How far would you commute to work?

[holzw]

Would appreciate any advice

I've just been offered a job which ticks all of the boxes - except the location.
It would take me 50mins to drive there without traffic, and part of that is on a very busy motorway.

I just wondered what your experiences are with long driving commutes to work?
Do you have any tips for coping?
What would be your maximum distance?
I'm someone that likes to have my evenings after work to religiously go to the gym everyday but maybe I'll have to sacrifice that...

If only I had a crystal ball that could tell me if an identical job will be coming up on my doorstep sometime soon! To wait, or to accept...

It depends really - how many boxes it does tick and how important they are compared to your time.

I work part time so it is important to me to have a minimal commute - one job took nearly an hour each way on the bus - for a 4 hour shift - I LOVED the job, but it was getting ridiculous, so I now have a job which I like rather than love with a commute of under 10min and my work-life balance is much better.

Would you have to drive or could you use public transport? I have a commute of around 1.25 hours each way. I tried driving but found it too tiring so now get the train so I can read/nap/relax.

Hmmm. Honestly, unless i was desperate i wouldnt communte that far. By desperate i mean i need the exeperince, money, not a chance of findinga job in my field where i live etc.

What happens if there is bad traffic, an accident?

In theory, one of my offices is 6 mins away. It actually takes at least 20 mins to drive in rush hour. Sometimes up to 40mins. Not far at all. But at least 3 times longer than it should.

My other office is 30 mins away. Bit in an area most people are travelling away from (at rush hour) so its never taken more than 35 mins before.

If it means that you cant do things you like in the evening, it will get old really quickly.

Also would factor petrol costs and deduct that from my take home so i could budget if the wage was enough.

I commute an hour each way. Sometimes it can be longer. I haven't sacrificed any evenings, I still go to the gym etc. The job is worth it and a motorway/big A Road commute is fine. It's quite nice to have time to listen to stuff; podcast, radio, bit of music etc. It can be very annoying, but I've had shorter commutes which took me longer or were far more stressful due to location and road type.

Oh and do you have kids? If not (or if you dont need to be home) join a gym thats near work if you travel at rush hour. Then you can workout and head home once traffic is clear.

If you dont have kids or evening commitments you could still go to the gym.

I think time is more pertinent than distance, which depends on the route and method.

Up to an hour each way is fine, but if it's partly a busy motorway, that can extend the timing quite a bit, quite often on the slip road. But it depends.

Are there any options for flexible working - starting earlier or later (and finishing accordingly), or working from home sometimes?

If the job is worth it, I would,for 50 minutes.

I commute 90 minutes each way 4 days a week. I find it bearable because the job pays more at the end of it. I can work on the train though or read/sleep.

It sounds the same as my husbands commute. If he has problems with the roads can be a nightmare- 2-3 hours to get home if there is a big incident. I think it also depends a bit on your hours. Eg if you finish late how much of an evening you get. If you have any opportunities for regular home working that could help.

I commute between 1 and a half hours each way and 5 hours each way (I stay overnight for the 5 hours one, and its only once a week)

You get used to it. After a hiday I always find it tough, but I soon get back to it being my reality.

An hour would seem like a short commute to me. My partner has just got a new job with a 45 minute commute each way and I'm jealous!

Thank you everyone for your advice - I really appreciate it! I meant to thank you all and update you sooner.

I decided to speak to my potential employers about my doubts, and they were very helpful and accommodating.
They've arranged a way for me to be able to do the post with a bit of travelling during the day (not during in rush hour - result!), and have a shorter journey at the start and end of every day.
They've been really kind, so I think even if we hadn't come to this solution, I'd have stuck it out anyway as they're clearly a very supportive team and that's not something you come across every day

My commute (driving) is on a very busy London motorway with a toll crossing and a very busy A road. In the mornings on the way to work I leave early (6.30am) and it generally takes 35 mins.
On the way home it is a completely different story and can take anything from 50 mins to 2 hours (luckily it's only been very very very bad on a few occasions in the year and a half I've worked there).
I am however leaving in the evenings smack bang in rush hour so that doesn't help. Obviously if we have events on or if I work late then the traffic is much lighter.

However, I love my job (most of the time), work with a great team and have a really lovely manager which in my field really counts for a lot! If my working conditions weren't as good I definitely wouldn't be able to handle the commute home!

Top tips:
ALWAYS go to the logo before you leave work (just in case traffic is horrific)
Always have a drink/snack/sick bag with you (learned the last one through bitter experience and ended up throwing up in a leaky carrier bag)
Podcasts are great for helping the time to pass if stuck in traffic.

Oh just actually read the update 🙈
Glad you've been able to get such a great work around for you

I've always had jobs with a reasonably long drive. Key things that make it manageable for me are a good in car system that does Bluetooth phone calls and podcasts. Also a satnav with inbuilt traffic rerouting I set it for the journey every day and it will avoid the motorway if there is major incident. I call my mum for a long chat once a week handsfree and have a lot of podcasts that I subscribe to and work my way through. Hear things might help on the days you do have a longer drive.

These things not hear things

If it was giving me a rather high wage then I wouldn't mind travelling xxx

Ive commuted via car for several years could take 1 to 3.5 hours. Always have minimum half a tank of petrol, no lower, air in tyres and water in windscreen, mobile phone charger, emergency car breakdown rescue, drink and food, first aid box and blanket. I now commute 10 minutes to work and it's so much less stressful. I've seen some weird things on the roads, swans and deer, cars broken down in the middle and outside lane, emergency helicopters landed on motorway, cyclist on motorway, people using their mobile phones...

The radio in your car is your friend