Pence and Pints

Greetings from London fellow traveling nurses/ aspiring traveling nurses!

Wow what another busy week it has been! I am typing this to you all while sitting in bed with a generous glass of red wine (which I fully deserve).

I am getting loads of questions relating to costs of living in London and if traveling is feasible money wise. And the short answer is: you can make anything happen if you want it bad enough.

It is true that the cost of living in London isn't cheap and in fact can be quite stressful on the wallet. On the other hand, if you are willing to branch out and explore you will find that London can be done cheaply without sacrificing fun. Nurses are not as well paid here in comparison to the United States but we are decently paid in London is regards to other professions. Also, as a traveling nurse, we do get a higher salary along with the perks of significantly reduced cost housing compared to permanent staff. Not to mention the flexibility of working in 3 month contracts. I cannot even begin to describe the bliss of not being tied down to a place or having to fight politics that inevitably come with any permanent healthcare job after a while.

My nurse travel companions and I make our salaries work for us and are able to travel about pretty freely. In fact, we just took a weekend hike to Scafell Pike up north in the Lakes District. We had a great time and it didn't cost a fortune. Of course I am not saving much and definitely not contributing to a 401K but I am finding life enriching ways to spend my money. If I spend it on travel, I never feel a cent (or pence) is wasted. But if I spend it on clothes, I would feel guilty. I do think cider and good wine are the exceptions because I will always have spare change to grab a drink with friends!

To make my traveling work, I am a regular visitor of sites such as Travel Zoo and lastminute.com. I am on their alert lists so new deals are always popping up. These range from mini breaks away throughout Europe to great deals west end musicals and dinners. I have also recently discovered the amazing world of travel shows! I just attended a TNT travel show in Angel last week and came out of it with two amazing holidays for next year at 50% off ! Also when I travel, staying in hostels can save a whole heap of money and flying budget airlines always helps reduce costs.

In London, there are loads of free things to do. I am a regular wanderer of Borough Markets and Shoreditch. My Kiwi friend and I have made it a regular thing to go to a new area of London and try different coffee shops. Also, a lot of the museums are free and there are always events to attend! You can even find cheap pints at great pubs and you don't even have to search for them!

Now, I do also love going on a great date. I find my dating life has come alive since moving here. I always suggests going to a new wine bar, pub, restaurant, or exhibition as part of them. Not only is it a great way to meet new and interesting people but it's also a great way to come out of it with a couple of drinks and possibly dinner (sorry guys, this won't help you). But for the ladies, if you aren't attached then I say open your mind to meeting new people! I find that here my confidence has increased ten fold and I genuinely enjoy the differences in everyone I meet.

I try to keep dining out to a minimum but of course splurge every now and then. What's the fun in moving to a new city and not trying the food or getting fancy once in a while? When it comes to groceries, I keep it to the essentials. I am no culinary wizard but have learned to put together cheap meals that last longer. I do find groceries are much cheaper here in comparison to the states though. It is easy to eat more fresh, less processed foods at a good price.

Those are just some of the ways I make a nurses salary work for me while still keeping hold of funds for travel. Of course everyone is different. I can only tell you what works for me. With that being said, I do need to save some money before Christmas since I will be off to Australia for a road trip! Eeeks! Countdown is on!