r2i forum

I was wondering about the average driving time to/from work. My new workplace is about 40 miles from my house and it would take me 45 minutes each way (all highway). Is that too much of a drive? My current workplace is only 13 miles one-way and now I will be doing 3 times that. Is that too much of a distance?
How many miles do you guys drive back and forth from work? What do you do to make that drive less tiresome?

[QUOTE] Is that too much of a drive? Chinta chodo PG sahab!! Every mile you go is perhaps a step closer to R2I :)

Mine is a grand total of 12 m (to & fro). :)

Key is, if both H&W are working, it is good for one of them (H OR W) to account for proximity from home/school, because in case of emergencies (called from school about sick child etc...) one of them can reach home/school sooner. IMO :)

Going strictly by the time factor, 45 mts is not a bad commute at all. Its the norm in most cities. However, I am not sure about the distance factor. Is there a likelihood of random and often traffic jams in your area? YOu should be able to duke this drive out for the next 6 months while you get settled down and then figure out the long term plan.

Dont go for too much distractions on the drive. Just buy a new or a 3 year old certified 535i to help your kommute - that should be enough.

PeterGriffin;387095I was wondering about the average driving time to/from work. My new workplace is about 40 miles from my house and it would take me 45 minutes each way (all highway). Is that too much of a drive? My current workplace is only 13 miles one-way and now I will be doing 3 times that. Is that too much of a distance?
How many miles do you guys drive back and forth from work? What do you do to make that drive less tiresome?

I used to drive more than 60 miles one-way for work a while back. Luckily it was all on highway and against the traffic. The first thing I did was buy a luxury car!. The idea was, If I am going to be spending 2.5 to 3 hours a day in the car, I might as well enjoy the ride. Got a ton of audio books from my local lib. Developed a liking for some radio stations to keep me company. You can get XM radio if you want a wider selection.

Did this for a couple of years. Eventually got fed up with the long drive and moved. Now drive to work is less than 10 miles / 15 min.

A - You are right about somebody being closer to where the kids are. My wife works 2 miles from home so that works well with kid's doc. appt.s etc.

MINFY - Yes. It is 45 minutes each way against the traffic so it isn't that bad but doing it everyday is what concerns me. I'll have to see what I can do after 6 months. May be work out a 3 day work and 1 day WFH plan.

Kalki - Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm actually planning to get a hybrid as it could help in lowering my gas costs. I heard that the cost of these hybrids have come down significantly now. I need to check these out. Any ideas on which is better?

I drove 35 Miles one way for 2 years. Took me 45-75min depending on traffic. Its a pain driving that long and that with flex timings. Believe me, you would soon hate the drive. Can't sustain the interest in driving that distance (everyday) in the long run, especially for people who have been pampered with short commutes. We try to keep the commute within 10 miles one way. For a few years my commute was 6 miles round trip and my wife's 8-9 miles round-trip.

PeterGriffin;387105
Kalki - Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm actually planning to get a hybrid as it could help in lowering my gas costs. I heard that the cost of these hybrids have come down significantly now. I need to check these out. Any ideas on which is better?

One of my friends has a Civic hybrid and seems comfortable. Not sure about others in the market. I would suggest you to go for a medium size hybrid.

cyberabadi;387109Can't sustain the interest in driving that distance (everyday) in the long run, especially for people who have been pampered with short commutes.

That's exactly my fear too. The fastest it would take me to reach home in case of an emergency is 45 minutes. That scares me a lot.
But, I guess, to get something, one has to give something. I'm at least glad that my wife works only 2 miles away from home.
As I had mentioned in one of my posts, I will have to work something out with my employer about working from home few days a week.

anwesha;387099...Key is, if both H&W are working, it is good for one of them (H OR W) to account for proximity from home/school, because in case of emergencies (called from school about sick child etc...) one of them can reach home/school sooner. IMO :)

PeterGriffin;387121That's exactly my fear too. The fastest it would take me to reach home in case of an emergency is 45 minutes. That scares me a lot.
But, I guess, to get something, one has to give something. I'm at least glad that my wife works only 2 miles away from home. ...

Rather than for emergencies, school/daycare being close to home helps if WFH is going to be a frequent option.

In the case of a 911 kind of emergency, the school already has signatures in place and they'll have to and will take action before parent reaches school. In the case of a call from school about sick child, well, that might never happen in a school year or happen only once. My kid's school is less than a mile away, but if I am out of the area or if the school calls on cell phone and coverage is bad, the advantage of being close by is gone. If I was job-hunting, I wouldn't limit the distance for the sake of being close in case of emergency calls from school. I think being closer to the child's school is more of a peace of mind thing. : )

My commute is 40 minutes one way, i am so bored of this driving that i am thinking to rent my home and move close to work :(