Building the return of rural exodus back to the home city or countryside land plot

I understand it as meaning that you can reach the train station by bike in 5 minutes, have a continuous train, and at the end of the train ride only have a minimal distance to the office. And all that with free train travel.

If you find another apartment within Frankfurt, you can often achieve similar travel times, possibly with more transfers or the decision to drive a car after all. And then maybe 45 minutes in stop-and-go traffic.

I would also find train travel more pleasant as long as it is not a totally overcrowded train. I also think of reading, e.g. digital newspaper subscription etc. You then already spend time that you would otherwise want to have at home in the evening or so.

And, possibly it can be arranged with the employer that, for example, one person has core working hours from 7 to 4 pm, the other from 9 to 6 pm, ideally maybe alternating weekly, so that both can take on childcare drop-off and pick-up duties etc. Then everyone has 1 to 2 days of home office and suddenly the whole thing is no longer so discouraging.

And, if you like to do something in the city in the evening, it would also be decisive... how long does this hourly train run? Does it stop at 9 pm or does it run longer?

New commuters sometimes feel inflexible (which can also be the case). For me, it is exactly 1:03 hours or 1:12 if I take the slow train. Three trains per hour.

You have to be made for commuting though.

.. yes, you're probably right. However, I already consider any time exceeding 30 minutes as commuting. That's why the recommendation is to even look at where in Frankfurt you could find suitable housing and how the commute to work would then look.

.. yes, you're probably right there. However, I already consider any time over 30 minutes as commuting. That's why the recommendation is to at least look into where in Frankfurt you could get adequate housing and how the commute to work would be.

I also once had a commute of over 30 km, also over 30 minutes by car. I didn't feel like a commuter. About 10 minutes through villages/municipalities to the nearest highway entrance. Not significant. Then 15 minutes on the highway. Also nothing to talk about. What was very annoying was the drive within the big city with lots of lane changes between red and green traffic lights, you had to trick to be able to turn from right to left if there was another lane in between. These stretches from 10 to 30 minutes were the most annoying and also the most time-consuming and certainly the most stressful. But inner-city residents also have this situation when they use a car. By train, everything probably looks different. You probably also have to weigh whether your employer is relaxed if the train arrives late, whether you have flexitime, and can then start work normally after a relaxed delayed trip. If this is guaranteed with free rides, I see no objection to “commuting.” You have to make use of the situation. Then you can definitely do it for 10/20 years. Later on, you might then see yourself in a position only half as far away. Much is possible in the public service.

Regarding the unfamiliar rural life, which with 11,000 inhabitants is really not that: it was asked above what you might miss about the big city and what you actually use in the city. Usually it's little and only events you attend 3-4 times a year. Just check it out. This municipality is not foreign to you. Relatives live there; everything settles again if you want it to. It’s just unusual at first with your own house.

But of course, it’s not to be excluded that you are city slickers. Then rent yourself a nice expensive apartment and make yourself comfortable as tenants. That also has advantages. The argument of giving something to a landlord and not getting anything yourself doesn’t count.

Solution: keep the property for now and initially rent a small house in the countryside closer to the big city, but farther than now. Try living there temporarily and see if you are suited for the countryside [emoji4]

For me, it's crystal clear: You are now city dwellers. Returning to your hometown is nonsense. Both professions are tied to the city. You could afford to rent or buy the nicest apartments there. Country life may be more idyllic, but commuting destroys family life. So, put it behind you and pass the property on to the rest of the family.

For me it’s crystal clear: You are now city dwellers. A return to the homeland is nonsense. Both professions are tied to the city. You can afford to rent or buy the nicest apartments there. Country life may be more idyllic, but commuting destroys family life. So move on and pass the property on to the rest of the family.

Exactly... it’s going to be hard if you have traveled a lot. For us, that was only the case during vacations. Many like the anonymity of the city... we had 3 break-ins in Frankfurt without anyone seeing anything... that was it! We now love our new little town, the kids know other kids. You know the café owners and so on. Despite the new property, we feel like we can afford more personally. I put up with commuting because I don’t know any other way. But at 50, I don’t want to do it anymore.

Edit: moving back to [Heimat Dorf] was also an option. But I also have to say that you become alienated there ... also the issue of money. When you have a household income of over 100k, there are jealous people in the small village.