{"id":2945,"date":"2019-09-17T01:07:48","date_gmt":"2019-09-17T01:07:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/?p=2945"},"modified":"2026-03-04T20:42:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T20:42:19","slug":"travel-nurse-leaving-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/travel-nurse-leaving-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Leaving Home as a Travel Nurse"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Leaving home as a travel nurse can be tough. Other times, it can be the greatest adventure of our lives. In our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wanderly.us?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=travelnurse_leavinghome\">Wanderly<\/a> community, we love taking time to chat with travel nurses and all traveling healthcare professionals. Hearing about their journey, story, and what they&#8217;ve learned is something that inspires all who are in this field of work. We&#8217;d love for you to e-meet Karen, a Travel Nurse in Southern California who&#8217;s embracing her sense of adventure, discovery, and freedom.<\/p>\n<p>My name is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/wildindigo92\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Karen<\/a> and currently, I\u2019m a travel nurse out here in Southern California. This blog post isn\u2019t necessarily about my assignment but rather my experience in leaving my hometown and starting over somewhere new.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_62 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/travel-nurse-leaving-home\/#Where_it_all_started\" title=\"Where it all started\">Where it all started<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/travel-nurse-leaving-home\/#Time_to_spread_my_wings\" title=\"Time to spread my wings\">Time to spread my wings<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/travel-nurse-leaving-home\/#Meet_Karen\" title=\"Meet Karen\">Meet Karen<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_it_all_started\"><\/span>Where it all started<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Originally I\u2019m from a small town in Southwest Florida where everyone knows everyone. From preschool to elementary, middle school to high school, and all throughout <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/wildindigo92\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2947\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/image-1-864x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"371\" height=\"439\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/image-1-864x1024.jpeg 864w, https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/image-1-253x300.jpeg 253w, https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/image-1-768x910.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/image-1-1200x1422.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/image-1-600x711.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/image-1.jpeg 1242w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 371px) 100vw, 371px\" \/><\/a>college. While this may seem like a cool idea or a wholesome comforting experience, this may not always be the case. While there may be a lot of perks to growing up in a small town, there are also a lot of downfalls. One is the ability to grow and I don\u2019t mean this as in &#8216;growing up,&#8217; but in the sense of developing and evolving into another version of yourself. A different, or maybe even better version.<\/p>\n<p>When you grow up in a small town, people meet you at a very young age. You establish a lot of relationships and friendships with people throughout the years and suddenly, a perception of you is built. This, unfortunately, makes it extremely difficult to grow into another version of yourself, because people don\u2019t stop seeing you as the person they once met. Sometimes you outgrow things, places, and people, even when those who surround you haven\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>I find myself more daring and curious than ever now. I jump at the idea of diving into different cultures, styles, foods, and hobbies. This is why I decided to leave and start over someplace new. So I did. I finished my contract as a core staff nurse in Florida, packed up my belongings, and traveled to Vegas, Canada, and Hawaii before ending up in Southern California.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Time_to_spread_my_wings\"><\/span>Time to spread my wings<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I moved here without knowing anyone or anything. No family, no close friends, no one at all. At first, it was a little <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/wildindigo92\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-2948\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/image-832x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"345\" height=\"424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/image-832x1024.jpeg 832w, https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/image-244x300.jpeg 244w, https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/image-768x945.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/image-1200x1476.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/image-600x738.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/image.jpeg 1242w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 345px) 100vw, 345px\" \/><\/a>scary, maybe even depressing, but those feelings all faded. I met a lot of people during my first travel contract. All different, but all with similar goals\u2013 wanting to travel, to be free, and have an adventure. Nobody had preconceived notions or memories of one another. Rather than meeting the person you were, they met the person you were evolving into. This was all a refreshing feeling. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I could be myself.<\/p>\n<p>I still go back to Florida time to time just to visit old friends and family. It took me leaving for them to see me as the person I saw myself as. They no longer remind me of who I was, but rather who I am and what I\u2019m doing with my life. I tell them life is better for me now that I\u2019ve left, while also respecting that their life is better having had stayed. When I\u2019m not working a travel assignment or picking up shifts per diem, I\u2019m taking road trips along the midwest or flying to another country. This is my life now. I no longer live to work, but work to live and travel nursing has provided that lifestyle. All I worry about now is laughing and smiling with friends who I have met along the way. I wouldn\u2019t change it for the world.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Meet_Karen\"><\/span>Meet Karen<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Say hello to Karen and give her a follow <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/wildindigo92\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>. If you&#8217;re a travel nurse in Southern California just like her, make a new friend this summer.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re new to Wanderly, welcome and thanks for stopping by our community. We offer a platform that helps travel healthcare professionals find their travel assignments in an empowered way. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/nurse\/jobs\/search?q=&amp;idx=the_rate_descending&amp;p=0&amp;nR%5Bprofession_id%5D%5B%3D%5D%5B0%5D=1&amp;nR%5Bstart_date%5D%5B%3E%3D%5D%5B0%5D=1561334400&amp;utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=abstaffing_searchgeneral\">Compare fully detailed travel assignments<\/a> from the top paying agencies and use 1 universal application for all future assignments. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/nurse\/register?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=abstaffing_signup\">Join for free today!<\/a> Then you can get started on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/nurse\/jobs\/search?q=&amp;idx=the_rate_descending&amp;p=0&amp;nR%5Bprofession_id%5D%5B%3D%5D%5B0%5D=1&amp;nR%5Bstart_date%5D%5B%3E%3D%5D%5B0%5D=1561334400&amp;utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=abstaffing_searchgeneral\">finding your next dream travel assignment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t forget to follow us on social. We love getting to connect with travelers and their adventures: <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/wanderlynurses\/\">Instagram<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WanderlyNurses\/\">Facebook<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wanderlynurses\">Twitter<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Leaving home as a travel nurse can be tough. Other times, it can be the greatest adventure of our lives. In our Wanderly community, we love taking time to chat with travel nurses and all traveling healthcare professionals. Hearing about their journey, story, and what they&#8217;ve learned is something that inspires all who are in [&hellip;]<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":{"author_name":"Kelley","author_description":"","author_user_level":10,"author_avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fe55d4feb1c4e681b976a3b0f3c15157?s=96&r=g"},"featured_media":2949,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[48,54,17],"tags":[62,57],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Untitled-design.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Kelley","author_link":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/author\/manshu\/"},"featured_image":{"size_thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Untitled-design-150x150.png","size_medium":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Untitled-design-300x169.png","size_large":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Untitled-design-1024x576.png","size_full":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Untitled-design.png"},"loftocean-view-count":["3216"],"category":[{"id":48,"slug":"travel-nursing-inspiration","name":"Inspiration"},{"id":54,"slug":"nurse-life","name":"Nurse Life"},{"id":17,"slug":"travel-nursing","name":"Travel Nursing"}],"post_tag":[{"id":62,"slug":"travel-nurse","name":"Travel nurse"},{"id":57,"slug":"wanderly","name":"wanderly"}],"views":5206,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Untitled-design.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p92mSz-Lv","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2945"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16637"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2945"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5230,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2945\/revisions\/5230"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}