Becoming a long-distance commuter was not easy – not least because there are nearly 100 miles between my home and the office. An annual season ticket was among one of the most expensive single purchases of my adult life. Then I had to get used to the impact on my social life of adding a four-hour round-trip to the working day.
So I was a natural source of advice to a friend who had, like me, landed a fantastic job in the capital. His dilemma was one many had faced before him. He wanted to take the job in London but without the sacrifice of leaving his home in Lincolnshire.
He decided he was able to follow in my footsteps and join the masses of suited-and-booted folk who sacrifice hours of freedom for twiddling their thumbs along the East Coast Main Line each day. However, he needed convincing first. How had I managed to keep up this grueling schedule without turning into an ashen-faced zombie?
I gave him all the details, including prices, train times and the sad fact everyone will be on their second or third pint by the time you are able to join them in the pub after work. However, I assured him that is indeed possible to live a perfectly happy life while spending the equivalent of nearly a whole day in transit each week.
"That's all fine," he replied, "but … really?"
As Oliver Burkeman pointed out in a recent Guardian column, if my friend and I were living stateside we'd be labelled as "extreme commuters" by the US Census. In my opinion, putting in the hours worthy of such a title in the name of getting to the office each day is not as bad as it sounds. Burkeman also pointed out there are some who seem to relish commuting, whether it is the isolation of the iPod for them or the transition between work and non-work.
While I can't say I actively look forward to my commute, it soon just morphed into part of my daily routine. I look at it as a kind of autopilot; getting up in time for one train, leaving work at a certain time to catch another. I don't think I am alone in approaching it this way. Seasoned commuters seem to have developed a communal routine in order to accommodate the chaos of thousands of people descending into London each day.
Each morning little groups of commuters gather poised at the exact spot on the platform where the door of their preferred carriage will appear. Once onboard, other commuters will make room for them should there be the golden opportunity of a spare seat. This is not the place for bags and coats strewn across spare spaces in a hostile attempt to deter people from requesting the room.
In the morning, most passengers will respectfully keep the noise down for those who want to catch up with some much-needed shuteye. There might be a smile or a few pleasantries exchanged with a familiar face. Some have even capitalised on their commute as amusing content for their blogs and Twitter feeds. My favourite is the hilarious @BrightonTrain, who tweets overheard snippets of conversations, including "I have demon in me. Would you like a ham sandwich?"
Of course, there are a myriad of unavoidable annoyances associated with public transport. People who use the time to file their nails and those who insist on shouting into their mobile phones top my list. However, I do think all the downsides are bearable if you are making your way to a job you enjoy. The cost and burden of the journey should be weighed up alongside the careers benefits gained by taking the role.
If the balance tips in favour of the job opportunity, then the commitment to travel feels more like it can open doors for you rather than just being a means to an end. So back to my friend. I think the fact that a dream job awaits him at the end of his journey will make the adjustment to long-distance commuter much easier than it seems at first.
And you never know, he might actually find himself enjoying it.
