Long distance commuters - Talk to me
Discussion
gregpot2000 said:
Poole to London....Wow are you sure?
I have driven from Huddersfield to Manchester every day for the past 3 years, which is around 40miles each way, and anything between 1 and 2 hours each way (my record is 4 hours on one trip!) using the delightful M62 and M60. I can tell you even now, I am not used to the journey in the fact it still pisses me off most days, or even the fact you need to set off at 5:45 every morning to guarantee a good run
I did Manchester to Bradford for about 4 weeks as I helped a company with an IT department relocation. Couldn't believe how busy that motorway gets at peak times. Almost every day there was a crash or a breakdown, and that's not unique to the M60/M62, it happens on every busy motorway.I have driven from Huddersfield to Manchester every day for the past 3 years, which is around 40miles each way, and anything between 1 and 2 hours each way (my record is 4 hours on one trip!) using the delightful M62 and M60. I can tell you even now, I am not used to the journey in the fact it still pisses me off most days, or even the fact you need to set off at 5:45 every morning to guarantee a good run
Don't think there's a job in the world that I would do that amount of commuting for. My personal time is too important to me.
thatdude said:
Phil Dicky said:
I would seriously question work / life balance on this one.
Same here. Having done a long commute myself (2 hours each way) some years ago for 10 months, it drains you. You spend 8 hours a day at work, 4 in the car. You still need 8 hours sleep to right there thats 20 hours of your day. You have 4 hours to spend with your loved ones and do anyting recreational. On the weekends I found myself shattered. A suggestion someone made once to put "value" on your time is to consider how much you would earn at overtime rates.
As an example, say you are getting 40k now and you spend 1h commuting. That's 260h a year at £20.51 or £5333 a year in "personal" time cost.
Get a job in London and double your salary...but you now spend 4h a day commuting, that's 1040h a year at £41.02 an hour so £42666 in "personal" time cost.
That is before you consider the commuting cost or the personal impact of not seeing loved ones or having any kind of social life in the week etc.
Phil Dicky said:
I would seriously question work / life balance on this one.
Agreed. It all seems like a good idea up front. Not so much on a rainy November morning 6 months into the assignment. But if I liked the job / area and my weekdays were 100% work focused, I’d look to rent a room in an adult professional house share.
Even at £125/wk, you’re still winning on travel costs / fatigue.
Then I’d negotiate WFH Friday.
I used to pick up the Poole > London train at Southampton Parkway a while back. Left home at 6:30 to get to Parkway, park up and caught the 6:52 which would see me at my desk in the City for 8:20ish. Coming home I would try to exit the office by 6 to get the tube and the 6:30 train home, arriving in Parkway about 7:35. Queue from the car park out of the station due to business of that train so would get home just after 8. That was assuming I didn't have a busy day.
The train was very busy and frankly if I hadn't got a mate who used to get on nearer the start of the journey, I would often have had no seat. The concept of being able to leisurely work or watch a film aboard the train was a no-goer really due to it being too crowded to really have any space to do so.
Needs must and all that but I can't say I would be too enamoured by the prospect of having to do it again.
The train was very busy and frankly if I hadn't got a mate who used to get on nearer the start of the journey, I would often have had no seat. The concept of being able to leisurely work or watch a film aboard the train was a no-goer really due to it being too crowded to really have any space to do so.
Needs must and all that but I can't say I would be too enamoured by the prospect of having to do it again.
Plate spinner said:
Phil Dicky said:
I would seriously question work / life balance on this one.
Agreed. It all seems like a good idea up front. Not so much on a rainy November morning 6 months into the assignment. But if I liked the job / area and my weekdays were 100% work focused, I’d look to rent a room in an adult professional house share.
Even at £125/wk, you’re still winning on travel costs / fatigue.
Then I’d negotiate WFH Friday.
my commute is Peterborough to watford
I travel down on monday
airbnb for 3 nights (but now done away from the website and negotiated a fee direct with the home owner of £35 a night)
Travel back thursday
work from home friday
I put the hours and graft in Monday to Thursday, then have a chilled day Friday from home.
Skype my son every morning and evening, and walk him to and from school on Friday
I am travelling around 450 miles a week.
Driving a diesel car. I have started driving since the start of the year so not servicing cost information yet but petrol cost around £50 a week. I used to take the train/underground through central London and became unbearable especially at rush hour.
Driving a diesel car. I have started driving since the start of the year so not servicing cost information yet but petrol cost around £50 a week. I used to take the train/underground through central London and became unbearable especially at rush hour.
You live round the corner from me and i've done Bournemouth to High Wycombe for work twice a week (which was more than enough). Have 3 friends that do it still - 1 stays up there and 2 do the train.
None drive for good reason.
Personally, although the money sounds good, the reality is anything but. Personally i'd look at alternatives.
I work in Bournemouth and just moved near Dorchester and my commute is 40-50 minutes (26 miles) each way but on nice roads and even then, I would seriously think about doing any longer.
None drive for good reason.
Personally, although the money sounds good, the reality is anything but. Personally i'd look at alternatives.
I work in Bournemouth and just moved near Dorchester and my commute is 40-50 minutes (26 miles) each way but on nice roads and even then, I would seriously think about doing any longer.
I commute from near Winchester to central London Monday - Friday, getting into the office at 7 AM and leaving before 17:00. I wouldn't consider driving it except when the train isn't working. While sitting on the train for an hour isn't great, at least I can read, sleep (I don't know how I would function without being able to close my eyes on the train), etc. I also run from the station to the office, which I consider somewhat essential as the long days once the commute is included makes it difficult to find much other time to run during the week.
SWR has been pretty bad, though better over the last few months until the "heat" arrived. Since they took the route over in August, I have nearly not made it home twice, which I suppose is a point in favour of driving.
Even from where I live the commute is tiring and all of the people I know who have stopped doing it are happy to have stopped. Unfortunately, I'm not currently able to work from home or start my own business locally, the two reasons that usually get people out of the commute.
SWR has been pretty bad, though better over the last few months until the "heat" arrived. Since they took the route over in August, I have nearly not made it home twice, which I suppose is a point in favour of driving.
Even from where I live the commute is tiring and all of the people I know who have stopped doing it are happy to have stopped. Unfortunately, I'm not currently able to work from home or start my own business locally, the two reasons that usually get people out of the commute.
Shnozz said:
I used to pick up the Poole > London train at Southampton Parkway a while back. Left home at 6:30 to get to Parkway, park up and caught the 6:52 which would see me at my desk in the City for 8:20ish. Coming home I would try to exit the office by 6 to get the tube and the 6:30 train home, arriving in Parkway about 7:35. Queue from the car park out of the station due to business of that train so would get home just after 8. That was assuming I didn't have a busy day.
The train was very busy and frankly if I hadn't got a mate who used to get on nearer the start of the journey, I would often have had no seat. The concept of being able to leisurely work or watch a film aboard the train was a no-goer really due to it being too crowded to really have any space to do so.
Needs must and all that but I can't say I would be too enamoured by the prospect of having to do it again.
I used to do the Parkway to Waterloo journey for a year in the late 90's and although it was a long distance, the 1h 7min journey was pretty good. Getting out of the car park was a struggle even back then with cars parked up where they shouldn't be, just like school chucking put time.The train was very busy and frankly if I hadn't got a mate who used to get on nearer the start of the journey, I would often have had no seat. The concept of being able to leisurely work or watch a film aboard the train was a no-goer really due to it being too crowded to really have any space to do so.
Needs must and all that but I can't say I would be too enamoured by the prospect of having to do it again.
It sounds like it has gotten busier in that timeframe though.
OP perhaps a first class upgrade is worth the wallet squeeze, for a happier commuting life?
I do lincolnshire to cambridge. 80 miles each way. Work from home 2 days per week, without which i'd go insane.
In the winter i stay in a hotel on monday nights, booked in advance it can be had for £35-£40/night, so i get 2 out of my 3 days in the office done in one hit.
I take a motorbike as much as possible as it cuts the commute down from 1hr 30 (at best by car) to 3hrs (the longest it's taken by car), to a more predictable 1hr 20-40 by bike.
I also mix things up a bit by sometimes parking at a park-n-ride 15 miles from the office and cycling in, replacing the worst part of the journey with some exercise.
Been doing it for 5 years now.
Wouldn't fancy doing it 5 days per week, not by car anyway. A decent motorbike makes a huge difference
In the winter i stay in a hotel on monday nights, booked in advance it can be had for £35-£40/night, so i get 2 out of my 3 days in the office done in one hit.
I take a motorbike as much as possible as it cuts the commute down from 1hr 30 (at best by car) to 3hrs (the longest it's taken by car), to a more predictable 1hr 20-40 by bike.
I also mix things up a bit by sometimes parking at a park-n-ride 15 miles from the office and cycling in, replacing the worst part of the journey with some exercise.
Been doing it for 5 years now.
Wouldn't fancy doing it 5 days per week, not by car anyway. A decent motorbike makes a huge difference
joropug said:
Its definitely a needs must situation for a small period of time (1 year) if I do it at all,
Good luck, and I mean that.Almost everybody on the commuter trains is 'only doing this for a year or two', even the ones that have been catching the same train for 20 years. It can be a hard habit to break.
Hol said:
I used to do the Parkway to Waterloo journey for a year in the late 90's and although it was a long distance, the 1h 7min journey was pretty good. Getting out of the car park was a struggle even back then with cars parked up where they shouldn't be, just like school chucking put time.
It sounds like it has gotten busier in that timeframe though.
OP perhaps a first class upgrade is worth the wallet squeeze, for a happier commuting life?
To be fair, it was about then I was doing it too! Before the multi-storey car park was built. It sounds like it has gotten busier in that timeframe though.
OP perhaps a first class upgrade is worth the wallet squeeze, for a happier commuting life?
Agreed with everyone, that is a step too far for a drive.i did Southampton to London a while back for an interview and even with me leaving at about 6 .30 am I was no where near the office in London area for 9am. A slight accident or anything and boom, delays and angry road users everywhere.
ericmcn said:
Agreed with everyone, that is a step too far for a drive.i did Southampton to London a while back for an interview and even with me leaving at about 6 .30 am I was no where near the office in London area for 9am. A slight accident or anything and boom, delays and angry road users everywhere.
I have to say driving it would be utterly insane. I wouldn't go near the M27/M3 after 5am Monday - Friday. Stressful, horrible, delay-infested driver that would destroy me in about a week. My train commute was not pleasant and lengthy, but a million times preferable to being on those roads at those peak times. 
k doing that length of commute. Seriously. You’ll soon want to die regardless of your means of transport. I spent 9-months doing Derby to SW6 and SW18 by train a few years ago. 2h30 door to door each way.
I was drawn by the opportunity to join a business I'd always dreamed of working at, and interesting projects.
My wife and I are settled in Derby but I had to take the chance, and I'm glad I did - I learned masses, had incredible experiences, became far more creative, and progressed my career hugely.
Critically, I was fortunate that my employer paid my rail ticket, so I wasn't out of pocket.
The travelling was utterly, utterly draining. I didn't appreciate how damaging it would be to my well-being. I began to get really down, with weekends recovering from the week's back and forth. Rushing across London on the tube, running to catch a particular train, knowing if I missed it by a minute I'd be an hour later home, every day. If you made the train you'd likely not have a seat as season tickets don't get reservations. It gets really old, really fast.
I couldn't have done it longer than I did, and was ready to move on after 9-months. Things worked out, the business was very supportive, I worked more flexibly, then opened an office locally where I worked for a few more years.
While I've moved on now, I don't regret the time I spent long-distance commuting.
As you suggest OP, you can see this as a short-term career-booster, if you'd regret missing the opportunity, maybe give it a go. But don't underestimate how tiring it is.
Definitely take the train rather than drive. A few freelancers in my industry used to take the sleeper train from your neck of the woods and do a three-day week in London as others have suggested. That might work better.
Good luck.
I was drawn by the opportunity to join a business I'd always dreamed of working at, and interesting projects.
My wife and I are settled in Derby but I had to take the chance, and I'm glad I did - I learned masses, had incredible experiences, became far more creative, and progressed my career hugely.
Critically, I was fortunate that my employer paid my rail ticket, so I wasn't out of pocket.
The travelling was utterly, utterly draining. I didn't appreciate how damaging it would be to my well-being. I began to get really down, with weekends recovering from the week's back and forth. Rushing across London on the tube, running to catch a particular train, knowing if I missed it by a minute I'd be an hour later home, every day. If you made the train you'd likely not have a seat as season tickets don't get reservations. It gets really old, really fast.
I couldn't have done it longer than I did, and was ready to move on after 9-months. Things worked out, the business was very supportive, I worked more flexibly, then opened an office locally where I worked for a few more years.
While I've moved on now, I don't regret the time I spent long-distance commuting.
As you suggest OP, you can see this as a short-term career-booster, if you'd regret missing the opportunity, maybe give it a go. But don't underestimate how tiring it is.
Definitely take the train rather than drive. A few freelancers in my industry used to take the sleeper train from your neck of the woods and do a three-day week in London as others have suggested. That might work better.
Good luck.
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