Working through Christmas on a travel assignment can be bittersweet. The lights, music, and cozy family gatherings all look a little different when you are so far from home on assignment. For many travelers, this season comes with mixed emotions of gratitude, homesickness, and quiet strength.
If you’re spending the holidays on assignment this year, you are not alone. Here’s a little reminder that joy can still be found, even if your Christmas looks a little different this year.
5 Tips for Working Through Christmas
❤️ Finding “Home” Wherever You Are
When you are constantly moving, home becomes less about the place and more about the feelings. Perhaps it’s the coworkers who become friends and make you laugh through a long shift, the roommate who saves you a plate of dinner, or the simple ritual of hanging your favorite Christmas ornament in each of your new temporary homes.
Those little moments of comfort, they’re home, too!
🎁 Making the Most of the Moment
It’s okay if Christmas morning feels a little quieter this year. Maybe you start your day with a call to family and a cup of coffee, or maybe you have a slow morning before you start your shift.
You may not have the big holiday dinner, but there are still ways to find joy in small indulgences: a peppermint mocha, your favorite Christmas playlist, or a Christmas movie marathon when you finish your shift.
Sometimes the simplest celebrations can mean the most.
🌟 Staying Connected (Even When You’re Miles Apart)
Homesickness tends to hit hardest during the holidays, especially when working through Christmas, but your connection to those you love doesn’t have to depend on proximity. Technology is amazing for those far from us. You can set up a virtual gift exchange with friends, send postcards from your assignment, or have a “Christmas in January” celebration, or whatever month you are home next.
Your family and friends understand your lifestyle. They know you are out there making a difference, and they’re proud of you for it.
✨ Letting Gratitude Lead
It’s easy to focus on what you are missing out on, because you are working through Christmas, but look around —there is so much beauty where you are. You are seeing new cities that are lit up for the holidays, meeting new people you wouldn’t have otherwise, and doing work that truly matters and makes a difference.
Even if this year’s Christmas doesn’t look traditional, it’s uniquely yours.
💚 It’s Okay to Miss Home, and Still Feel Joy
Both of these can exist at once. You can miss your family and friends and still feel proud of the job you are doing. You can wish you were home and still smile at the lights twinkling outside your temporary housing.
It can be both; it doesn’t have to be either/or.
🎄From One Traveler to Another
If you’re working through Christmas or traveling, know that you are a part of a community that gets it, a group of healthcare travelers who understand what it means to show up with heart, even far from home.
You’re making memories, touching lives, and adding your own sparkle to the season.
Wherever you are this Christmas, we hope you find connection, warmth, and a moment of peace just for you. ❤️
✈️ Planning Your Next Adventure?
When you’re ready to look ahead to 2026, visit our Job Board to start dreaming up your next destination. Because no matter where your next assignment takes you, joy travels with you.
