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The Worst Commutes on Earth

If you think your daily trek is bad, read these.

Author:: Seth Fiegerman
Publish date:: Sep 27, 2009 2:53 PM EDT

Americans spend more than 100 hours each year commuting on average. So if you feel like your commute is tough, you’re in good company. But before you start complaining, take a look at these seven commutes and you'll feel much better. Photo Credit: tronics

Americans spend more than 100 hours each year commuting on average. So if you feel like your commute is tough, you’re in good company. But before you start complaining, take a look at these seven commutes and you'll feel much better. Photo Credit: tronics

She may still be in college but Tameeka Henry has a tougher commute than most working adults. According to New York Magazine, in order to get to Five Towns College from her Brooklyn home, she must take “a dollar van, a city bus, the subway, two Long Island Rail Road trains and a Suffolk County bus.” Total time: 4 hours each way. Photo Credit: laffy4k

East Stroudsburg, Pa. This small town in eastern Pennsylvania spends nearly twice as much time commuting as the rest of Americans. Why? Because many of the 10,000 people who live in this town work in New York, at least 60 miles away. So commuters leave their homes as early as 4 a.m. to get to work on time. Photo Credit: Retromoderns

Imagine having to pass through the most crowded border crossing in the world every day on the way to and from work. That’s what many people in Mexico go through commuting from Tijuana to Southern California, a trip that takes as much as 8 hours each way. (Commuters in England had a similar problem, as many Brits moved to cheaper locations in mainland Europe but kept their jobs in the UK, commuting long distances across borders and the ocean. But they found a solution: reducing the cost of airfare so commuters could fly instead.)Photo Credit: richardmasoner

Quaker State is currently holding a contest for the world’s worst commute. One finalist in particular stands out: Kimberly Hanson, from Salt Springs, Fla. Hanson drives down dirt roads, takes a small tug boat across a river (often having to wait out bad storms first) before driving for miles down more back roads to get to the Nursing Center where she works. Still doesn’t sound too bad? She’s also been attacked by an alligator on her commute. Photo Credit: Diana Blackwell

A small Colombian community has to use a zip line to get across a large ravine in order to make it to work. We admit this might sound awesome to the right person, but it must be hard after a long day of work. Plus, what do you do with your baggage? Less funny are the kids in China who now have to use zip lines to get to school each day ever since the bridge they used broke. Photo Credit: jenly

We’ve all dealt with some tightly packed trains, but that’s nothing compared to trains abroad in Asia. Thousands die each year on commuter trains in India’s big cities. Meanwhile, if you think people are pushy in New York, wait until you go to Japan where there are professionals whose job it is to push and pull you off of crowded trains. Watch this video if you have any doubts. Photo Credit: richardmasoner

Every year, these birds have to fly over the Himalayas to make their annual migration between China and India. Not only do they have to lift themselves over the tallest mountains in the world, fighting gale force winds; they also have to fend off golden eagles trying to eat them. So stop complaining now. Photo Credit: D'Arcy Norman

7 Commutes That Are Worse Than Yours

Americans spend more than 100 hours each year commuting on average. So if you feel like your commute is tough, you’re in good company. But before you start complaining, take a look at these seven commutes and you'll feel much better. Photo Credit: tronics