TravelingbeebryantRN & Flicks_withNick

We are going to change gears a little bit. We were just at a really happy place in Mexico. Drinking bahama mamas, enjoying that sunshine, and enjoying all the laughs with all our friends. Now, we are going back to reality and I’m going back to work after a nice break. Work has also started to become a happy place. I just accepted an assignment in Springfield, Oregon. We are from Nashua, NH…. you do the math, so that means we are driving 47 hours. My first travel nursing assignment last January was actually in Spokane, Washington. Therefore, this is not our first rodeo on doing the whole cross country driving thing. I travel with my husband who works for Wex Inc from home. Wex is a corporate credit card company 

I decided I wanted to start my blog posts with an interesting fact about myself or something new that I learned. I also figured that my husband should participate in this because I’m writing these blog posts as we travel cross country. Don’t you feel like you are traveling with us? Today we are traveling to Solon, Ohio.  Is anyone from Salon, Ohio or traveled to Salon, Ohio?

I would like to say that I’ve always wanted to be a nurse and it’s been my dream since I was five. That’s not exactly my story… I really didn’t want to do humans honestly. Anyone that knows me, knows that I love dogs more than people! In high school, I traveled to a vocational high school that was 20 minutes away from my high school to take a vet tech class. In this vet tech class, I worked on a farm, groomed dogs, and also worked in kennels. It was honestly a huge passion of mine and inspired me to apply to 9 schools as an animal science major, with the intention of going to veterinary school. Unfortunately, I had a bad reaction to a cute bunny, which led me to an allergist appointment. The allergist said, “do people instead”. After doing allergy shots and convincing myself it was a bad idea, I ended up applying to nursing school. Of course,  now I’m happy with my decision to take care of people. I do love my furry friends… a story for another time,  is that I met my husband through a dog that’s not his. 

I don’t like to admit that geography is not my strong suit, but that’s where my husband is my best match. My husband likes to brag that he’s been able to label a blank US map with the state name and capital since the 3rd grade. (Can you even do that now? I can’t ) Meanwhile just last month, I asked if Guam was close, as there was an assignment there. If anyone wants to know, it’s closer to Japan and Australia than it is to California. We always say that he is in charge of maps, schedules, and directions. Probably a good thing, huh? 

Let’s get to what you should pack for your cross country trip. We also included some other tips and tricks! This is going to be geared towards someone that’s traveling cross country for a nursing assignment, but can also be helpful in general.

• Invest in a rooftop carrier: This is such a game changer. You can fit an unbelievable amount in these. We have fit two suitcases, golf clubs, toolbox, and other items that would have been left behind if it wasn’t for our topper. My parents got us a roofpax as a bridal shower gift. We have used it a lot and it really has worked well for us. The roofpax fits a lot of items, holds up in bad weather, easy to lock, and easy to store when it’s not in use. Find them on Amazon and on roofpax website: https://buyroofpax.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInvnK7Kjo_AIVgoJbCh3TAwd5EAAYASAAEgIH5_D_BwE

• First aid kit/emergency supplies: We always have a first aid kit and a car emergency kit in our car (thanks mom). We always complain that this takes up room in our cars, but the day we need it… we’ll be praising her and saying thank you! We always have a blanket, hats, and gloves that are accessible. We seem to be doing a lot of cross country driving in the winter, so it’s necessary to bring our portable shovel and car brush also. We also think it’s a good idea to invest in AAA. AAA is very affordable and worth investing for emergencies, along with getting deals on hotels. 
• Clothing and toiletries: My husband Nick will tell you I pack too many clothes. We have gotten better in the past year. We pack for all seasons for the possibility that we visit somewhere else or we go from contract to contract. For this trip, we packed one suitcase to share for the 6 days to travel to Oregon. We put our toiletries in a small duffel bag. This allows us to not take large bags into the hotels every night after traveling all day. If you are cross country road tripping in the winter, you need to consider bringing in electronics at night time. (TIP: I label the bags that need to go into the hotel at night with a piece of white tape; suitcase, nicks computers for work, etc. it helps with unloading)
• Packing a clean prepped car: This sounds so simple, but it is always at the top of the to do list. We always make sure we vacuum and wash the car before we start packing the car. You don’t want to start the trip with a messy car because by the end of day one you’ll be going nuts! One thing to help with a clean car is a trash can that attaches to the back of the headrest. You can find ours on Amazon. https://a.co/d/fi6GulT . I  suggest getting an oil change, topping your fluids, and making sure your tires are all set. The last thing you wanna do on this ride is deal with a car problem. 

• Healthy snacks: We typically book hotels that have complimentary breakfast. This allows us to start a day with eggs, fruit, and yogurt. During the day, we pack snacks like nuts, string cheese, apples, peanut butter crackers, and lots of water. I suggest getting a cooler backpack, so you can pack some fridge items that you can bring into the hotel at night and it doesn’t limit snack options. We typically don’t stop for lunch and find dinner at our end destination. 
• Music/podcast: I hate admitting it, but music gets old after a while. I am not much of a podcast person. I recently just started listening to podcasts. I really enjoy passport and Preemies and my husband really enjoys the The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz podcast. As you can see, really opposite interests. This morning we started dateline podcasts. We also listened to an Oscar nominee podcast this morning. If anyone has good suggestions for this 47 hour drive, don’t hesitate to reach out!

• Detailed itinerary: I’m definitely a free spirited person and my husband is more of a planner. I like to be a planner and my plans go to hell because I see something cool and I wanna stop. It’s a problem… We typically make a detailed itinerary before we leave. It changes a little along the way (I’m really sorry Nick), but for the most part it stays the same. This is typically what’s on the itinerary. I suggest sending it to a friend or family member.

• Downloaded maps: My husband typically downloads our journey on Google maps. This was something we learned to do in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota on our way to Spokane Washington. There are a lot of places where you don’t have cell reception. This was also helpful when we went hiking in unfamiliar areas on our drives. We try to hit up some national parks along our route. On this journey, we will be hitting two national parks! One of our new year’s resolutions was to go to ten national parks!

That’s all for now. Our 10.5 hour day to Salon Ohio is coming to an end. We had a pit stop in New York. We met for lunch with our travel friends that we made in North Carolina. It was a great break and awesome to see them. We hope we inspired you to get in your car and start driving 🚗. If not, maybe start planning a cross country road trip in the future. If you found this blog helpful in planning your future cross country road trip, follow our Instagram at @https://instagram.com/travelingbeebryantrn?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=.