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2nd July 2023
04:00pm BST
A woman has gone viral after revealing that she flies to her internship every week because it's cheaper than renting a place somewhere within commuting distance.
Sophia Celentano took to TikTok to share her unusual journey to work which allows her to save money on renting on the expensive east coast of New Jersey.
Sophia had been offered an internship at Ogilvy, and always planned to commute as she only needed to be in the office one day a week.
She told Business Insider: "From my perspective, I didn't really see it worth getting a really expensive place by the office if I was only needing to be there for eight hours of the week.
"I guess I never really saw super-commuting as a daunting thing."
She then detailed her complex morning routine: "When I first started, I'd get up at like 3am to get ready for the plane ride, but now I wake up around 3:30am or 3:45am.
"I do my makeup and hair first, put on my business casual outfit, and then I get my bag ready. I usually pack a lunch, some comfortable clothes, and then bring a coffee to go."
She'll then usually leave the house at "around 4:30am" and arrive at the airport about half an hour later.
"I have TSA PreCheck so the airport security line really only takes five to 10 minutes," Sophia continued. "I'm usually at my gate by around 5:15 am, which is exactly when boarding starts."
Once she's off the flight at the other end, she calls an Uber and then gets to the office for "around 8:30am or 8:45am."
After the day's work, she gets on a plane to either Charleston, where her parents live, or Richmond, Virginia, where her boyfriend lives.
Her day comes to an end at about 11pm, but she says she can catch up on some sleep the next day due to the fact that she works remotely.
While Sophia admitted it's a "tiresome commute," she still thinks it's worth it.
Explaining the finances of it all, she said: "A lot of people are interested in how much money I'm saving. I book my flights about three to four weeks out so they're pretty cheap.
"My flights are around $100 there and back and then I pay about $100 for Ubers between the office and airport. If I lived in the New York City or New Jersey area, I'd be spending thousands of dollars a month on rent alone."
And she's learned to enjoy the commute, saying that she 'loves being at the airport' and the "adventure of it."
She admitted that she does get "worried about delays," and that she doesn't know if she would "do this for a full-time position."
But because it's only 10 weeks, she's happy to do the aerial commute.
She said: "The hybrid world really allows you to have so much more flexibility.
"It's not necessary to live 20 minutes down the road from your office anymore. You can still have a really successful career — even if you're living far away from where you work."
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