In the summer months, you may find that travel nurse jobs don't provide you with enough free time to get away for a vacation. While some travel nurses may specifically choose assignments in vacation destinations, if you're looking for some inexpensive ways to spend your time off, there are some great activities you can enjoy no matter where you're located! Take some time for rest and relaxation during your summer with these budget-friendly ideas:
Learn about the city
If you're new to your city as a travel nurse, you may be able to spend your summer exploring all the fun activities locals take part in during the warmer months. Check with your chamber of commerce to see if there are any regularly scheduled events like concerts or movies in the park, street festivals or art fairs. This is also a perfect time to take advantage of any community pools nearby, or you could stake out a nearby beach – provided there is indeed a body of water in your proximity.
Day tripper
No beach down the road? You can always plan a mini road trip on your day off. Do a bit of research and find somewhere you can commute to and from for just a day. Invite family or friends to join or meet you there and you can all enjoy a dip in the water followed by a barbecue. Other areas you might want to research for day trips can be busy downtowns, museums or national parks. A quick road trip will save you money on renting a hotel room or having to book a flight. Plus, you can squeeze it in anytime!
Explore
There's so much more worth finding out about your new city than sticking to the local entertainment options. Take a moment to unwind and connect with Mother Nature during a hike or long bike ride. Find a trail in the area that offers geocaching sites and head out to explore the great outdoors solo or with a partner in crime. You can even find out of there are any unique plant or animal species in the area and head out to discover where they come from.
Freebies
It's not uncommon for area museums and other tourist attractions to offer free days to those who are residents of the city. Investigate where you might be able to spend the day, taking advantage of what could otherwise be a costly afternoon. You might even find that the local parks department offers free yoga classes or other activities throughout the summer. Meet up with a friend for the afternoon and treat yourselves to an out-of-the-ordinary day. If you can't find anywhere to go that's free of charge, just look for the deal days.
Read on
Sometimes there's no better way to spend a lovely summer afternoon that out on the grass with a blanket or swinging in the hammock with a great book to keep you company. If you enjoy reading, you have a number of options when it comes to finding books for less. Instead of purchasing every book that strikes your interest, check out book sharing networks and programs available for many e-readers. If paperbacks are your style, hit the local library and put that library card to use!
Cook breakfast, lunch and dinner
Get to work on your culinary skills and stay away from restaurants and frozen meals when you aren't in a rush. Sure after a long day at your travel nursing job you're likely to prefer takeout over an hour in the kitchen, so head to the stove during your days off. You'll save money, eat healthier and get a chance to experiment with all those fun recipes you've been bookmarking online.