Whether you’re hitting the road for the first time to take on a locum tenens position, or you’re a seasoned locum tenens traveler, arriving in a new town can be intimidating. Moving to new places can be especially unsettling at first if you are traveling alone. I’m sure you’ve been there – will I be lonely at my new assignment location? How will I meet people? Who will I call in case of an emergency? If you find yourself asking these questions, consider some travel safety tips for locum tenens to ease your mind.
Locum tenens positions make it possible for you to explore many new and beautiful places across the country while taking care of people, but like any career, it comes with stressors. If you are a solo locum tenens traveler, there are several travel safety tips for locum tenens that you can follow.
Travel Safety Tips for Locum Tenens
Read up on your new home
Knowing background information on the town or city you’re moving to can make it easier for you to blend in. It can also make you more aware of which neighborhoods to avoid. If you’re moving down south, for example, you can’t exactly adopt a southern accent overnight, but you can be aware of slang terms used in that area, or any historical facts that might still have modern day relevance in the community.
Stay connected
One of the most important travel safety tips for locum tenens is to stay in touch with friends and family. Even if they’re not local, letting people know that you’re going out on a date or meeting new friends for dinner can be helpful if something were to happen to you. Also, even though you might not want to tell your new coworkers all the details of your life, casually mentioning the name of a place you’re visiting after work can’t hurt.
Pay attention to your surroundings
Pay attention to your surroundings, and try to blend in as much as possible. If you’re constantly trying to read a map or wearing a winter jacket in 80 degrees because you forgot to check the weather, you might stand out as someone who doesn’t know what’s going on. This makes you appear more vulnerable to potential attackers. Try to appear local as much as possible while you’re exploring.
Take care of yourself
Nobody wants to get sick when on a locum tenens adventure or step into an avoidable accident like a fire ant pile. Make sure to not only take care of yourself by drinking enough water and eating healthy foods but also by reading up on what kind of animals and bugs you’ll be sharing your new home with. Knowing what dangerous natural threats plague the area you’re traveling to is important. Plus, you’re more likely to pay attention to your surroundings if you’re not distracted by a nasty cough or a painful bug bite.
Although some mishaps are unavoidable, being prepared with travel safety tips for locum tenens can send you into your next locum tenens destination with a little more confidence.
