By Debra Wood, RN, contributor
On her first travel assignment and her first journey outside of her native Kentucky, Jaime Starks, RN, fell in love with Chandler Perdue, RN, MSN, a fellow emergency department nurse. Now, they travel together.
“I wanted to see the country and this was the only chance I would have to do it for free,” Starks said.
Starks, ready set out on her own after wracking up experience in a Louisville emergency department, signed up with leading travel staffing company NursesRx and accepted a life-altering assignment in Charleston, South Carolina.
“I was looking forward to doing my own thing, but then I met Chandler,” Starks said.
Mutual friends at the hospital introduced the couple. A friendship blossomed and then a romance. They will marry in June.
“We had an attraction,” Starks said. “We didn’t stay just friends long. We knew we belonged together.”
As Starks’ original assignment came close to ending, she signed on for another one at the same facility, and then another. At that point, she either had to stay on as permanent staff or accept a contract at a different hospital. Not wanting to settle down, Starks began working at a facility in North Carolina and the two lovebirds began a long-distance relationship. Perdue signed on as a traveler, also with NursesRx, as soon as he had the required experience.
“I stole him away to the other side,” Starks said.
It’s a decision he has not regretted.
“I love being able to see new parts of the country,” Perdue said. “I have this problem of getting itchy feet if I stay in one place too long. There’s a lot I want to see.”
The couple picks new places based on their recreational opportunities. They enjoy the outdoors—hiking, snowboarding, camping—and dining out. They concentrate on experiencing each region’s natural attributes, such as surfing in San Diego and visiting the wineries around Santa Barbara.
They also have worked together in Ashville, North Carolina, and Seattle, where Perdue proposed last June. It’s a favorite city for both the travelers.
“In Seattle, there’s so much great music, great food, and it’s a fun culture,” Perdue said. “Three months in San Diego was like a vacation.”
Starks said Charleston would always hold a special place in her heart.
“That’s where I fell in love,” Starks said. “It’s a beautiful, old city with lots of history. And it’s by the beach.”
Wherever they go, they make friends. Perdue figures out which staffers he might like to get to know better within the first week on assignment and proactively seeks to spend time with those people.
“For the most part everywhere we have traveled, the staff has been really nice and welcoming,” Perdue said. “I’ve never had a bad experience with permanent staff at a hospital giving me grief or making problems, because I am a traveler.”
Perdue and Starks hope their next assignment takes them to Hawaii, so they can enjoy an extended honeymoon and spend some special time together.
They have many places highlighted on their roadmap to future assignments and are not ready to give up the vagabond lifestyle.
“The best part is the freedom of being able to pack up the car and go,” Starks said. “There are no constraints of material things to own. It’s a gypsy life, and I love it.”
“This isn’t real life. This is fantasy. It’s amazing,” added Perdue, 30, who considers himself fortunate to be able to travel. “We love it and are having a wonderful time.”
Long-term, Perdue would like to become a nurse practitioner, but said for now, he is having too much fun traveling.
“There are tons of wonderful things I have gotten to see,” Perdue said. “We’ve had such great experiences.”
Starks agreed, saying, “It’s the greatest job in the world. I get to do what I like—helping people every day—and I get to see places I would never otherwise see.”
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