Is 100 miles a day too far to commute?
- Thread starter Five_Star
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Soldato
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- 27 Mar 2004
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- Telford
why dont you do a trial run one of the mornings? see whats its like
I've always had commutes of around 1hr 15m each way. Currently I use the train and tube but for the previous few years used my car.
For 3 months I did 50 miles each way from St Albans to Reading. This was my limit and I don't think I'd have done it much longer. The route didn't really help - given the M25 has a tendency to be rather busy quite often it took upwards of 2 hours to get home in the evening.
Following this I worked near Heathrow which was around 30 miles each way. This took between 45 minutes - 1.5 hours depending on time of day although generally I was fairly content with it.
Spent a fortune in fuel (drove my M5) although luckily as neither were my "permanent" place of work I could expense mileage which made up for it somewhat. Would have been a lot more of a drag if I were paying for my own fuel.
Having said that, my fuel bills wouldn't have been a huge amount higher than what I now spend on rail and tube travel. Great value public transport...
For 3 months I did 50 miles each way from St Albans to Reading. This was my limit and I don't think I'd have done it much longer. The route didn't really help - given the M25 has a tendency to be rather busy quite often it took upwards of 2 hours to get home in the evening.
Following this I worked near Heathrow which was around 30 miles each way. This took between 45 minutes - 1.5 hours depending on time of day although generally I was fairly content with it.
Spent a fortune in fuel (drove my M5) although luckily as neither were my "permanent" place of work I could expense mileage which made up for it somewhat. Would have been a lot more of a drag if I were paying for my own fuel.
Having said that, my fuel bills wouldn't have been a huge amount higher than what I now spend on rail and tube travel. Great value public transport...
I do a 100 miles per day, have done for 3 years. I don't mind it at all because I leave at 5.40am and start my journey home at 7pm so there is little traffic or even cars when I'm driving. At weekends I can sometimes get nearly all the way there before I see another car.
It also helps that I only really drive to work about 100 days a year. I thought I wouldn't be able to hack it when I started but it doesn't even register anymore. There are people at my place that do over 100 miles per day each way.
It all depends on the route and time of day. I average 47-50mph on my trip computer and I stick to the speed limit strictly.
It also helps that I only really drive to work about 100 days a year. I thought I wouldn't be able to hack it when I started but it doesn't even register anymore. There are people at my place that do over 100 miles per day each way.
It all depends on the route and time of day. I average 47-50mph on my trip computer and I stick to the speed limit strictly.
[TW]Fox;17403452 said:
If all of your salary covering the fuel is covered by the BR tax band, and you're paying student loan, then the last £10,000 (£8,695 no SL) of you Gross salary will be going purely towards paying for fuel - effectively the same as doing a £25k job and walking to work (but also loosing a lot of time to commuting).
If you're lucky enough to cover the entire amount with the HR band and you have a student loan too, then the last £12,000 (£10,169 no SL) of your salary will be going towards fuel... So say you're earning £56k, it takes you back down to £44k and walking to work.
It depends where abouts you're going to Five Star, I've done the 30~35 miles from the other side of Thirsk to Uni/James Cook Hospital in 'Boro for the past 4 years and it can take between 45 minutes and an hour+ if the traffic is bad.
I'm now going to be going up to Stockton and back each day so a similar distance and I don't really mind - yes it's a bit far, but apart from the A19/A66 around Middlesbrough it's fairly quiet at most times of the day and stress-free. Unlike where my gf lives in North London - I couldn't ever drive an hour to get to work in stop start traffic!
I'm now going to be going up to Stockton and back each day so a similar distance and I don't really mind - yes it's a bit far, but apart from the A19/A66 around Middlesbrough it's fairly quiet at most times of the day and stress-free. Unlike where my gf lives in North London - I couldn't ever drive an hour to get to work in stop start traffic!
I used to commute 1.5hrs each way every day by car and belive me, it made me resent the job. Leaving the house at 07:30 and not getting home until 19:00 grates after a while.
Quality of life is what's important and spending 3hrs a day in a car just to get to work to start getting paid doesn't compute any more with me.
Quality of life is what's important and spending 3hrs a day in a car just to get to work to start getting paid doesn't compute any more with me.
Was same for me, though I was out the door before 7.
I'm now 20 mins away from work on a bad day
Yeah I couldn't do it for a regular 5 day a week job but working shifts cuts down the travelling by a huge amount. I'd rather drive from cambridge to luton than move closer. Plus I get that warm cosy feeling getting to look at Luton in my rear view mirror.
I've just thought of something that may change what my opinion counts for. I have always had jobs where my hours are totally flexible i.e. I can work 5 hours one day, 10 hours the next etc. and there isn't some strict tally of what those hours are.
This means that while I tend to be out of the house by 6:30 and not back until 19:00 or later on weekdays, it's only on those days where I wouldn't be doing anything else anyway. On a day where I am meeting someone for dinner, or have something to do in the morning, those hours would change to suit. This in effect means my perceived impact of the long days on my quality of life is minimised, as I can still fit most everything around work.
This means that while I tend to be out of the house by 6:30 and not back until 19:00 or later on weekdays, it's only on those days where I wouldn't be doing anything else anyway. On a day where I am meeting someone for dinner, or have something to do in the morning, those hours would change to suit. This in effect means my perceived impact of the long days on my quality of life is minimised, as I can still fit most everything around work.
Not for all the tea in China. Time spent driving is totally unproductive - you're not earning, working, socialising, learning or relaxing. You're just piloting a vehicle or, worse still, sitting in a traffic jam.
One of the few advantages to being the boss is that I had a fairly large say in where the new office was going to be a few years ago. I can walk if I feel like it.
One of the few advantages to being the boss is that I had a fairly large say in where the new office was going to be a few years ago. I can walk if I feel like it.
Soldato
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I do 80 miles a day so not too far off. I've done this for 5 years now and i was on £13k when i started...
It must cost me £300+ a month in the Teg - compared to the 160quid a month in my old 1.6 focus.
An hours commute isn't bad atall aslong as the traffic is flowing. I'm lucky enough to live where there's almost never any traffic jams so i think i averaged 47mph in my old focus on my commute
When you've got some music you love on you can chill out and its ok really.
It would be a lot easier in a big comfy car though, so if you're not used to it make sure you have a big car with cruise control and not a small, harshly sprung, no sound insulation, revvy sports car
So yeah in summary - Man up, it'll be fine.
It must cost me £300+ a month in the Teg - compared to the 160quid a month in my old 1.6 focus.
An hours commute isn't bad atall aslong as the traffic is flowing. I'm lucky enough to live where there's almost never any traffic jams so i think i averaged 47mph in my old focus on my commute
When you've got some music you love on you can chill out and its ok really.
It would be a lot easier in a big comfy car though, so if you're not used to it make sure you have a big car with cruise control and not a small, harshly sprung, no sound insulation, revvy sports car
So yeah in summary - Man up, it'll be fine.
A lot of people are going down the route of well it's like earning x amount and working close to home.
But say you have the option of either getting 50k and having a 50 mile commute, or 20k and a 10 minute commute.
The reason a lot of people do a bigger commute is that there is nothing 'equivilent' nearer to home so sadly don't have that luxury of the choice.
Annoyingly most of the roles I'd want to do next are a heftier commute away, but if it's the choice of a much higher salary further away it'll be a tough choice.
I'm all for quality of life etc, that's the reason I live where I do and suffer the consequences career wise. And that's also the reason why I will always have to commute somewhat to give me the quality of life that I like.
Soldato
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This - I'd much rather live where i do with no traffic, cities or motorways within 50 miles and put up with a slightly longer commute
Associate
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Perhaps try driving there and see how you feel about it? Personally I could'nt do it.
Soldato
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You'll be alright, an hour was a good day for me when I worked in landscaping. Occasionally I had a 3 hour drive to work depending on what site I was working on.
You get used to it.
Only real trouble is the extra cost of motoring I would imagine. I was fine because I had a company van and fuel card but my old man who does about 50 miles each way found he spends thousands a year on motoring.
You get used to it.
Only real trouble is the extra cost of motoring I would imagine. I was fine because I had a company van and fuel card but my old man who does about 50 miles each way found he spends thousands a year on motoring.