While some may call it crazy, El Refai said it’s all worth it for her dream job. Making over $100 an hour on a per diem schedule, she only has to work four, eight-hour shifts every four weeks. By stacking those shifts—working at the end of one schedule and the beginning of the next—she can knock out her hours in just a few days, spending about 10 days in California before heading home.
“It basically feels like I am a stay-at-home mom, but I’m still a working mom…” El Refai said. “That is something no 9-to-5 job will ever give me.”
Supercommuters—typically described as people who travel more than 90 minutes for work—aren’t new. But as workers weigh stability, family, and cost of living against the daily grind, the phenomenon is only growing.
For El Refai, the trade-off is worth it. And judging by the traction her videos are getting, she doesn’t believe she’s alone: “I think that there are a lot more people doing it than the average person realizes.”
