What is a reasonable distance to commute to work?

What is the ideal commute distance?

Ah, the commute: a daily pilgrimage, yes? Twenty minutes? Ideal. Like finding the perfect parking spot, every single time.

Thirty? Acceptable. If the job's a diamond.

• Time, not distance: Absolutely. Who cares if it's across town or just down the street? Traffic, my friend, is the real enemy.

• Ideal: Under 20: Golden zone. Sip your coffee, tune the radio, arrive almost refreshed. My commute? Varies. Once lived next door to my office. Paradise! Now? A bit longer. Worth it? Mostly.

• 30 Minutes? Tolerable: The "it depends" zone. Am I saving the world? Making bank? If not, then pass.

• Over 30? Questionable: Begins to encroach on my time. Family. Hobbies. Sleeping. All important, right?

Here's the thing: commute tolerance is personal. Some thrive on it, oddly. Like marathon runners, but with more road rage. Me? I'd rather spend that time mastering the art of napping. Or, you know, world domination.

How long is an acceptable commute?

30 minutes? Acceptable. Barely.

Acceptable commute: Sub 30. Push it.

Anything more is stealing life. My sanity is on the line.

• Optimal: 15 minutes. Max.
• Tolerable: 20-25. Fine...ish.
• Insane: Beyond 30. Rethink everything. Sell. Move. Quit.

It's a question of value. Time is money. More than just the gas. My time matters.

What is the average time people travel to work?

Ugh, commute. My 15-minute drive is a joke. Seriously. Nine miles, smooth sailing usually. Except for that one idiot who always cuts me off on Elm Street. Grrr.

Average commute time? Who knows! I've read studies showing the average is around 27 minutes, but that’s total BS. My friends all have way longer commutes, like an hour! Ridiculous.

Minimum? Probably 5 minutes. Maximum? An eternity, if there's an accident.

My commute? Thirty minutes a day round trip. That’s an hour a day, five hours a week, 250 hours a year! That’s insane. Pure highway robbery. Waste of life.

Distance? Nine miles, I already said that.

What do I think? It's a complete waste of time. People need to live closer to work, simple as that. Or work from home, obviously. Or get better public transportation. More bike lanes!

• Average commute (national): 27 minutes (totally inaccurate for many!)
• My commute: 15 minutes each way, 30 minutes total.
• Weekly commute time: 5 hours.
• Yearly commute time: 260 hours! (I double checked this time, ha!)
• Distance: 9 miles.
• My thoughts: Needs major improvement, a total rip-off of valuable time.

How far are people willing to travel to work?

Man, my commute. One hour twenty minutes each way? That's insane! I did that, for a while. On my beat-up Honda Rebel, though. It was awesome. Wind in my hair, sun on my face – until it rained. Then it sucked. Seriously sucked.

My current gig? Much closer. Ten minutes. A blissful ten minutes. I'd never go back to that hour and twenty. Nope. Never again.

It was a great job, the one that required that insane commute. Really fulfilling work, but the toll? My god, the toll. I was exhausted. Always exhausted. The motorcycle helped, it really did make the journey less awful – the sheer joy of riding sometimes outweighed the misery of the journey. But, still, a huge chunk of my day.

I wouldn’t travel more than thirty minutes each way now, not for any job. No way. Maybe forty, max, for the absolute right opportunity. But that would depend on other factors, like what kind of transport I'm using. Public transport would be a hard no past a certain point. Driving a car in rush hour for longer than that? No chance.

The problem with long commutes isn’t just the time, you know? It's the mental drain. It's getting home and feeling like you've already worked a full day before you've even started your evening. It's the impact on your social life. It's the increased stress. It’s all of it. The cost, the lost time, all of it.

Things I considered before I made the change:

• Pay –The old job paid well, significantly better.
• Career Progression – There was the opportunity for promotion.
• Job Satisfaction – Actually, I really liked the work.
• Stress Levels – I was completely stressed out from commuting.
• Work/Life Balance – Horrible. Truly awful.

My current commute? Peaceful. Quiet. I actually look forward to the short ride now. A short commute was my priority when I switched jobs this year. It was a major deciding factor. A very important factor.

How long of a commute is unhealthy?

Ugh, commutes. 20 miles. Is that it? Seriously? My drive to Aunt Carol's is longer than that!

• Aunt Carol lives in Akron. That's easily 40 miles one way.
• Wait, cholesterol? Heart disease? Stress, obviously.

I'm definitely stressed on the highway. People are idiots.

• Okay, so 20 miles = Bad.
• What about public transport? Safer, less road rage.

Maybe it's the driving that's the killer. Not the distance itself.

• Commuting 20 miles is linked to higher cholesterol and potential heart issues.
• I need to re-think Thanksgiving this year. Maybe a hotel near Aunt Carol's.
• Or just… send a card. Jk, I love Aunt Carol.

Hmm, I had eggs for breakfast. Eggs have cholesterol, right?