The best perk of travel nursing is checking off destinations on your bucket list. Now that winter has settled in, it’s time to decide where you’ll be traveling to see the season in full swing!
There are two types of winter travelers: the travelers looking to escape the cold and the travelers who embrace winter and all of the fun activities that come with it! If you’re in the market to experience a winter wonderland, we have some great travel nursing destinations for our travel nurses to consider.
Best Travel Nurse Destinations for Winter
Vermont
For travel nurses who want to immerse themselves in a postcard-perfect snow-globe kind of scene, Vermont is the place to be. The glistening snow and frozen landscape make it a big draw for outdoor adventures like snowshoeing, ice skating, and ice fishing. If you take a travel nurse job in Burlington, Vermont’s largest city, prepare for a small-town feel to make you feel cozy and right at home. It’s often ranked as one of America’s friendliest places!
Only an hour’s drive away is another picturesque winter getaway: Stowe. Filled with one of the most charming villages in the region, the covered bridges and winter community events will leave you awestruck. For active travel nurses, visit one of the top ski resorts in the Northeast, Stowe Mountain Resort, and participate in dog sledding, ice skating, sleigh rides, and snow tubing. Be sure to visit for the winter carnival event in January to watch carvers create gorgeous ice sculptures along Main Street for the annual competition.
Step into your own Hallmark movie with a Vermont travel nursing job!
Mammoth Lakes, California
Although most travelers would think of beaches when they hear California, skiing is actually the main attraction in Mammoth Lakes. About a 5-hour drive north of Los Angeles, 1.3 million visitors annually arrive to ski, skate, sled, and more. If you want a more scenic route, take a hike on one of the area’s many trails, accessible year-round—our nature-loving travel nurses don’t have to miss out just because there’s snow on the ground. For areas with a little too much snow, try snowshoeing! After a day in the cold, take your pick of the many warm shops and restaurants!
Take a look at our available travel nurse contracts for beautiful destinations with a travel nursing job in California.
Alaska
The Northern Lights, reindeer ranches, and dogsledding—oh my! Alaska is one of the best destinations in the USA for travel nurses to enjoy a variety of winter activities. Fairbanks is the ideal place for a dreamy white winter experience. To make your trip truly memorable, plan to visit Fairbanks during a big winter event or festival, such as the World Ice Sculpting Championships, the Festival of Native Arts, or even the Iditarod.
Travel nurses can even cross a trip to the North Pole off their bucket lists. North Pole, Alaska, enjoys playing up its namesake and stays in Christmas mode all year. With a mayor named Santa, candy cane street lamps, and streets with titles including “Santa Claus Lane” and “Kris Kringle Drive,” you can’t get more into the Christmas spirit than this! Visit the Santa Claus House, a giant Christmas shop with a reindeer farm and a 40-foot fiberglass statue of Santa himself. If you bring your kids on this travel nurse assignment, they can send letters to Santa and even receive a response!
Find travel nursing jobs in Alaska today!
Leavenworth, Washington
Leavenworth is a Bavarian-inspired town framed by snowy mountaintops that takes Christmas to the extreme. Travel nurses can join the locals at the Christmas Lighting Festival, where more than half a million lights illuminate the sky. With a new glow about the town, visitors can participate in activities such as cider tastings and sledding.
Enjoy live music and shop for handmade gifts from local vendors at Christkindlmarkt, which takes place the weekend after Thanksgiving. Or indulge in your curiosity and tour the Nutcracker Shop and Museum to see a huge collection of nutcrackers from around the world. After a long shift, grab a bite at one of the many German-themed restaurants with delicious food, including an abundance of pretzels with cheese and German sausages.
Experience the holiday season travel nursing-style with available contracts travel nursing jobs in Washington.
Grapevine, Texas
Known as The Christmas Capital of Texas, Grapevine comes to life during the holidays. For 40 days, travel nurses can experience millions of Christmas lights, parades and celebrations, and more photo opportunities than you can count. Explore the Snowy Christmas Forest, go tubing at the Gaylord Texan Resort, and even attend a class to make a custom cookie cutter while enjoying hot cider and cookies. If you do anything during your visit, be sure to hang out with Mr. and Mrs. Claus on the North Pole Express, inspired by the 2004 film The Polar Express.
Feel like a kid again this Christmas with the perfect travel nurse assignment with a Texas travel nursing job!
Whether you dream of a magical winter wonderland or desire to bask in the sun while others are bundling up to ward off the cold, there are some great top travel nurse destinations for every traveler. Let Nurse First help you choose your next travel nurse assignment this winter! Visit our job board for available travel nursing jobs.
