A woman has gone from nurse to nomad after feeling “burnt out” in her old job – and now travels the US solo, leaving her husband at home.
Melissa Hungerford, 36, worked at a hospital for eight years after studying nursing at college.
Feeling rundown and tired of constantly working, she decided to ditch the 9 to 5 for the van life, which means she’s now visited 38 of the 50 US states, with plans to tick them all off by the new year.
But it has impacted her relationship, with Melissa only seeing her husband, Todd Hungerford, 37, every four to six weeks.
“I’ve always loved the outdoors and I wanted the freedom to go to places I’ve never been before,” Melissa, who is from Montana, told NeedToKnow.co.uk. “Life as a nurse in the hospital involved long hours and I worked nights so my sleep schedule was a little wacky, so I definitely had days where I was exhausted.
“I felt burnt out working as a staff nurse because I felt like I wasn’t adequately compensated for the work I was doing.”
But Melissa was still in love with nursing and didn’t want to give up her career. So now, she simply travels the world while taking up shifts at children’s units.
She said: “I worked with adults for four years before switching over and working with infants. I had always dreamed of being a travel nurse but was scared to take the leap.
“It is very scary to go somewhere you’ve never been, where you know no one and basically take a chance.”
As for her relationship, Melissa has her husband Todd come out and see her in the van wherever she may be. However, he has to be back home due to his job in the music industry.
She said: “We see each other every four to six weeks. I miss him so much. He wishes he could travel with me but his job doesn’t allow it. My husband and I were actually talking and said if we ever bought a house that it would probably be a tiny home.
“The van has shown me that you don’t need as much space as you think you do to be happy and live a fulfilled life.”
Melissa decided to spend $75,000 (£59,089) on an already-renovated van after finding it on a camper app. She then shelled out a further $10,000 (£7,875) to make it her own.
The nurse said: “I lowered the bed, added cabinets, countertops mand a skylight. I also upgraded the toilet to a composting loo and changed the fridge. I then ripped out the shower that I never used and created a couch, like a bench.”
Melissa also upgraded the outside of the van with a roof rack, rear ladder and installed solar panels, as well as Starlink, a type of broadband for travellers.
“I was so happy with the outcome, and I did a lot of the work myself,” she said. “Living in the van is awesome but it is different than a traditional home for sure. You have to worry about water usage, human waste disposal, trash disposal, smaller space and downsizing.”
She added: “I sometimes miss having a bigger space of a traditional home but not enough to make me go back. But something that has surprised me about living in the van is how much stuff I don’t need. Downsizing feels amazing, and doing the ‘purge’ of things really put what you can live with and without in perspective.”
As for her future plans, she said: “Next, I plan on taking a scenic trip through Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. I am also thinking of visiting Oregon, Washington and California.”
The travel nurse advises anyone thinking about travelling to go for it, and if you are truly passionate about doing it nomad style - buy a van.
She added: “I absolutely recommend my lifestyle! Just make sure you’re ready for it. Things are going to break in the van that you have to fix in order to ‘live.’ You are going to hit your head on things or break your toe but the key is to not let that deter you from why you chose to live this lifestyle.
“What you see online and on social media is part of van life but it’s not always rainbows and butterflies. If you stay focused on why you chose to this lifestyle and the freedom it gives you, everything else you can handle.”
