First things first, realize that there will not be much furniture, if any, going with you on your travel assignment. Most travel nurse assignments do include furnished housing since you are there short term. This should all be arranged long before you are packing your car.

Make sure to clean your car about a week before it is time to pack. You want it clean inside so you will feel good about shoving all your precious belongings into every nook and cranny you can. Make sure to utilize all the space in your car, under seats, and in between seats and anywhere you can fit something. You will be surprised how you can pack stuff in and around, if you take your time and plan.

If you can it is best to avoid boxes. They take up space and they are not flexible. Obviously some things need to be put in boxes but a lot of your stuff can be packed in cloth or plastic bags and be much more flexible to fit in and around other things.

If you have breakables that you are packing, wrap them in your clothing or towels to save space. This way you won't need packing materials or messy newspaper. If you are bringing the clothing any way, why not put it to good use in the packing phase.

If you are transporting anything liquid make sure to put it in waterproof bags or containers. If not, you can bet it will leak on something that you don't want it to. Better to be safe than sorry.

Remember to keep anything that you will need during the trip on the passenger seat beside you. If you will be staying overnight on the way pack a small overnight bag so you don't have to dig through everything to find what you need for one night. This was a trick my mom taught me as she was always driving cross country to visit friends and family after she retired.

Pillows take up lots of space. So, do you really need them or maybe you could buy new pillows at your destination? This is something to consider if you are having issues with space. Unless it's your favorite pillow that you can't sleep without it may be better just to get some new ones when you arrive at your destination.

You can shrink bulky items like bedding and clothes into a smaller space with vacuum storage bags. They are affordable and can make a big difference if you have bulky items like this.

Of course, you can always purchase an overhead rack or carrier if there is no way to fit it all in the car. Travel nurses and healthcare travelers obviously will get better at the packing procedure the more you do it. As with everything, practice makes perfect.

I hope this article has given you a few ideas at least to get you started. Of course, you can always look for more tips online as well. Safe travels!

Mary Crawford, HealthCare Employment Network