jnn1964

I've been debating whether or not to move closer to my job, which is 20 miles outside of the city. I spend between 60 and 120 minutes a day in my car, and I'm a little tired of it. How does your commute compare? Do I have it easy, or am I wasting my life in traffic?

annesherrod

5 minutes tops. I have always worked with 15 minutes of home.

ilovetulips

That is a pretty long commute. I drive about 15-30 minutes. My husband drives 45- 1 hour. If you live in a metro area I would suspect those numbers are average. If housing is affordable closer to town it might be worth it to move.

Scarlett

The Yankee has always made sure that he worked no more than 15 minutes from work, unless it was a plane ride away
I don't blame you for being tired of such a long commute!
I think your time is more valuable than to spend it sitting in traffic.
Good luck~

ilovetulips

You know I didn't clarify on those times- they are 1 way commutes.

travellyn

8 miles and 15 minutes each way. I live 7 miles out of Durango. My longest commute was 29 miles and 35 minutes each way, working off hours in Houston. I listened to a lot of books on tape, and liked the commute because it was quiet downtime.

benj

My husband has always had a commute from 45mins- 1 1/2 hrs each way. He used the time to unwind from work. I could just picture him cussing & fussing in the car as he drove along. He now commutes 17 hours each way every other month as he works overseas. Both were pains at times but he doesn't mind it.

AllanNYC

I don't really have one. I'm a technology consultant, work from my apartment and can be anywhere or no place on any given day.

When I'm seeing clients it may be a 10 minute walk from my apartment or up to a 45 minute subway ride. There is also the occasional flight to a conference.

Cher

20-30 minutes (door-to-door)depending on traffic. Occasionally 45 minutes in the winter with bad weather or if there's an accident; I live in Upstate NY.

Rosemary1

Before I started working from home it used to be 10 minutes each way. Now it's about 40 or 50 feet.

The way I see it, life is to short to spend time commuting to somewhere I don't want to go anyway.

I'll be damned if I'm going to allow myself to get stressed out on the way to work, only to be stressed out once I get there.

No way.

rkkwan

I used to have the shortest commute when I was a truck driver, because the tractor was my home. Woke up and started working right away.

BAK

A friend went to a job interview this morning. I went along for the ride.

Front door home to front door at the new place was 77 kilometers, which is about 48 miles. Round trip would be 100 miles a day.

Her car is getting on in age and mileage, so she thinks she'd need a new car. Mileage,just back and forth to work, is about 150 percent of allowable mileage under most leases.

Easy way to make the drive is on a toll highway, and that works out to about $400 a month.

But, on the positive side. In her old job she had $200 a month in communter train fares, and it took 1.5 hours door to door, including driving to and from the commuter train parking lot, and walking to the office from the train station.

This morning, the drive was door to door, parking was free, and it took 55 minutes, saving more than half an hour each way.

If she gets the job -- a one year contract -- her planm is to negotiate an additional transportation allowance.

BAK

jnn1964

Thanks for all the replies. I guess my commute is longer than most. If there was no traffic I wouldn't mind driving the distance. It's the 3 mph bumper to bumper mess that makes me feel like I'm wasting my time as well as gas. I guess I could always come into the city on weekends. I live in the DC metro area, by the way.

rb_travelerxATyahoo

I live 0.6 mile from my work. Even tho I often have to drive to customer sites during the day, I walk to work, and should I need my car, I walk back home, a 10 minute walk. Previously I had a 1/2 hour driving commute, and before that a 1/2 hour driving, or a 1 hour bus-ride. Whenever possible, I took the bus, as even tho much longer, I can do work or sleep, neither of which are done easily while driving <g>.

Could you not drive part of the way, and take the WMATA / MARC / VRE services to finish the trip? I think you are wasting time, gasoline, and car expenses, but only you can assess the value of your home vs your job. Good luck.

mikemo

I retired in late Aug '03, so I now spend more time in aircraft than autos.
When working, my commute varied from less than 2 to less than 6 miles.
My '88 BMW M-6 has 51K miles.
M

Statia

Although I'm no longer in the US, my typical commute when I lived there was about 45 minutes with traffic, each way.

In the past eleven years, my commute has ranged from 30 steps on foot to three minutes by car, providing I don't run into a traffic jam of goats or donkeys.

I must say that I much prefer my present commuting time.

kat

My commute is only 12 miles but it takes me 30+ min with traffic. It does take its toll....

nytraveler

This depends very much on where you live. Here in New York I understand the average commute is a little over an hour each way (I do 33 miles which takes me about 1 1/2 hours ecah way due to traffic.)

It also depends on the value of the job - is it a basic level job that can be replaced nearer home - or is it an exec level job that is fairly rare and you must put up with the traveling time for the higher income?

elle

My commute takes me about 45 minutes each way. I don't mind it at all--it's worth it to me to have the job I want and the lifestyle I want.

In the morning, I use the commute to prepare mentally for the day. While a lot of my colleagues dither around first thing in the morning, I hit the ground running. In the evening, I use the time to decompress. No matter how stressful the day, after 45 minutes alone in my car, listening to my favorite CDs, I am a different, happier person than I was when I left the office.

iowagirl

jnn: go for the move, if you can afford it. I live an hour away from my work. I married a farmer and now live in the boonies and have to commute 55 miles each way to get to work. Most of the year it is a pretty drive, but winter in Iowa can be very hazardous and I miss work a few days a year because we're snowed in. On the plus side, it's 55 miles with only one stop sign, a couple lights, and, of course, the occasional stray cow...