From Home To HQ (And Back)
From walking to cycling, trains to planes, this how Digitalists get to the office
Our big glass box in Hoofddorp is filled with 150 dazzling digitalists living in dozens of towns, cities and even countries. So how do they all get here in the morning? We asked nine of them to take us through their A to B.
Akshara (Quality of Service team) — lives in Hoofddorp, travels on foot — travel time 25 minutes
Walking to the office! Wouldn’t cycling be a lot faster?
Yes, coming by bike would get me here 15 minutes earlier. But I prefer walking to cycling so I get some time to myself and can listen to my music. Plus it keeps me healthy — so I kill two birds with one stone.
That’s a great way to relax.
It certainly is. Because of the traffic and pollution, walking in India just isn’t an option. So I’m glad I’m in Holland!
Youssef (Mobile Test Consultant) — lives in Amsterdam West, uses a three-wheeled Piaggio — travel time 20 minutes
Nice bike Youssef!
Absolutely! I bought this one about two months ago and it’s by far the most convenient vehicle I’ve ever had.
Ah, so you haven’t had it long. Why did you choose the Piaggio?
Well, first of all you don’t need to have a motorbike license to ride it. Also to get to Hoofddorp from Amsterdam you need to go on the highway, so my old scooter wasn’t an option. This bike gives me so much more freedom than the train! Although when it starts to rain and snow, I might start taking it again.
Octavio (Scala Developer) — lives in Amsterdam South/West and travels by bike — travel time 50 minutes
So you cycle to Hoofddorp on a regular bike rather than a race bike?
Yes I do, at least two to three times a week! It’s 16 kilometers so I have plenty of time to listen to music or podcasts. I’ve lived in Amsterdam for eight months now, and since I started cycling, I’ve lost 11 kilos.
Isn’t the route quite boring?
You’re right, it’s not very exciting but I choose different routes. Passing through Park Oeverlanden is always very relaxing.
Linda (PO Post Booking team) — lives in Horn (Limburg), travels by train — travel time 3 hours, that's approx. 6(!) hours total a day
Wow. If you need to travel that long, I assume Digital International is a nice place to work?
It absolutely is! I’m lucky that Digital is flexible. I actually get most of my work done on the train because when I’m at the office I have a lot of meetings. I leave my house at 6:30am and I’m home at 6:20pm. On Fridays I work from home.
Ever thought about moving?
Yes, but living close to family is so handy when you have children.
Vladimir Lazarenko (Cloud Platform Engineer) — lives in Dieren, carpools regularly with his wife Kate (who also works at Digital International as a Release Train Engineer) — travel time 1.5 hours
Traveling together with your wife, how nice!
Yes, it is. She joined Digital about two months ago. On workdays we don’t cross paths much, so it’s nice to catch up on the way home. Because we know what each other is working on, it saves us from that boring “honey, you wouldn’t understand” type of dinner chat.
And what if you’re starting at different times?
Then we just drive separately. We have two cars.
Isabelle (Advertising Specialist) — lives in Amsterdam Oost, travels by campervan — travel time 20 to 40 minutes
That’s a beauty of a van you have!
Yeah, isn’t he! It’s an amazing Volkswagen T3. Fun fact: he is exactly the same age as I am — born in ’87. I call him Paul (Pauli).
Where did you get it from?
I bought him after I graduated eight years ago. I went on a trip and I used it to go kiting, surfing and camping all over the world. Now it brings me to Digital!
Jeanne (Visual Designer) — lives in Amsterdam Nieuw Sloten, travels by bus — travel time 30 minutes
So what makes you take the bus, Jeanne?
Well, since the new timetable came out I have an almost direct connection. I walk (or cycle) around 800 meters to the bus stop from home and the bus stops right outside the office.
Do you do anything special on your trip?
At the moment I’m reading Fantasy novels on my phone. It’s a series of 19 books but now I only have one left thanks to the bus!
Ligwill (Senior Project Engineer) — lives in Madrid, travels by plane — travel time 2.5 hours
To the office by plane — that’s quite impressive. What brings you here?
I’m working on the integration of TNT and FedEx at depots and hubs by designing a new sortation system that deals with different types of parcels. I’ve been flying in every week for more than a year now.
Flying in every week must be tiring.
Yes, it is. That’s why my family and I are moving to the Netherlands soon!
Maud (Creative Concept Developer) — lives in Haarlem, travels by motorbike (a Honda CB500F) — travel time 20 minutes (that’s what she told us anyway)
So you’re a biker girl?
Yes I am! I’ve been driving this bike for more than a year now. My dad had a bike for as long as I can remember, when I was a little girl I used to sit on it all the time. And as soon as I could get my license, I took lessons.
And what’s the journey like?
Because I haven’t driven here that often yet (this is my first week at Digital), the journey isn’t boring yet. I can take scenic routes and I pass the Drie Merenweg, a nice piece of straight road well known by drivers…
Vroom! We’re always on the lookout for dazzling digital talent, regardless of how you want to travel to work. Click here to find out more and let the talking commence!
