If You're A Nurse, You Can Score A Free Flight To The Caribbean — Yes, Really

If you’ve ever had to go to a doctor’s office or hospital, you know that nurses do a lot of the grunt work. They care for patients, communicate their needs to the doctor, administer medicine, and so much more. And since they’re in such close contact with sick people, they’re also on the front line of catching those cooties. Well, CheapCaribbean is offering nurses free flights to the Caribbean so they can be well — and get some R&R, too.

Sounds sweet, right? Here are some of the deets: 50 nurses (and their plus-ones) will get to fly far away from cold and flu season. The lucky nurses will be able to select any of CheapCaribbean’s many travel destinations, such as Punta Cana, St. Lucia, Turks & Caicos, Bahamas, and Barbados, to name a few. Bear in mind that this is only for a free flight — hotel, transportation, and other accommodations must be paid for by the winner. But still, a free flight for you and your sweetie is nothing to sneeze at.

You might be thinking why do nurses get all the perks? Well, if you’ve never thought about what they endure during a typical workday, this Good Morning America story will help. It showcases a viral Facebook image of labor and delivery nurse Caty Nixon, who had just wrapped a 53-hour shift — and had also helped deliver a stillborn baby that day. The sheer exhaustion and despair is evident on her face, and is something that sadly, many nurses see on a daily basis. So if anyone were ever in need of a soothing vacay, nurses would top the list.

Nurses definitely do bear the brunt of it all. As Laura McIntyre, Caty’s sister, so sweetly told GMA of nurses, “They are the heartbeat of the hospital, and they are truly angels on earth.” To date, the FB post has 223K likes, over 22K comments, and 132K shares. Many of the comments thank Caty and all the other nurses out there, who sacrifice so much of themselves to help others in their time of need.

Sadly, Nixon is just one of many nurses who might be struggling. Nurses typically work 12-hour shifts, and almost half work overtime hours on top of that, a study from NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing reported. Additionally, 13% of nurses have a second job, and 62% of nurses feel burned out in their jobs, a study from RNnetwork stated.

So if you’re a nurse, you’re probably wondering where to sign up. In order to qualify for a free flight, nurses have to register to become a member of CheapCaribbean’s ER&R Club and verify their nursing credentials. Entries must be received by 11:59 PM CST on November 4, 2019. Members will receive an email to enroll for their free flight, and the first 50 to register will be soaking up the sun — stat! You’ll need to select dates for a 5-night trip, and travel must occur between January 1- June 30, 2020 (there are some blackout dates). Your flight must be booked on United Airlines by November 15, 2019, which means you’ll have to commit rather quickly to your travel plans.

But hey, you probably won’t mind that so much when you’re on a beach in St. Barths in the middle of winter.