Worth having longer commute for more bang for your buck?

SailorSam

You have to consider aswell, how are you making the commute.
If by car, what will i do if the car's off the road ?
Is public transport reliable enough ?
A long commute in the Summer may be Ok but when it's foggy or the snow is 6" deep it's going to be a lot harder.

The_Last_Username

In the past I have commuted more than two hours on a regular basis.
( And once, for 6 months, over 4 hours! Decided then on weekends only @ home. :eek: )
IMHO it's okay at first but - and the threshold for this will be yours alone - you WILL at some stage find that the commute is becoming too much.

Dird

In my 3 years of UK post-graduate work (2 jobs) both commutes have been 50-60 minutes each way. I think this amount is fine, it's when it gets to 1.5 hours+ each way that I don't like it.

Davesnave wrote: »

But there is a substantial difference between acommute on a bus or train and driving yourself. On public transport there is an opportunity to relax, listen to the ipod, or whatever

Advancements in technology mean that modern cars come equipped with radios...some even have the option to plug your phone in to use the songs on that :eek: Public transport also means not getting a seat a lot of the time and some guy with BO sticking his arm above your head to hold somewhere (or purposely sharing his BO).

A guy I used to work with commutes 2.5 hours each way to London for work not sure how long I'd last before oversleeping

SailorSam

Dird wrote: »

Public transport also means some guy with BO sticking his arm above your head to hold somewhere (or purposely sharing his BO).

That must be one of the great mysteries in life ......
Why is it that only other people have BO ?

LannieDuck

I've just done exactly this. Used to live 20 mins drive from work in a London flat. Have moved outside the M25 in order to get more bedrooms and a garden for the children. I now have an hour commute.

The commute was the only part of the whole house move that my OH and I were worried about. But everything else stacked up to mean that the move was right for us, so I just have to suck up the commute. It's actually not that bad - it only gets a bit stressful when there's heavy traffic or problems on the roads that mean the 1 hour commute stretches to 1h 30m and I get perilously close to missing my nursery cut-off time....

jackieblack

The_Last_Username wrote: »

In the past I have commuted more than two hours on a regular basis.
( And once, for 6 months, over 4 hours! Decided then on weekends only @ home. :eek: )

A commute of 2 or 4 hours is very different to a commute of 40-60 minutes.

The_Last_Username wrote: »

IMHO it's okay at first but - and the threshold for this will be yours alone - you WILL at some stage find that the commute is becoming too much.

you WILL at some stage find that working is becoming too much
you WILL at some stage find that going up stairs is becoming too much
you WILL at some stage find that dressing yourself is becoming too much
but this doesn't prevent people doing these things while they are easily able to

divadee

kleapatra wrote: »

Hi Divadee, can I ask where you were roughly thinking of moving to and from where? Only because I have recently done exactly what you are thinking of in Dorset and I might be able to help with actual commute times :T

Oh- and I'm yet to regret it!!

From Bournemouth to sturminster Newton.

kleapatra

divadee wrote: »

From Bournemouth to sturminster Newton.

I've just done Bournemouth to Dorchester and commute to Poole which is 20-30 mins each way and pretty good roads. The trouble with a commute between Stur and Bournemouth isn't the actual distance, it's the type of roads and volume of traffic. Public transport as you will know simply is not an option (as it doesn't exist) and in my opinion not a nice journey (small country roads, lots of being held up by tractors and lorries and beyond horrible in inclement weather).

Do you know the Stur area? I used to have to go there to visit clients and I'm not a fan of the area myself- it's a long way culture wise from Bournemouth!!

Anatidaephobia

Commuting is not for me. Life is too short.

dirty_magic

Moving further away doesn't always mean a longer commute, it depends what the roads and traffic are like.

I live less than 5 miles from work, on a good day it takes 20 minutes and on a bad day it can take more than 45! My dad works 14 miles away and it takes him 30-40 minutes.

Where I work there are lots of industrial estates. Everyone finishing work at 5 = gridlock. It's a shame companies can't stagger closing times.