By Sarah Wengert
When the temps start to drop and the holidays loom nearer, it’s time to start planning your travel nursing assignment for winter. The season of shorter daylight and brighter twinkly light decor makes many of us shrink back into our turtlenecks, while others happily go in full tilt, arms outstretched like snow angels. Whether you adore winter or you’re already counting down to spring, there’s a location for your next travel healthcare assignment that will fit you like a cozy glove.
Here are some of our suggested top travel nursing locations for winter 2022!
Albany, New York
The capital of The Empire State sits in upstate with a population of roughly 99,000. Albany is known for its striking history alongside modern attractions. The city is grand, yet unpretentious. During your Albany travel nursing assignment, a visit to the sprawling New York State Capital is a must, whether you tour the inside or simply admire the extravagant architecture — although we suggest venturing in to properly explore this grand dame. Across the street you’ll find the Empire State Plaza, which you can follow for about 10 minutes to the incredible New York State Museum. The city’s Center for the Performing Arts is dubbed “The Egg” due to its unique, oblong shape. And speaking of performing arts, Hamilton fans may want to take the Historic Albany Foundation’s “Walking in Hamilton’s Footsteps” tour. The founding father spent much of his time here. Albany is sized just right for many travelers and you can enjoy great shopping, arts, dining, and more in this capital city. For fun side trips we suggest Saratoga Springs, Cooperstown, or The Berkshires.
In addition to Albany, we’re seeing really great New York travel nursing assignments throughout the Empire State. Some more of our favorites for winter 2022 travel nurse assignment include New York City, Syracuse, White Plains, Nyack, Patchogue, Buffalo, Saratoga Springs, Bronx, Buffalo, Johnson City, Ithaca, Geneva, Yonkers, and Cooperstown.
San Antonio, Texas
You’ll never forget The Alamo — and so much more — after taking a travel nurse assignment in sparkling San Antonio. This large city in south-central Texas has a population of roughly 1.4 million and average winter high temps sit in the mid to upper 60s, making it an ideal location for wintertime Scrooges. The Alamo is the city’s most famous attraction, and it’s definitely a must see. Originally designed as a church, it quickly fell into use as a military fortress. The area is filled with other Spanish missions and they’re just one indicator of San Antonio’s vibrant Hispanic heritage and population. Enjoy the city’s incredible food, cultural festivals, parks, cathedrals, and markets. Visit the Pearl District for nightlife, shopping, and dining. You can access this and other destinations, shops, restaurants, galleries, and more from the city’s famed San Antonio Riverwalk. For sports fans, a winter assignment means you’re just in time to root for the home team San Antonio Spurs!
The Lone Star state is chock full of incredible travel healthcare opportunities this winter. In addition to San Antonio, we’re seeing lots of quality jobs in Austin, El Paso, Dallas, Plano, Fort Worth, Houston, Temple, Webster, Harlingen, Arlington, Plano, Pasadena, Dallas, Corpus Christi, Nacogdoches, Lewisville, New Braunfels, Denton, and more.
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is home to roughly 688,000 folks, as well as an abundance of history, art, dining, shopping, sports, and so much more. And, even though you’re new in town, you can visit that iconic bar “where everybody knows your name.” Travel nursing jobs in Boston are great in any season, but winter is perfect for skating or sledding in Boston Common and walking the Freedom Trail, which is a winding, sidewalk path that passes 16 of the city’s top historic sites. Stops include sites like the Massachusetts State House, Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere’s House, and the Old North Church. Root for the home teams — the famous Boston Celtics b-ballers and Boston Bruins hockey champs. You may even want to extend your assignment, so you can see spring bloom forth at Boston Common (the nation’s first public park) and Boston Public Garden (America’s first public botanical garden).
Worcester, Massachusetts is another standout spot for a traditional winter travel nurse assignment, and it’s also very popular with travelers. Additionally, we suggest checking out Framingham, Plymouth, Natick, Hyannis, Leominster, Lowell, Concord, Newton, Springfield, North Chatham, Braintree, and Dorchester.
Tucson, Arizona
Travel healthcare assignments abound each winter in Arizona, as snowbirds head south for the season. If you’re not into winter, you can follow them! For winter 2022, we’re liking travel nursing opportunities in Tucson, Arizona, the state’s second-largest city. This city of approximately 548,000 is in the southern part of the state. Tucson itself is very flat, which is great news for those who want to bike to work or to explore the city, but it’s surrounded by mountain trails and stunning Sonoran Desert views, which is good news for hikers! Surrounding areas are also fantastic for stargazing and you’re sure to beat the winter blues with this region’s mild winter climate. Tucson has an incredible Native American heritage, and perhaps that helped it become named the United States’ only UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Whether fine dining or street food, the cuisine here is a unique blend of cultural influences, including Spanish, Mexican, Native American, Anglo, new immigrant groups like Ethiopian, and so much more.
Several other great Arizona options for winter 2022 include Phoenix, Glendale, Show Low, Goodyear, Mesa, Lake Havasu City, Sun City West, Prescott Valley, and Kingman.
Aurora, Colorado
This is a perfect location for ski enthusiasts and mountain gawkers alike. Travel nursing jobs in Aurora, Colorado and nearby areas are very popular among travelers. This city is just a half-hour drive east of Denver and has a population just under 400,000. Aurora sits on the front range, making it a great jump-off spot for those aforementioned ski trips, but that’s not all there is to this standout location. Winter’s a wonderful time to head inside at one of Aurora’s many galleries and local boutiques. Shoppers will want to visit Stanley Marketplace, Colorado’s largest indoor marketplace, which is a collection of great restaurants, pubs, and local and national shops. In addition to the Aurora Cultural Arts District, the Colfax Canvas Mural Tour is fun for art lovers. Aurora gets an average of 300 sunny days each year, which helps keep seasonal affective disorder at bay and makes the city’s many golf courses playable year-round. Don’t forget, all of Denver, Lakewood, and other local communities are so close to your assignment here you’ll have even more to explore. Bonus!
In addition to Aurora, we’re seeing great winter 2022 Colorado travel healthcare opportunities in Denver, Englewood, Pueblo, La Junta, Colorado Springs, Lakewood, Longmont, Lone Tree, Highlands Ranch, Frisco, Grand Junction, Vail, Thornton, and Steamboat Springs.
San Francisco, California
This world-class city is a northern California favorite! With a population of roughly 888,000 and an abundance of nicknames — although locals say to never call it Frisco — San Francisco is a truly original place bursting with incredible attractions, art, nature, food, history, and so much more. Your 13-week San Francisco travel nurse assignment may feel too short as you try to visit all the must-sees, including Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown, Golden Gate Park, the Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate National Recreation Area (a designated Biosphere Reserve!), Angel Island State Park, Ghirardelli Square, Twin Peaks, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and so many more. You’ll also want to hit up neighboring Oakland, make time for the 1.5-hour trip north to wine country, and the 45-minute drive to see the awe-inspiring, ancient redwoods at Muir Woods National Monument. Perhaps an assignment extension is in order if you’re going to experience all the magic San Francisco has to offer!
Due to its progressive, safe nurse to patient ratio policies, unique geography, and population, California consistently offers an abundance of travel nursing jobs. In addition to our top pick of San Francisco this winter, you might want to explore wintertime opportunities in Palm Springs, Santa Cruz, Modesto, Redding, Palo Alto, Santa Monica, Lakewood, Fountain Valley, Indio, Sacramento, Carmichael, Los Angeles, Bakersfield, San Diego, Long Beach, Santa Rosa, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Riverside, Pasadena, Merced, Oakland, and so many more exciting cities and laid-back towns.
What Other Locations Are Available?
If none of our top winter locations are the right fit for you, don’t despair! We’ve got thousands of incredible travel nurse and travel allied health assignments in all 50 states, plus Washington, DC and Guam. Be sure to let your recruiter know what type of location you’d like to land in the winter, and, in the meantime, use our job search tool to explore opportunities. If you’re just getting started, apply now and we’ll help you discover where care can take you!