Woman commutes to work by plane every week because it’s cheaper than renting
Most people have their own little ways of saving money, and for Sophia Celentano, that involves hopping on a plane to work instead of forking out for rent.
I'd say it sounds a bit extreme, but with all the budget airlines and cheap deals you can get nowadays, it's really not that tough to get your head around.
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Sophia first started embarking on her unusual commute after being offered a 10-week internship at the advertising and PR firm Ogilvy, which is based in New York.
While working there, she's splitting her time between Charleston, where her parents live, and Richmond, Virginia, where her boyfriend lives.
She only had one mandatory office day a week, so rather than forking out for a costly apartment in the city, Sophia decided to commute and save herself 'thousands' of dollars.
Explaining her decision to Business Insider, Sophia said: "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."
Sophia went viral after sharing the details of her commute on TikTok, documenting how she started her day around 3:30am to get ready for her plane ride to Newark, New Jersey.
"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 said.
The savvy commuter is already set up with TSA PreCheck, meaning her line at security only takes her a few minutes, and then she's at the gate around 5:15am in time for boarding.
Upon landing, Sophia hops in an Uber and usually gets to the office at around 8:30am or 8:45am.
When 5pm rolls around and Sophia's day at work is finished, it's back to the airport and off to her parent's home in Charleston, or to her boyfriend's.
"The next day, because I work remote, I'm able to sleep in a bit so that helps a lot," she explained. "I don't have to wake up until around 8am to start work."
Sophia saves money by booking her flights in advance so 'they're pretty cheap'.
"My flights are around $100 (£78) 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," she pointed out.
Though Sophia admitted that the travel can be 'challenging at times', especially when there's the threat of a delay hanging over her head, she decided to go for it because she knew it was only a 'temporary thing'.
"I don't know if I would necessarily do this for a full-time position," she said. "I don't anticipate super-commuting after this summer."
Emily Brown