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What's the Longest Daily Commute You'd Be Prepared to Drive?

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    #21
    Anything over 60 minutes on average and I would stay away for a few nights per week. Under two hours and you can still come home one or two nights, or if there's something on.
    …Maybe we ain’t that young anymore

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      #22
      Originally posted by WTFH View Post
      Anything over 60 minutes on average and I would stay away for a few nights per week. Under two hours and you can still come home one or two nights, or if there's something on.
      But if that means the missus then revert back to the previous sentence.
      'CUK forum personality of 2011 - Winner - Yes really!!!!

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        #23
        Originally posted by SimonMac View Post
        And setting off 5 mins early invariably gets you into the office at 7:30, long before any other fecker
        Also, if you get in early and leave early, other people get the impression your skiving off early. I used to arrive at 7:30 and leave at 16:00 - and get the usual comments about "half day" etc. I switched to 10:00 to 18:00 and was commended for always being the last to leave! (Do the maths).
        Down with racism. Long live miscegenation!

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          #24
          Originally posted by NotAllThere View Post
          Also, if you get in early and leave early, other people get the impression your skiving off early. I used to arrive at 7:30 and leave at 16:00 - and get the usual comments about "half day" etc. I switched to 10:00 to 18:00 and was commended for always being the last to leave! (Do the maths).
          You can't win with this one. I've always manage to negotiate a 10am start and laye finish after bedding in and get all the jibes about late for today or early for tomorrow? I've done 2 hours work etc. No one sees you working late so assume you are still doing less hours.
          'CUK forum personality of 2011 - Winner - Yes really!!!!

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            #25
            Originally posted by NotAllThere View Post
            Also, if you get in early and leave early, other people get the impression your skiving off early. I used to arrive at 7:30 and leave at 16:00 - and get the usual comments about "half day" etc. I switched to 10:00 to 18:00 and was commended for always being the last to leave! (Do the maths).
            Not necessarily.

            One client everyone was in around 8.30am at the latest so they could leave by 5pm or have longer lunch breaks. So they had no issue with me being in an hour earlier.
            "You’re just a bad memory who doesn’t know when to go away" JR

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              #26
              Driving - 90 minutes in rush hour max. I'll stretch to 2 hours if it's short term and an easy, predictable drive. I'd honestly much rather stay over much past that, because what's the point in getting home just in time to have tea and go to bed, to be up early the next day.

              I'll stretch a bit more for rail commutes because they tend to be less stressful.

              Originally posted by northernladuk View Post
              I'd kill for a 55 minute commute. Many permies do this and look what they earn. If it gets too much stay over a night or two.
              Very true - I used to commute about 70 - 80 minutes to my work, BUT it was generally quite pleasant. Very little traffic and the company were incredibly relaxed about hours and times, so that bit was never an issue. Then they started digging up the M6 and, honestly, it was one of the things that pushed me out and into contracting - it changed from an enjoyable(ish) drive to a hateful nightmare.
              Last edited by vwdan; 3 January 2017, 17:39.

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                #27
                Commuting round Manchester has been pot luck and getting worse. Anything involving the M6 multiplies the issues. I've commuted up to Skipton, which was easy because I'm heading away from traffic but it's 48 miles so always an hour. City centre commutes aren't a problem because of the rat runs you learn about with time, especially on the Rochdale Road/Oldham Road side. Downside is that you all have to converge again depending upon which side of Heaton Park you are going. The A56 is patchy up to J17 from Manchester - some parts of it are far quieter than others but Prestwich village is a nightmare to get through (the last mile before the motorway).

                Commuting out of hours is definitely preferred - currently doing 4 long days and one v short day instead of 5 regular ones.
                The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn't exist

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                  #28
                  Surely it also depends on what you have waiting for you at home.

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                    #29
                    Originally posted by LondonManc View Post
                    Commuting round Manchester has been pot luck and getting worse. Anything involving the M6 multiplies the issues. I've commuted up to Skipton, which was easy because I'm heading away from traffic but it's 48 miles so always an hour. City centre commutes aren't a problem because of the rat runs you learn about with time, especially on the Rochdale Road/Oldham Road side. Downside is that you all have to converge again depending upon which side of Heaton Park you are going. The A56 is patchy up to J17 from Manchester - some parts of it are far quieter than others but Prestwich village is a nightmare to get through (the last mile before the motorway).

                    Commuting out of hours is definitely preferred - currently doing 4 long days and one v short day instead of 5 regular ones.
                    WHS!

                    Last year I did 9 months travelling from Rochdale to Knutsford and it was a nightmare. The M60 is hopeless, not helped when half of it is being upgraded to a 'smart' motorway. I'd leave for work early and it would take about an hour to get in, but it always seemed to take 90mins to get home. People in the south moan about commuting but it's just as bad up north.
                    Rule Number 1 - Assuming that you have a valid contract in place always try to get your poo onto your timesheet, provided that the timesheet is valid for your current contract and covers the period of time that you are billing for.

                    I preferred version 1!

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                      #30
                      Originally posted by BoredBloke View Post
                      WHS!

                      Last year I did 9 months travelling from Rochdale to Knutsford and it was a nightmare. The M60 is hopeless, not helped when half of it is being upgraded to a 'smart' motorway. I'd leave for work early and it would take about an hour to get in, but it always seemed to take 90mins to get home. People in the south moan about commuting but it's just as bad up north.
                      Throw in that public transport is terrible for anything but the most basic or intercity journeys and it's a reason that I seek out London gigs (as well as them generally being better paying and six months at a time).
                      The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn't exist

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