Everybody loves a good infographic, right?? As part of the contest I did with Contigo last month, they sent me this awesome Infographic. Some highlights:
- Over 128 million Americans commute to work every day, for an average of 25 minutes each way.
- Around 90% drive, 5% take public transportation, and another 5% fly.
- Half a million Americans, mostly older, married men, are mega-commuters, with a travel time of 2 hours. (whoa)
- The vast (VAST) majority of commuters drink hot coffee during the trip—78%.
Of course, for business travelers it’s a little different. We don’t always have a typical commute, and our commute is often far longer than even a mega-commute. This week, on top of a four hour flight, I will be taking a train for two hours each way. That’s a long time! I will definitely be loading up on coffee (in my awesome Contigo West Loop travel mug) and taking advantage of downtime to get some work done on that train trip.
Another thing I like from the Infographic are the great suggestions to make commutes more comfortable:
- Bring healthy snacks (something I recommend on every trip!)
- Listen to music or podcasts to entertain yourself
- Choose a reusable mug for your preferred beverage
Contigo has been nice enough to give Road Warriorette readers a coupon code for 20% off on their website. Simply enter COMMUTE20 at checkout.
Readers, do you have a regular commute? What is the longest commute you’ve ever made?
I have cold cocktails while commuting. :-)_
There are some interesting data points here, but as professional in data analysis I have to side firmly with the legendary Edward Tufte: there is no such thing as a good infographic.
This presentation is messy, unfocused, overly busy and misleading in at least a dozen different ways. It is wise to be very skeptical when you see an infographic: people who are competent in quantitative analysis and visualization understand that infographics are counterproductive if your goal is to honestly inform.