Who knew this was so LONELY????

Specialties Travel

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Im a new OB travel nure. After many years of contemplation I finally bit the bullet and took my first assignment. I am a pretty independant girl-no husband, no children-although I do have a boyfriend, but he is supportive of my decision. I managed to get a good recruiter, a good assignment, and even a good schedule written into my contract. I do 6 nights on and 8 nights off so in theory I should have plenty of time at home to catch up and no time to get lonley because all I do on assignment is sleep and work.

I am no stranger to travel or solo travel. I did it for pleasure all through my 20's. I am now in my early 30's. I used to LOVE hotels. I have to say though-the lonliness has been an incredibly unanticipated depressing side effect. I thought I could live in foreign surroundings just fine considering my love for hotel rooms. But there is something different about this. I have no clue why. But its really making me rethink my decision.

Has anyone else dealt with this? Its really becoming bothersome to myself trying to cope and to my poor boyfriend who only hears me whine about hating being away from home. Totally didnt expect this one.

Yes. You're normal. :) I'm at the end of my first assignment and this was me for the first 2 months. Almost same situation as you except I'm mid twenties. No kids, have a supportive boyfriend back home, I travel a lot, AND I work OB ;). A few weeks before the end of my assignment I suddenly felt connected to coworkers and people here, but it took awhile! And of course now this assignment is almost over, lol. The first couple months were very lonely at times. At the beginning of my assignment I went to a yoga class almost every day on my day off to feel better/destress/and keep my spirits up. Try couchsurfing.org if you are looking for people to meet up with. I didn't use it on this assignment but I've used it while traveling in the past.

Hang in there, you sound pretty normal. :) And I feel for ya, because I know the loneliness sucks. I am really looking forward to seeing my family next week. :)

i feel for you too. it gets lonely as a traveler. I have been lucky though finding other travelers to hang out with and now we travel together. The staff can be friendly too but only a few have the time to go out. some have families and stuff going on so they may not be as social. You have to think about why you chose to travel--boredom, adventure, challenge etc. I wanted an adventure and everywhere i have been to i explore. Go to museums, beaches, shopping, working out, hiking. This past year I have been a traveler I have seen more than i did in the last 25years of my life. Embrace that if you can and know that you are a special breed. If you still cant decide why you chose this line of work then QUIT.

hey all I'm new to the site and decided to get connected cause I'm picking up my first assignment as a travel nurse. I've been an ER nurse for 4 years and am bravely deciding to take my first assignment in NYC. Anyone up there? I'm from Dallas texas. Would love to meet fellow travelers and travel together. Any tips?

Specializes in They know this too!.

I hear ya. Social Networking, texting, and picking up the phone now and then is your best bet. The last place I worked I didn't fit in so I wasn't invited to anything. Plus being away from home and not getting to spend time with the people you know is tough. You get use to it though and so do those around you.

Similar experience, first time traveler...We need to relearn how to be alone and not feel lonely...it is a work in process. Being grateful for the opportunity to experience new sights and even a little proud at the end of of the day to venture out on our own...a sense of accomplishment. I believe it will get better with each assignment...

I remember crying in my bed on my first solo assignment questioning why I was even doing this to myself. But that ended in couple weeks and I was able to appreciate the life traveling brings. It is lonely. But you are also getting experiences professionally and personally that are fun and exciting and when it sucks sometimes it will help you grow into a stronger person. Pick the cities you wanna go to, get to know yourself better, try to find someone to travel with, stick it out as long as you can/want to- once you settle back down you will miss it :-)

Specializes in Level III NICU PP Mother Baby & MICU.

I went through the same thing first time out....made even worse by being a 6 hour flight away from home. Needless to say that was my first and last 13 week gig.

Yes, it is very lonely. I wish I knew another travel nurse to go on assignments with. I have been a travel nurse for 2 years now. My kids are grown and I ended a relationship so I figured travel nursing was the way to go. I have made a few friends a long the way, but it is nothing like being in the town you live in and where you are comfortable. It has been an adventure and I have learned a lot along the way and seen a lot of sights. But I would rather have someone to enjoy the sights with, and you can never really make lasting relationships because you are always leaving. Not sure how much longer I will continue. I am tired of feeling so lonely.

i'm still a student but would like to travel in the future. the loneliness factor the only thing that is holding me back. can you request with your company to be placed with other travelers?

When I decided to travel the first time I felt the exact same way. I had never lived away from home, I was single, and my family and I are SUPER close. On my first assignment I was lucky enough to have a lot of other travelers at the facility because it was seasonal in FL. Luckily, my family visited quite a bit--FL in the winter was a great choice! Next, I went to CT and was more lonely there--were not many travelers and the staff could be kind of closed off. I remember one night in particular when I was the only white RN-the rest were Philippino-and spoke their own language the majority of the night! It does get very lonely. Now, the second time around that I am traveling my boyfriend is with me so that definitely helps! I still miss my family, but no matter where I was if I am away from them I will miss them! Good luck to you!

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

Yes, it's lonely. Even when I traveled with my husband, it was lonely. And work was tougher because I didn't really know my colleagues. Some folks thrive on the change, other folks don't like it so much.

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