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Long commutes

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Any of your work commutes take an hour+ each day?

Just considering living arrangements for places that are between 1 and 2 hours away.

If you have a long commute how does it affect you? Easy/hard to handle?
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Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Mine is abut an hour away. It's alright but on a Monday it's a right pain as the bus is packed.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I have done some long commutes, and the key factors really are -

    Whether the traffic is bad (worse), or it's just far away.
    Whether you are comfortable with having a long day.
    If you're driving, how stressed a driver you are.
  • **helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
    My commute is an hour and a half (3hrs total) to and from work everyday.

    Ok, let's start with the pros...

    I get through loads of books
    I get to listen to a lot on my iPod
    I get to live somewhere much nicer than I could afford in London

    Cons...

    Busy transport - stinky/pushy people
    Transport delays
    It's draining - hard to motivate yourself to do stuff when you get home
    I miss out on stuff that I can't get home on time for
    I generally get pretty grouchy about it!

    Overall I'd say if you can avoid it do so! However, you're not gonna see me give up my lovely (very affordable) house for a tiny room in the city. And you do get used to it!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    My commute used to be 1hr 50 mins each way.

    I thought I could handle the commute, but in future I really would think really hard before commuting so far. I used to have to stand for an hour on a packed train at 6.30am.

    Then it was onto the packed Waterloo & City line followed by the Central line. This pleasure cost me £455 a month.

    Think the maximum commute I could handle would be 30 mins now. I used to find I had very little time to do my own thing. By the time I got home from work, made dinner and cleaned up it was time for bed again.

    Its do-able in the short term, but think about the bigger picture.



    :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well... to be more specific it's for a uni year in industry, so I can either look at it like it's ONLY for a year, or I can look at it like I HAVE to keep the job for a whole year :x

    I would save so much from living at home, but for some of the jobs im looking at the commute would be between 50mins and 1hr30 (and thats just on google maps, I dunno how accurate the estimates are). Paying back more loan would feel a lot better but I don't wanta feel like I just need to crash when I get home every day!

    I spose it also depends on how much you enjoy your job/how much it wears you out. Thanks for the input so far, been helpful...
  • BunnieBunnie Posts: 6,099 Master Poster
    I have an hour to and an hour back each day, traffic permitting. It is hard, and I do get up when the birds are still asleep, but you get used to it.

    Driving is different to trains etc as you dont really get to 'relax' (as much as you can sat next to Tramp of The Year 2006 on the train) but like you I know it is only for a year (well a month and half now) and it whizzes by.

    Therefore, imho, I wouldnt worry about it too much if it means saving money.

    Whether you want to crash or not depends on you, I have days when I can't imagine stepping back outside the front door, or days when I can go out on the razz with no problems...just like you would from a normal day I suppose.
  • JsTJsT Posts: 18,268 Skive's The Limit
    Mines about an hour each way and I dont mind it.
  • BunnieBunnie Posts: 6,099 Master Poster
    JsT wrote: »
    Mines about an hour each way and I dont mind it.

    Unless you are delayed and then only work for 2 hours :p
  • JsTJsT Posts: 18,268 Skive's The Limit
    Bunnie wrote: »
    Unless you are delayed and then only work for 2 hours :p
    Something similar has happened before!

    Meant to be working 5-9 when someone threw themselves in front of the train in front, finally got to work at 6.50, worked two hours and came home!
  • BunnieBunnie Posts: 6,099 Master Poster
    JsT wrote: »
    Something similar has happened before!

    Meant to be working 5-9 when someone threw themselves in front of the train in front, finally got to work at 6.50, worked two hours and came home!

    I know...thats what I was on about! :rolleyes: do keep up James!
  • JsTJsT Posts: 18,268 Skive's The Limit
    I thought you were joking bout it but I was saying its actually happened :p

    Sorry - its been a long long day :(
  • BunnieBunnie Posts: 6,099 Master Poster
    JsT wrote: »
    I thought you were joking bout it but I was saying its actually happened :p

    Sorry - its been a long long day :(

    not a good advert for commuting! :p
  • JsTJsT Posts: 18,268 Skive's The Limit
    I'm not really a good advert for anything :p

    Sleepy time now :D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    **Helen** wrote: »
    My commute is an hour and a half (3hrs total) to and from work everyday.

    Ok, let's start with the pros...

    I get through loads of books
    !


    I'm either missing something here, or I'm very glad we're many roads apart :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    haha i think she might take the train!

    I do hear women can multi task quite well though. :chin:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    15 minutes, I'm lucky I head out the city :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    muse- wrote: »
    Any of your work commutes take an hour+ each day?

    Just considering living arrangements for places that are between 1 and 2 hours away.

    If you have a long commute how does it affect you? Easy/hard to handle?

    I'm usually based in an office a 5 minute drive from where I live, but sometimes I have to cover other people all over the region. Most recently it was a 45 minute drive, but I'm on a scooter. I didn't like it. It gave me a bad back, I felt cold and stressed and spent a lot more on petrol and oil.

    I wouldn't bother unless it was an amazing job. I'd move.
  • **helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
    muse- wrote: »
    haha i think she might take the train!

    :chin: do ya think. :D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    my_name wrote: »
    I'm either missing something here, or I'm very glad we're many roads apart :p

    In the UK we have something called Public Transport, I know this is a concept that Americans dont quite understand but basically its a really big car which someone else drives for you and it goes on rails.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    budda wrote: »
    In the UK we have something called Public Transport, I know this is a concept that Americans dont quite understand but basically its a really big car which someone else drives for you and it goes on rails.

    :D:lol:

    I do an hour down the M1. Get through quite a lot of CD's which is nice, but if there's road works, which there often is at junction 21, it's a pain in the arse, plus I get through a shite load of petrol and if your car ever craps out on you, which my old one often did and there are no trains, you're fucked, not that you'd ever get me on a train anyway...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    muse- wrote: »
    haha i think she might take the train!

    I do hear women can multi task quite well though. :chin:

    Oh its so obvious now :o Thanks.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    my_name wrote: »
    Oh its so obvious now :o Thanks.

    :D the last horse has crossed the line.

    It's always a nice feeling when the penny drops =P
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    not that you'd ever get me on a train anyway...

    What's wrong with the train?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Just a guess but overcrowding and cost ....
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Used to take an hour to get to school and back for me. I absolutly hated it. Had to get up at 6.30 every day and I really don't like having to rush about in the morning, which I had to to get ready on time and get to the bus stop by 7.30. :mad:

    When I moved nearer school it was such bliss... I don't think I'd ever put myself in the position of having to do that again.

    Never seemed to be doing anything other than travelling or working or eating/sleeping.... it's nice to have some relaxation time. Of course if you're the kind of person who can relax whist travelling, go for it. :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Calvin wrote: »
    Just a guess but overcrowding and cost ....

    & the doors... don't they scare you? Either they're the ones where you have to open them from the outside... what's with that?? :crazyeyes
    Or they're the electrical ones, and you're never quite sure if they're gunna open or not... Too stressy.

    Always manage to get in the wrong carriage too and end up walking for miles to where there aren't any seats left. :yeees:

    And I don't trust putting luggage in the luggage holders, cos they're not in your eye-line and I'm always paranoid that someones gunna nick off with it.

    I don't like trains. :blush:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Lu_C wrote: »
    & the doors... don't they scare you?

    Not really. Although the doors on the underground are fucking lethal. Those fuckers take no prisoners :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Calvin wrote: »
    Not really. Although the doors on the underground are fucking lethal. Those fuckers take no prisoners :thumb:

    I've only ever been on an underground train once... and I was so terrified I nearly passed out. It was lucky my sister was with me cos I had a full-blown panic attack which she had to talk me through. :lol: Never again.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No one in my immediate family drives so have had to use public transport for all of my life. It can be stressful but I do feel better for it because of environmental factors. It's easier to people watch when using public transport too. :P

    As for commuting, had to get the train to college everyday which was like £5 for a return journey that lasted for about 7 minutes. Laaame.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    My partner has a daily commute of 40 minutes each way to and from work. When he hasn't got a car (like at the minute) he has to get the train, he leaves our house at 6.50 and get to work at 8.15. Leaves work again around 4.30 and get home about 6.15! It drives me NUTS. After just one week we're both exhausted and desperately needing a lie-in over the weekend.

    I would SERIOUSLY consider how much commuting you're prepared to do. Don't forget about your home / social life - you'll need it to help you unwind after a long day. :thumb:
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