First Assignment
Danielle - Biggest mistake I made was over packing.  I have been traveling a year and have slowly discovered what I don't use and I ship it back home.  
I pack in the plastic under-the-bed zippered storage bags since the Rubbermaid bins take up a ton of room.  I use the vacuum seal bags for seasonal or special occasion clothing and then put them in the under the bed bags for easy moving.  I also use the jumbo sized space bag tote and can fit  all my bedding and linens into 1 tote.
On arrival to a new city I find the Walmart or Target for my new shower curtain and daily necessities, I find the gym (I try for 24 hour gym/I work nights), a local grocery store, the hospital I am working in, and then I look for the local sports pub to socialize and find out the scoop on traffic-things to do-what to watch out for...