The Atlas Life #28 - Christina Powell & Travis Taylor, Traveling ER Nurse Duo & Power Couple!

Rich: All right. This is completely unexpected, but a lot of fun. Jake Brower is with us today along with two of his travelers, Travis and Christina, who completely surprised us out of the blue.

Jake: Yeah. I'm sitting at my desk over there on the phone and they come walking in and it was a very big surprise. I was kind of rude on the phone in fact.

Travis: But wait, get out. No, not you.

Jake: But what a surprise. So yeah, I met Travis actually through Christina. Talked to Christina first, actually you connected me with Christina first. Christina has been an Atlas traveler for quite a while, a couple years. And so they are just coming from Reno on their way to Nashville and yeah, it's been fun.

Rich: It's been, yeah. So we're going to ask, Christina has already done this. We'll ask Travis a few questions now.

Jake: Oh and I also got to hang out with them for a week in Reno when we did our meet and greet earlier this year. So it's kind of fun. It's like old friends.

Rich: Awesome.

Christina: They finally let you out of the office to do a meet and greet.

Jake: I know. Finally.

Rich: Finally.

Jake: I graduated.

Rich: You did. Good job.

Travis: You got off probation.

Rich: All right, well then Travis, welcome to the Atlas Life. All right. So this is cool. Like this was completely unexpected and I'm so glad you guys stopped by on your way through. So talk about your trip from Reno to Nashville.

Travis: We always try to road trip in between assignments. So we were going to Albuquerque. We stopped off in Las Vegas for like four days you know as part of that trip and then we were leaving Albuquerque, going to Reno. Think we stopped off in Las Vegas for four days. I taught her how to do parachuting for the first time there. She got me back and I had go on a camel safari the next day. So we always try to build in little trips along the way.

Christina: Everyone should go ride a camel at Mesquite, Nevada. It's called the Camel Safari. Everyone should do that at least once in your life.

Rich: They have camels in Nevada?

Travis: Mesquite. Mesquite, Nevada.

Christina: In Nevada. So that go ride a camel. That can also be an Atlas thing that you guys do as a group as a meet and greet.

Travis: There you go.

Rich: Sure.

Christina: I wouldn't recommend [crosstalk 00:02:25].

Jake: Ride a camel.

Christina: But ride a camel for sure.

Rich: Is it different than riding a horse.

Travis: Very.

Christina: Yes, very much so.

Travis: The gait's different and everything else. It was hilarious because we were passing the Camel Safari place on the way to parachuting. Same town. Mesquite, Nevada or Nevada depending on where you're from.

Rich: Sure.

Travis: So she calls and makes the appointment. She's like, "I will be there tomorrow. If I'm not there it's because I died jumping out of airplane. But otherwise I will be there."

Jake: That is a sentence only a travel nurse would use.

Rich: Absolutely.

Jake: I'll be there to ride the camel.

Christina: To ride the camel.

Travis: Unless I die.

Jake: Unless I die jumping out of an airplane.

Travis: But it's pretty cool. So what's that movie? The Bachelor or Bachelorette?

Christina: Yeah, the Bachelor or Bachelorette. One of those shows actually filmed there. They had like a hot tub out in the middle of their like camel enclosure so that there would be camels like wandering in the background. And so it was filmed there.

Jake: How romantic.

Rich: Yes.

Travis: Right?

Christina: Listen camels are-

Travis: Camel Safari, hot tub.

Christina: So they rode camels and then they did a hot tub in the field.

Travis: Yes.

Christina: It's kind of cool.

Travis: So we started the Reno assignment parachuting and then three or four weeks ago we went parasailing and we ended the assignment paragliding. So it was a really cool assignment here in Reno. A lot of great things to do. So we left there and then we're road tripping, we stopped in Salt Lake City. Drove from there straight through here just so we can surprise you guys. And then we're going to leave tomorrow and heading to Nashville, Tennessee.

Christina: We're stopping for barbecue in St Louis though.

Jake: Of course. You have to.

Christina: That's an important part.

Rich: I would stop in Kansas City for barbecue, but that's just me.

Christina: Oh. Okay.

Jake: Agreed.

Christina: Okay.

Jake: Agreed.

Rich: So having had both and that's not a I don't like St Louis thing. I don't like St Louis.

Jake: Let's be clear.

Rich: Baseball. St Louis, the city was fantastic.

Christina: Baseball.

Rich: But if I had to choose between styles of barbecue, I would definitely stop in Kansas City.

Christina: Okay.

Jake: You know, maybe it's me, you can do both.

Christina: Or we can stop in both.

Travis: Or you could do both. Right. And then you're going to go to Memphis, right? Would you go through Memphis?

Jake: No, no.

Travis: No.

Christina: No, no.

Rich: Well you could go through Memphis.

Travis: No, no.

Christina: No we don't have that kind of time. We stopped here. We stopped here instead.

Travis: We have to start the new job on Monday, so no.

Rich: Well it's Monday.

Jake: They got a week.

Christina: Next Monday.

Travis: Yeah.

Christina: Yeah, we've got to get furniture at this apartment.

Travis: We have to adult.

Christina: We have a lot of things to do.

Travis: We have to adult for a little while.

Rich: It's details.

Christina: Details. Yeah, we'll just sleep on the floor. It'll be fine.

Rich: Right. Okay. So I asked you this question before. Tell me how you guys met.

Travis: So funny story. So I was a staff nurse. It was actually her very first travel assignment. She was with Atlas on her travel assignment and that's how I met her. And we got to be great friends at the time. And then she's telling me about all the benefits, travel, nursing, the benefits that come with it. And then it was like, oh, and you should date me kind of a thing. So I'm like, these are even more benefits. I'm like, I get the benefits of travel nursing and I get the benefits of dating her. So I'm like, "Let's do this okay."

Rich: So you sold him on travel nursing first.

Christina: Right.

Rich: And then you sold him on dating.

Christina: Yeah.

Travis: Yeah. And then now we have a cat, so we have a fur kid so now it's like a little family.

Christina: Now we're a family.

Travis: So now we're committed.

Christina: Now your committed.

Travis: Now we're committed.

Christina: Now you're stuck.

Rich: Now you're in. You're in for good.

Travis: Yeah. I'm in.

Rich: Yeah. Did you happen as you were going through Las Vegas to go stop at the little white chapel?

Christina: No.

Travis: We might have passed a few, but we never stopped.

Rich: Oh, okay.

Christina: There was a drive through one in Albuquerque and I thought that was hysterical.

Travis: We took a picture of it.

Christina: We sent it to like all of his family and then like I mysteriously posted like a white dress because I thought it would be funny. And all of his family's like you did not. And I was like, "No, we didn't. We just thought it would be funny. Please don't hate me."

Travis: A 24 hour wedding chapel drive through in Albuquerque.

Christina: Yeah. I feel like that would have been entertaining.

Rich: That'd be kind of fun.

Travis: I'll take your word for it. Yeah.

Jake: I prefer food in my drive through not lifelong commitments. It's just me.

Christina: Potato, potato.

Rich: Actually that's another thing of traveler would say. I prefer food in my drive throughs, not lifelong commitments.

Travis: A lot of great food in Albuquerque that we found.

Rich: That's what I've heard.

Christina: Yeah.

Rich: Yeah.

Christina: The green chile was just the best. I'm going to have to ship as much in as I can.

Rich: As you've seen in Atlas eats, it's not the same. Like it just is definitely not as the stuff that you buy in the store or whatever is the legit stuff that they brought back.

Christina: Yeah.

Rich: Yeah. I would definitely, if you could order that somewhere. Yes.

Christina: Yeah. It's so different and it's so good. I miss it. I do miss it. That's probably one of my favorite things about the assignment that we did in Albuquerque was how much the food was so different than anything else. Like anything I've ever tried and that was all so delicious.

Rich: So you're going perm for a year, right?

Christina: Or more.

Travis: Ish.

Christina: You're going perm for a year.

Jake: Yeah. We'll be stealing them back in year.

Rich: Okay. Good. There we go.

Jake: Because I know the way to these guys' hearts.

Rich: There's always a plan.

Travis: A year from now it'll be like, "So Jake, so how much experience do they really need for this [crosstalk 00:06:54] spot we're looking at. They need 16 months? Okay."

Jake: No. In six months I'm going to get a text saying, "Can you get us a job now?"

Rich: "It's time to go."

Jake: "We're ready"

Travis: I signed a 12 month lease. It'll be 12 months.

Christina: At least 12 months.

Jake: Perfect. 12 months works for me.

Christina: Yeah.

Rich: So back on the road then, I mean, is that part of the plan at least. Maybe it is more than a year and a half, whatever.

Travis: Yeah. We both have, you know, cardiac experience in different avenues and then we both got, obviously emergency and trauma sort of plan was, we've both always been very interested with cardiac and cardiac surgery, so it worked out great that we were able to get a staff job, unfortunately. But we went staff to be able to get a job in cath lab and a plan was to get the experience there and then take the experience of what we love and also what we love to do is travel and then be able to take those two things, put them together and then enjoy that even more.

Christina: Yeah.

Rich: Yeah. Interesting. But you've got a year's worth of that, you know, just to use that perm job now to get that experience.

Travis: Right.

Rich: Yeah. So what will you, and I'll change this up a little bit, because normally this is the best part, worst part question. What do you think you will miss the most in this year away from traveling?

Travis: I love the traveling and changing locations and just the benefits that comes with being a travel nurse. If you're truly an extroverted person or you know, like she is like an extroverted introverted person. It's the benefits of traveling and seeing things and doing things as long as you let yourself put yourself out there. So like Albuquerque, we went on a hot air balloon ride for the first time, we went to the Grand Canyon, we rode a train for the first time, went to Carlsbad Caverns, lot of natural springs, hiking and Reno. I think we went to Lake Tahoe four or five times. Pyramid Lake went on a great hike with you guys.

Jake: Amazing hike.

Christina: That was an awful hike and I still don't like it.

Travis: That I still hear about it every day with her.

Christina: Crazy hike.

Jake: We may have bitten off a little more than we could chew that day.

Rich: I heard about this.

Travis: Right.

Christina: Kurt wouldn't have done that to me. Kurt would've had a nice leisurely [crosstalk 00:08:46].

Jake: Kurt would've been like, "You guys have fun."

Travis: Right.

Jake: "I'm hanging out over here."

Christina: I'm going back to Kurt. Where's Kurt at?

Rich: You should.

Jake: Kurt didn't bother to show up today. So, I mean.

Rich: I'll text him.

Travis: At the end of the day we're going to Nashville. So it'd be a lot of great things to do there. A lot of things, but it's that constant variety of every three to six months that I'll miss. But I'm sure we'll be in Nashville we can somehow make due.

Rich: I have a feeling that you're going to find a lot of fun stuff there.

Christina: And I feel like especially with travel nursing as a whole, I feel like I have such a greater appreciation for stuff that I didn't before. You know, I have friends who were in Orlando doing a travel assignment and they're telling me about restaurants that I've never even heard of and I'm like, you know, I don't think I really appreciated my town for all that it was. And I feel like now going back home, I would never set foot into a drive through like a chain place or something like that because there's so much value in this hole in the wall places that you're like, "Oh, I would never eat there."

Christina: When you live somewhere for so long and you get comfortable, you know you go to Applebee's because it's quick and you can curbside pickup or whatever.

Rich: Right.

Christina: You take all that other stuff for granted. So I feel like traveling especially has given me such a great appreciation for that and I hope that we can continue that in Nashville.

Jake: Oh you can.

Christina: And just, you know, finding the cool little places to enjoy.

Travis: We heard several times, like, especially in Albuquerque, "You guys have been here, you guys, you know, been everywhere." But you've lived here for 20 years. You've probably been to every microbrewery in the city, but not appreciated the natural thing. So that's the thing we enjoyed the most about traveling.

Christina: I mean, there are people who lived in Albuquerque that had never been to the Grand Canyon and I'm like, "It's literally like a, what, five hour drive for you to the South rim." It would literally be like a two day trip if that, you could probably do it in one day if you really wanted to, but just to do it because it's that close to you and they're like, "Oh, I'm like 45 and never seen the Grand Canyon. And I'm like, "It's right there." You know, that was the closest we've ever been to it. And how could we not go?

Rich: Right. I think it's like that everywhere though. Like we're eight hours from Mount Rushmore here. Like it's really not that far. Right. And you could make that trip and some of like central South Dakota isn't awesome. Like but when you're driving through there, there's some pretty, there's some fun stops.

Jake: The Black Hills are beautiful.

Rich: Yeah. The Black Hills are amazing.

Christina: Yeah.

Rich: It's just one of those things like you have to get comfortable in your own skin and you have to get comfortable in those surroundings and then start branching out.

Christina: Yeah, absolutely.

Rich: We live vicariously through that.

Jake: Absolutely.

Rich: Through you guys every day.

Jake: All the time.

Rich: We try. At least.

Christina: That's why you should come to Belize.

Travis: You're welcome. You should come to Belize.

Christina: Come to Belize.

Rich: And there it is.

Christina: And now it's on camera.

Rich: Yeah. So apparently let's talk about that. So you two, another Atlas nurse Claire.

Christina: Two other.

Travis: Two other. Claire. And Bobby.

Christina: Bobby Wilson.

Rich: Okay.

Jake: Justin's. Justin's nurse.

Travis: Yep. So Bobby.

Rich: Justin Jones? Oh Pietig.

Jake: Pietig.

Rich: Oh. Okay.

Travis: Yeah so Bobby Wilson and then Claire Strain who just did, you know, one of these. So that's four Atlas nurses and then one of our good friends Roddell, who's wanting to come to Atlas when his current assignment ends. So that's, that's four and a possible. So yeah.

Christina: It's kind of like an Atlas meet and greet.

Jake: Lock in Roddell maybe with a trip to Belize.

Rich: Maybe.

Travis: And two other people are going, one of which is a travel nurse. I'm just saying that's an opportunity. It could be work related.

Rich: Maybe.

Jake: I think they're in sales.

Rich: I think so too.

Christina: I've been learning from you.

Jake: I think they've been snowing us this whole time. Oh really?

Christina: I've been learning.

Travis: She's told me I could probably sell igloos to an Eskimo so I mean, we can try.

Christina: Or a brush to a bald guy.

Jake: Or Belize to.

Rich: Or Belize to a recruiter.

Travis: There you go.

Rich: There you go.

Jake: Yep.

Christina: I don't think I have to sell him really hard.

Rich: No I don't think so. [crosstalk 00:12:07]

Jake: No, no. I like beaches.

Rich: I don't think so either.

Christina: And you can get scuba certified while you're there because we intend to as well.

Jake: I'm in. That sounds amazing.

Travis: And you can wear a tee shirt and not the office shirt.

Jake: Yep.

Rich: Absolutely fancy. That's all right though. It's okay. You didn't know we were doing any of this.

Jake: I didn't know. [crosstalk 00:12:19].

Christina: You know what's funny, all I can hear in my head now is Iggy Azalea's I'm so fancy. You already know.

Travis: You already know.

Rich: Wow.

Jake: Yeah. I don't know where we're going.

Rich: We're in like episode 25 here and no one's ever sang before. So yeah.

Christina: You're welcome.

Travis: Breaking the mold.

Rich: Liking the little duet actually.

Christina: Yeah.

Rich: That was pretty-

Jake: Just the tip of the iceberg.

Rich: Fancy.

Travis: Fancy.

Rich: So normally the last question is what's next? We know what's next. So give me an ideal scenario after this however long it takes, you know, if you could go anywhere on this next contract together, right after the year and a half or whatever it is, where are you going?

Travis: My happy place is any place that I can get the mountains and the water together. So it doesn't have to be tropical. It doesn't have to be like the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina and that's probably the greatest benefit of traveling is from this year, just traveling three States, two assignments or traveling when on assignment. We have been from the North Carolina coast to the California coast. You know a lot of places in between. And we know we are, both of us are more East coast kids than West coast kids. So for me, I'd say taking the experience of the cath lab that we're going to get and the next assignment, find some place where I can have the mountains and the water together.

Rich: What about you?

Christina: I'm somewhere tropical. So Virgin islands, Guam, Hawaii, you know. There's mountains and water there.

Jake: There is.

Rich: Hawaii doesn't pay. That's the problem, you know.

Christina: I know. But it's just, it would be a destination assignment.

Rich: No offense Hawaii, you don't pay.

Jake: It's true. Step up.

Christina: They pay you in sunshine.

Rich: They do.

Christina: Kind of like Florida.

Rich: Yep.

Jake: In sweat in Florida.

Christina: Yeah. Sweat.

Jake: They pay you in sweat.

Travis: That should work on tropical destinations, like Guam, Virgin islands.

Rich: Could you be sold on Alaska because Alaska fills what you want.

Jake: I'm thinking like Southern Washington.

Christina: That feels cold. That sounds cold.

Rich: During the summer it's not.

Christina: Are there penguins in Alaska? I don't think there are.

Rich: There could be.

Jake: I think that there are.

Christina: I think there's polar bears and I don't want to-

Travis: I think we could do spring and summer in Alaska.

Rich: North.

Travis: So true story. I have been to every state except Alaska and Hawaii.

Jake: Challenge excepted.

Rich: Exactly.

Christina: So Hawaii is what I'm hearing.

Travis: Or Alaska. Not in the winter.

Christina: Alaskan cruise fine.

Jake: Alaska in the summer. Hawaii in the winter.

Rich: Yes.

Travis: See now he has a plan.

Rich: We've already got it planned out.

Travis: Done.

Jake: Christina, I have a plan for your life.

Christina: You know what? You also had a plan for that hike that went

Jake: That was like so much fun.

Christina: That was and absolute disaster.

Jake: I've got pictures of them smiling, so don't believe the hype.

Christina: Oh my God.

Rich: We'll run these pictures as we talk here.

Jake: When she got to the top and I saw her for the first time, it looked like she was going to-

Christina: Murder.

Rich: Not happy at all?

Jake: Not at all.

Christina: And that waterfall was such a let down. That was really not worth the hike.

Jake: Probably right. But it was fun. I had fun.

Christina: For the amount of hike I would have expected at least somewhere close to like Niagara. That was an intense hike.

Travis: It was more like a trickle.

Rich: And there was just a little.

Christina: It was like a trickle. It looked like bath water trickling out of a tub.

Jake: I don't know. I thought it was pretty amazing.

Travis: I enjoyed it.

Jake: Travis was all about it.

Christina: You guys can hike in Alaska. I'll be in Hawaii on a beach somewhere.

Rich: Right.

Travis: There you go.

Jake: All right. Sounds like a plan.

Rich: Well Travis. Thank you so much. I'm so glad you guys stopped by. Christina, this was awesome. I mean after what two and a half years.

Christina: Yeah. Two and a half.

Rich: I mean, it's-

Jake: Never been to Omaha before.

Rich: Yeah. Never been to Omaha, so.

Christina: There's a lot less corn than I was expecting.

Rich: Well it's harvest time, so yeah, I think. I don't know.

Jake: Not quite. We're getting close.

Rich: Are we?

Jake: But-

Christina: I saw some at the rest stop when we let the dog out.

Rich: I wasn't a farmer so I don't know.

Jake: Yeah. You'll get some more corn going through Kansas and Missouri.

Rich: As you go South, down I 29. Yeah.

Christina: Okay.

Rich: When you hit that tomorrow.

Christina: We'll stop for some corn.

Travis: Take your word for it.

Christina: We will find some street corn.

Rich: Yep.

Jake: What's street corn?

Rich: Field corn, sweet corn.

Jake: Sweet corn.

Rich: That's where it's at.

Christina: I mean I feel like I could still turn right into my own elote.

Jake: You could.

Rich: You could.

Christina: I can have my own street corn. Just take it off the street and then eat it on the street. And then it's like hardcore street corn.

Rich: Like legit street corn.

Jake: Sure.

Christina: Don't air that.

Jake: You can stop in Omaha and get some field corn.

Christina: Don't air that because I think that stealing.

Rich: It's all, it's all going. No, the cameras never stop.

Christina: I'm pretty sure I'm going to jail. For stealing corn that I didn't steal.

Rich: At least not while you're here with us.

Travis: A little foreshadowing right there.

Rich: Maybe once you leave the office.

Jake: I am not an accomplice to her thievery.

Christina: Does Atlas have a bail bondsman on staff?

Travis: I did not preplan to steal the corn.

Jake: I did not devise a plan.

Christina: I'll pay for the corn. I'm going to pay for the corn. I'm just going. I'm just going to leave a dollar in its place.

Travis: Roll it up and stick it.

Christina: Roll it up and just stick it back in.

Rich: Stick it back in there. So Travis, Christina. Thank you so much. We really appreciate it.

Christina: Thank you.

Rich: She'll pay for the corn.

Christina: I will. I will pay for the corn.