How To Road Trip As a Travel Nurse

So I want to preface this by saying I think everyone should drive across the US at least once in their life. Whether you’re moving to the other side of the country or you’re just doing a road trip, it’s a must. But before we get into it further, I have a disclaimer. The 3 times I’ve driven across the country were not for road trip vacations. Yes, I had time to have some fun, but I did have a job waiting for me on the other side, so I didn’t have endless time to check everything out. Also, FYI, I was driving from/to California and Pennsylvania/West Virginia. So without further ado, here’s the skinny.

Tip #1: Download the app Roadtripper

No, I’m not sponsored by them. But this is a great damn app for any roadtrip. You cannot only find any point of interest that might tickle your fancy, but you can plot them all on a map and it’ll tell you the miles, how much gas money you’ll probably spend, and the total time. Trust me, download it.

Tip #2: Check the weather & pick your route

There are 3 main-ish routes you can take across the country. (There’s way more than 3 ways to get across the country, I’m generalizing here. Go with it.) Thankfully for you, I’ve taken all 3. So which route should you take? Well, first off, check the weather. Are you traveling in winter? If you are and you don’t want to drive through blizzards, don’t go the north or middle route. Take a South route. See below for what the hell I’m talking about.

But which route is the best?!?

Lucky for you, I have an opinion on this. Personally, I thought the “middle” route was the best. I took this route in late October and only hit one snow storm in the Rockies of Colorado. But, I’ll describe each route for you, and let you decide which one you want to take-

“The Middle Route”- (I-70/I-15)

This was my favorite route, and if I could go back in time and take my time with this route, I would add Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. I did this drive from Pittsburgh, PA to Merced, CA. Here’s some of the cool stuff you can see along this route:

• Tiny town, big things, Casey, Il
• Gateway Arch, St. Louis, MI
  • Have dinner at Sugarfire Smokehouse for some great bbq
• World’s largest ball of twine, Cawker City, KS (just kidding, I did do this, but it’s dumb lol, don’t go out of your way)
• Pikes Peak, CO
• Arches National Park, Moab, UT
  • Grab breakfast at Eklectica Cafe
• Las Vegas, NV
  • Hometown favorite for the Nurse Backpack marketing team!
• Hoover Dam and Lake Powell, AZ
• Grand Canyon West, Mohave Country, AZ
• Route 66 Museum and Motel, Barstow, CA
• Sequoia National Park, CA

Cons to this route: Kansas. The entire state.

 

“The North Route”- (I-80/I-70/I-15)

This is not the true “northern” route, that would be I-90 I believe, but again, just go with it. I took this route from Modesto, CA to Morgantown, WV. Stuff to see:

• Zion National Park, UT
• Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
• Rocky Mountain National Park, CO
• Denver, CO
• Omaha, NE
• Chicago, Il (Millennium Park is cool)
  • Try Giordano’s Pizza

Cons to this route: Nebraska/Iowa. Not as bad as Kansas though.

 

“The South Route”: (I-81/I-40/I-15)

This was a pretty neat route, but like all the other routes, the middle section is long and boring. I took this one from Harper’s Ferry, WV to Los Angeles, CA. Be sure to check out…

• Luray Caverns, Luray, VA
• Nashville, TN
  • grab breakfast at Biscuit Love
  • HQ for the Nurse Backpack marketing team!
• Memphis, TN
  • grab dinner at Silky O’sullivan’s, good bbq
• Hot Springs National Park, Hot Springs, AK
• Route 66 Museum, Elk City, OK
• Albuquerque, NM
• Horseshoe Bend, Page, AZ
• Las Vegas, NV
• Los Angeles, CA

Cons to this route: Oklahoma and Texas.

 

Extra Tips

• Probably obvious, but check your spare tire, and make sure you have access to it. On my first trip across the country, I got a flat, and my car was packed so full of my belongings that I just bought a whole new tire instead of digging out my spare. Also, make sure your car is in good working condition and you recently got an oil change.
• Don’t “over plan”, i.e. book all your hotels ahead of time, etc, but also don’t “under plan”. On more than one occasion, I’ve gotten completely exhausted of driving, and stopped at a random hotel to sleep. No vacancy in the entire city, and I called every hotel and had to drive another 45 minutes to the next town. What I’m saying is, decide where you want to stay for the night around breakfast or lunch time, and start calling hotels in that city to book it. You don’t want to drive half asleep, that shit is dangerous.
• Bring snacks and lots of water. Obviously.
• I keep flashlights, road flares, first aid kit, snow boots, and a blanket in my car at all times. Ya never know.
• Save your maps offline, or buy/print a physical map (ya’ll remember printing out mapquest directions?). You will not have cell service for the entire drive, and you don’t want to get lost on a dirt road in Kansas.
• Don’t “over plan” your trip (deja vu, I know, different though). If you plan every stop and every restaurant, where’s the fun and adventure in that? Plan the big stuff, sure, but don’t be afraid to take the scenic route or stop at some crazy roadside attraction. Keep it loose.

So I hope this gives you a general idea on how to start planning your cross country trip. Each of these trips averaged me about 5 days. You could definitely combine some of these activities into one longer trip as well, depending on how much time you have. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email me or shoot me a DM on IG, all listed at the bottom and top of this website. Happy travels!

My first cross country trip, “The Middle Route”. Unforgettable.

Original post can be found here.

As a wanderer myself, I’ve driven across the North American continent at least six times so far in life. I cannot agree more with the sentiment expressed by the original author. Road trips really emphasize the natural splendor surrounding our lives, the type of beauty we dismiss and forget during our typical work day. If you’re interested in retro-fitting a vehicle for your travel nurse road trip, check out articles below!

– RiAnn Bradshaw, Director of Marketing