Do you want to defeat holiday traffic jams? The secret is remote work
If we all have more flexibility, we can better divide the flow driving to the beach
Before remote work existed, holidays were the only alternative for taking a trip longer than a weekend, an escape from the routine before the vacation.
The problem was that everyone had the same idea. What was supposed to be a moment to relax turned into a stressful experience when faced with epic traffic jams.
Remote work completely reversed this logic. It's been a while since I no longer face the dilemma of traveling on holiday with traffic or staying in an empty São Paulo.
On this Day of the Dead, for example, I came to the beach with my family. We arrived on Wednesday morning, the day before the holiday, without traffic jam, and we're leaving on Saturday when the roads are still soft.
I worked from Guarujá on Wednesday, and as soon as the workday ended, I was already at the beach. I didn't have to spend hours in the car to reach my destination. I didn't work on Thursday or Friday, which allowed me two full days of rest. And it's okay to leave a day early in exchange for avoiding a traffic jam.
Not to mention that you don't have to travel precisely on holiday. We chose the Day of the Dead because it was the only date that worked for everyone in the family. But if I want to travel alone, I can choose absolutely any day.
This is freedom. From São Paulo to Guarujá, it's just over an hour. But on holidays, it can take up to 7 hours. That's not a way to live. The last time I was stuck in traffic like that I promised myself I would never do it again.
Remote work is allowing me to reach this goal. If we all have more flexibility, we can better divide the flow driving to the beach. Some can already go on Sunday. Others on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Similarly, the way back can be done on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. The traffic will be more spread out. This is my ideal model of society. No Direction Home dreams of the day when this will be possible.
