A traveling nurse extraordinaire, fearless globe trotter and adventurer Banu Doyle takes us on a journey through her unconventional life, where work, travel and spontaneity collide.
Banu Doyle isn’t your average professional. She lives life in motion, finding inspiration in faraway bustling cities, and in the quiet moments when she’s at home between contracts.
Banu shares what it’s like to truly live as if in another world. In this exclusive interview, she opens up about her life, travels, and the philosophy that keeps her moving forward.
Banu DOYLE, Florida
Melda Sherman: Hi Banu, where are you from, and where are you living now?
BD : Hi Melda, I’m originally from Ankara, the capital city of Türkiye. I’ve been living in St. Augustine, FL since 2020. Before making St. Augustine my home, I lived in New York City for about twenty five years.
Melda Sherman: Are you married? Do you have children?
BD : Yes, I am married. My husband is a retired NYC Firefighter. We don’t have children but we own the sweetest black labrador named Bach. My husband and my fur baby join me in the majority of my travels.
Melda Sherman: Can you tell us a little about yourself? If you had to describe yourself in one sentence, what would it be?
B.D : I’m an Operating Room Nurse who was born with a traveling bug. In 2015 I decided to trade in my staff job for a suitcase and took a leap into travel nursing. Sixteen cities and ten states later with some of them being repeat offenders, I can honestly say: I’ve never been more in love with my profession.
Spirit of a wanderer and the heart of a healer describes me the best.
Melda Sherman: Traveling and working in different cities, and also countries must shape your life in unique ways. What’s been your most inspiring moment on the move?
BD: Travel nursing didn’t just change my career; it changed my perspective. It reminded me that nursing is a universal language. Whether I’m in a bustling city or in a quiet mountain town, the core of what I do remains the same—helping people and being their advocate in their most vulnerable moments.
As for world traveling goes : There is a specific vibration you feel when you step off a plane in a country where you don’t speak the language. It’s a mix of terror and total freedom. In that moment, you are your true self. You’re stripped of your history and forced to exist in the absolute present and that’s just addictive.
Melda Sherman: Many people find it challenging to work while traveling. For you, is it an obstacle or a creative opportunity?
BD: Definitely a creative opportunity. When you are working, you aren’t just visiting a place; you’re living there. You find the best local foods, the hidden hiking trails, the best farms and the beaches. You meet so many new people. Every thirteen weeks, I get a fresh start in a new city. It keeps the “burnout” at bay because there is always a new sunset to chase.
Melda Sherman: Do your wildest projects always come to life while you’re on the move, or do you sometimes need to pause and reflect?
BD: Immediately lyrics to a popular 80s song came into my mind : Ain’t nothin’ gonna break my stride,
nobody gonna slow me down, oh no,
I’ve got to keep on movin’.
Melda Sherman: Do you have any funny or memorable experiences from living in different cities and countries?
BD: So many to count but one of them is : I was working in beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii where the local culture is very unique. I was getting ready for a case on a weekend when the surgeon walked into the operating room completely barefoot. Shocked, I asked him what happened to his shoes? He replied : what do you mean? I never had them. He then not only performed the whole surgery but also drove home barefoot as well.
Another one was while visiting London, my husband and I ended up on the parliament floor by a series of hilarious misunderstandings by us and the staff.
Melda Sherman: What has been the greatest advantage of combining your work with your travels?
B.D: Of course getting paid while I live in and discover a new city.
Melda Sherman: How has this dynamic, multifaceted lifestyle changed you? Comparing yourself to the past, what differences do you notice?
B.D: I learned not to cling onto things and onto people as well. I learned I don’t need a hundred piece table setting. I get by with four plates for months on end and it’s perfect. I learned to live in the moment and not to define myself with material things that I own. Everything you need exists within yourself.
Melda Sherman: How does “feeling like you live in another world” influence your creativity?
B.D: It’s impossible not to get inspired by the universe itself but traveling is one of the most powerful catalysts for creativity because it forces your brain to move out of the “autopilot” and into a state of heightened awareness. I love poetry and my best inspirations for my poems come while I try to navigate a new subway system or during a hike in a national park.
Melda Sherman: How important are adventure and spontaneity to you? Have you recently challenged yourself in an unexpected way?
B.D: Of course, those are the two things every traveler live for. The anticipation of the unknown which makes you feel alive. Trusting the universe to guide you into where you need to be and who you need to meet. I’m recently challenging myself to becoming a pilot. Having the freedom of flying myself wherever I want to go would be priceless.
Melda Sherman: Many people dream of changing their lives or moving to another country. What would you tell them?
B.D: Go for it! It will be the best thing that you’ve ever done.
Melda Sherman: What have you discovered about life? Do you find that even when things don’t go as planned, they still bring beauty?
B.D: Life will double down on you. Whatever you send out to the universe you will get back in double. So it’s only wise to align yourself with positive energy. Also be humble and grateful.
This is a cliche but everything happens for a reason. I’ve experienced this over and over again.
Melda Sherman: Finally, if you could send a message to the universe, what would it be?
B.D: Thank you for always having my back!
Melda Sherman
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