New graduate and extremely shy

[KayStanley]

Hello! Im new to this site. I will be graduating soon with my lpn and starting the bridge program to my rn. I want to travel so very bad, I love the outdoors and new experiences. I am also extremely shy and awful at making new friends! I never made any close friends during school because my anxiety, although I do talk and try to be friendly. During clinicals I have no problem helping and talking to patients and family member, and I am always willing to help, which is a plus. My main concern is that if I go inti travel nursing I will feel very lonely and left out. Ive never lived on my own and I dont want to be miserable. Has anyone else had these concerns and how did things pan out for you? Thanks!

P.s. can you bring a friend along for the ride?

[NedRN]

Yes, you can bring a friend. If you have difficulty making friends, travel may or may not be better. Your best bet is belonging to some group or special interest. For example church, dancing (start - dozens of kinds of dancing out there, no need to hang out in bars), games (I play duplicate bridge and duplicate clubs are very welcoming and have lessons just like dance clubs), hiking (try Sierra club), local bike clubs have group rides for all ability levels, and so on. Meetup dot com can be a place to find others to hang with. Pretty much everything you could have tried at home. Local charity, sewing club, I could go on forever. There might be a club for introverts if you google it, but you would probably have more fun if you sneak into a group of extroverts.

[KayStanley]

Great ideas :)

[wanderlust99]

Traveling can be very lonely at times. But, it is a great way to get you out of your shell and open up to others. It can be tough, I know! One really good thing is travelers tend to stick together and it is pretty easy to at least meet another traveler you can go to lunch with or go exploring whatever new city you're in. Some assignments were hit or miss for me, but typically you can find someone to hang out with on your off days.