Caroline Colvin
Caroline Colvin said regularly commuting three hours to her job is the best thing for her relationship and career — but it's come with significant downsides.
Last year, Colvin's fiancé accepted a job that required him to relocate from Baltimore to New York City. But Colvin kept her job as a social media specialist for the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
In January 2024, after the couple moved to Manhattan, Colvin began commuting to Baltimore. Colvin said she's required to work in person between one and three days a week, depending on the time of year. She said she currently goes in three days a week, but in the summer it was once a week.
Colvin is among the supercommuters who are making long trips to work. A Stanford University study published in June defined a supercommuter as anyone with a journey of more than 75 miles. The share of supercommutes in the 10 largest US cities was 32% greater between November 2023 and February than between the same time period four years prior, per the study.
This increase was likely driven by the uptick in remote working arrangements, per the study. For example, some Americans who left cities during the pandemic — in part for lower housing costs — decided they could stomach a long commute when their employers later called them back to the office.
On a typical commuting day, Colvin said she wakes up at 5 a.m., catches an Amtrak train about an hour later at Baltimore Penn Station, arrives at Moynihan Train Hall in New York around 8:30 a.m., and gets to the office 30 minutes later. She leaves work around 5:45 p.m. and is home by 9 p.m. When she has to commute the next day, she tries to be asleep by 11 p.m.
"It's a hard commute," the 23-year-old told Business Insider. But it's a commute Colvin said worthwhile, in part because being in New York helps her pursue a second career as an actor.
Colvin said moving to the Big Apple has made it much easier for her to attend acting auditions, and that she's booked three roles — two of which required her to live in New York City. Additionally, she said Manhattan's prominent finance sector is a good fit for her fiancé, who works in the industry.
"New York City was always the end goal for both of us," she said. "The timing was admittedly sooner than expected, but it was an opportunity that ultimately made sense for both our careers."
While moving to New York City has helped Colvin supplement her salary with earnings from acting gigs, she said it's also had some financial downsides.
For one, New York City is among the most expensive places to live in the US. Colvin thinks she might have a higher salary if her job were based in New York City rather than Baltimore: She said she earns less than $100,000 annually.
"I'm paying a premium on bills and taxes to live in New York while only collecting a Baltimore salary," she said.
Commuting costs have also impacted her finances. Colvin said she used to buy a multi-ride Amtrak pass, which allowed her to reduce her per-ticket cost and not be locked into a specific train. But since Amtrak raised prices on multi-ride tickets for the Northeast Corridor this year, she said this option no longer made financial sense.
A 10-ride ticket from New York to Baltimore costs $750, while a monthly ticket (valid for up to two trips a day in one calendar month) costs $1,875. In comparison, Colvin said buying tickets individually typically costs between $35 and $50 per round-trip ticket — which has often amounted to less than $500 a month in combined ticket costs.
"The multi-ride pass offers more flexibility, but at least for my situation, is not worth the price difference," she said.
Colvin said she's reduced her commuting costs by buying tickets a few months in advance and taking advantage of Amtrak sales and promotions. Overall, she said she's been able to cover her living expenses and have some money left over for savings.
Another downside of Colvin's commute is the "fatigue" that comes with getting up early and regularly making a three-hour trip , she said. But for now, she has no plans to change course or look for roles based in New York.
Do you have a long commute to work? Are you willing to share your story with a reporter? Reach out to jzinkula@businessinsider.com.
