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5 Workers on the Best and Worst Parts of Their Commute

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Commuting is expensive, annoying, and might even impact your health. Still, unless we manage to score work-from-home jobs for our whole careers or win the lottery, most of us will wind up doing it at some time or another. Whether our commute stays a minor irritation or becomes a major stumbling block to our happiness in both personal and professional life depends on a number of factors, including personal preference, traffic patterns, and whether we’re able to convince the boss to let us have a flexible schedule.

commute

(Photo Credit: tallkev/Flickr)

Recently, we asked Facebook users to tell us how they get to work each day, and whether they love or hate their commutes. While driving was far and away the most popular way to get to work among those who responded, attitudes toward commuting varied even among drivers, depending on how far they had to go and how many podcasts they could line up for the trip.

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Then again, as you’ll see from the highlights below, some people had pretty idyllic commutes involving bicycles or carpooling situations that provided plenty of time to admire the scenery:

Sarah, Editor:

“Subway. And like, 95 percent of the time I don’t really mind it. I get to listen to podcasts. Also, when I was living in Philly and working in New Jersey I had a two-hour commute each way, driving. So, after dealing with that for about five months, I’m happy with anything that doesn’t require intense concentration and thought first thing in the morning.”

John, Entrepreneur:

“Express bus. Positives, I’m above ground and most times I have an internet connection so I can read, work, or watch TV. Negatives, I’m at the mercy of NYC traffic which means I can be home in 45 minutes on a good night or two hours on a bad one. Road rage, anyone?”

Laura, Real Estate Agent:

“Drive. Occasionally more than two hours total in a day, often 40 minutes-plus each way. I enjoy it when there’s a story on NPR I’m interested in; if they’re talking about the election or terrorism or the stock market, I listen to Soundcloud or TED Talks or the Modern Love podcast. Recently occurred to me I can use the time to call friends on speakerphone. I’m frequently driving to new places, and it’s never exactly the same, so I don’t mind. Also I have heated seats and good speakers in my car. And snacks.”

Elizabeth, Designer:

“I bike most days. I intentionally moved to a bike-friendly city and made sure my house was no more than 30 minutes ride from my work. I love getting exercise and feeling better, and when it’s rainy and I bike anyway, I feel like a badass.”

Sasha, Nurse:

“I live in a beautiful valley with amazing skiing, hiking, swimming, community, and work around 50 miles away, night shift. Awesome carpool keeps things interesting. Every trip home feels like I’m going on vacation.”

Tell Us What You Think

What’s the best/worst commute you’ve ever had? We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter.

Jen Hubley Luckwaldt
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