birnbaum, RN, recruiter, Cross Country TravCorps. "Pack only what you need because you have to move it in and out," says Birnbaum, who traveled before becoming a nurse recruiter.
Sawlan Atkinson, RDMS, BSRT, an ultrasonographer who travels with CompHealth, has a system in which she does not take more than two suitcases on each assignment. A long-distance runner, Atkinson packs her running shoes, a pair of work shoes, and a pair of dress shoes. "I take one week worth of clothes — a couple of long sleeves and a couple of sweaters. And a heavy jacket — depending on the season. If I need anything there, I can buy it so that my suitcase won’t be overloaded," she says.
You have to think about what you’re really going to need in a 13-week period — and often you either pack too much or too little, says Mary Conaway, senior client manager, Cross Country TravCorps.
Conaway recommends that travelers take only their basic necessities, including clothes and kitchenware. "Some people pack an entire dish set. It’s just you, and you don’t need dishes for 12. Yes, you might have people over but you can use paper goods, if you need to," says Conaway. "You need to minimize things. We do have clients who fly and maybe ship boxes ahead, and they have to be really good about what they are packing."
One of Conaway’s travelers once told Conaway that she buys inexpensive plants when she arrives to assignments to make her apartments look more like home. But she doesn’t try to ship them when she leaves; rather, she leaves them there for the next person to enjoy.
Traveling for the Long-Term
Jane, a Cross Country TravCorps nurse traveler, doesn’t have a home base. She travels all the time and has traveled for more than a decade.
She has some of her belongings in storage but moves most of her things with her using UPS. "I don’t pack as lightly and efficiently as before. It’s not a 13-week assignment for me, it’s a lifestyle. If you’re doing it one time, you pack differently than if you’re a long-term traveler," she says.
She first checks with the Cross Country housing coordinator to find out what comes with the apartment and what she needs to bring. Some travel companies offer apartments with TVs and microwaves, while others do not, she says. Usually, travelers need to bring things like dishes and linens. Someone who enjoys cooking and entertaining might bring more than someone who usually eats alone. Be sure to wrap the towels around the pans and dishes, she says.
While Jane doesn’t travel with a microwave, she does pack and ship her television set. She saved the set’s original packaging, but says the shipping takes its toll on appliances. "I buy more TVs than most people," she says.
