I Made My Commute Bearable With Carpooling And Podcasts

I’m sure we have all been on the 14 freeway during the Monday-Friday commute at some point, and if you haven’t yet, you probably will be one day. Some of us have done it for countless years and some are just starting. It doesn’t seem to be getting better as more and more people are moving to the Antelope Valley while keeping their jobs firmly in LA.

I personally commuted for a year down to Valencia carpooling with my sister and another coworker. A lot of people are taking this approach now to avoid mileage on their personal vehicles. Carpooling definitely benefits not only your vehicle’s life, but yours as well. Taking a nap during that hour drive while someone else drives is definitely refreshing. You can catch up on emails before getting to work so there’s no rush when you arrive. Taking turns on driving can relieve the stress on yourself for that week or month you don’t have to drive. The more people you can include in your carpool the merrier!

If you’re looking for someone to carpool with here are a few online options:

ICarpool is an app that will connect you to people with similar destinations.

Waze is a popular GPS app that has a rideshare feature.

Rideshare.org is a website that also aims to partner you with people to share the ride.

What if carpooling isn’t an option

But in most cases, carpooling just isn’t an option. Its difficult to find someone with a very similar destination to you and many don’t want the hassle of dealing with another person in the mornings (family is sometimes enough). What can keep you entertained and make the time pass? Lonely drives aren’t very exciting and unfortunately some nightshift workers have a tendency of falling asleep on the road. We want to keep you safe and awake!  

I recently have discovered podcasts! There is a variety of different topics; from your daily worldwide news, to comedy skits, to sermons from pastors nationwide, to a simple daily motivational talk. Skunkworks recently came out with a fantastic podcast that everyone in the AV should check out. You might find yourself talking back with your opinion but that’s okay, there’s no one around to judge you.

Audiobooks are also becoming very popular. It’s easier to have someone read you a book than you having to find the time to read them yourself. Apple recently released 6 well-known audiobooks for completely free and many haven’t realised you can rent audiobooks for free from the library.

Commuting isn’t easy or cheap, but there are many ways to make it more bearable.

What do you do to keep yourself occupied during the loney drives? What are your commuting experiences? Let me know in the comments.