How to Make Friends as a Traveler

Four years ago, I decided to take the leap into the world of traveling as a healthcare professional. I was scared, nervous, and constantly anxious at how my life would play out with so many uncertainties. I wasn't worried about starting at a new hospital or uprooting my life, my true fear was being alone in a new city without any friends............. ​

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Unlike some of my peers that I have encountered and interacted with, I did not have a whole lot of friends growing up that I could call upon. I knew I would have to put myself out there and meet people as I explored each new location, whether that was at the hospital on the units I worked on or just at places I frequented like the gym, bars, bookstores, or other various social hang out spots. Before discovering the MedVenture App, I came to rely upon an app called Meetup. The Meetup App connects you with individuals around your age who share similar interests. This became my new way to social network with others at clubs, breweries, trivia nights, etc. but I didn't truly connect with the people I encountered. After traveling for a year to 3 separate cities and not feeling like I was making meaningful friendships, I was about ready to quit travel nursing completely and move back home to Texas but then something called COVID19 swept the nation. 

As pay rates started to skyrocket, I decided to stick with travel nursing and found myself taking an assignment in Seattle. Little did I know, this assignment  would change my life forever. Seattle is one of a select few hubs with an abundance of travelers of all different specialties because of its high cost of living and plethora of hospitals and other medical facilities. Through the help of various nursing blogs on social media, I discovered an app called MedVenture. 

MedVenture is a free social networking app designed to connect all traveling healthcare professionals.  For me, MedVenture has been much more than that.  I have developed amazing new friendships and have been constantly introduced to new experiences.  Since joining MedVenture, I have taken up rock-climbing as a hobby, started traveling to various places around the world for ski trips, attended music festivals for the first time, and completed my first medical volunteer trip to the Dominican Republic thanks to their partnership with 4NorthProject. With the MedVenture App in my back pocket, I cannot wait for what 2023 has in store as I will be reacquainted with some travelers I met off of MedVenture for a SE Asia trip. I'm attending their first in person nationwide event, MedVenture Camp, and already plan on going to two separate music festivals with other travelers I met.
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The number one piece of advice I can give any traveler, new or veteran, on how to make new friends is to be a “yes-person” or keep an open mind about something that may be unfamiliar to you. Say yes to that hike that people are going on, say yes to that social meetup at that brewery or bar, say yes to that game of beach volleyball or bonfire (my first MedVenture meetup). You never know what kind of new friendships will develop from that one event. See you all out there! 

Written by Grant Ward
​ICU Travel RN & MedVenturist