Thelife- Why take the subway or sit in traffic when you can swim home from work?
- Some Swiss locals commute from the office by riding the currents of the Rhine and Aare rivers.
Typically, the words "refreshing" and "commute" don't belong in the same sentence — in America, at least. (If you're reading this while sweating through your suit on the subway, I apologize in advance).
But in Switzerland, some workers have cracked the code on beating the heat and rush hour traffic with refreshing river commutes.
During the summer months in Bern, Switzerland's capital city, residents and tourists can often be found riding down the strong currents of the Aare River, their belongings tucked safely away in waterproof bags that float behind them.
While most people swim in the Aare River for fun, others use it as a relaxing and efficient means of transportation.
"I only had like 30 seconds walking from my office to the river," Local resident Evelyn Schneider-Reyes told the Swiss newspaper Le News in June. "I had an 'Aare Bag', where I put all my clothes, my smartphone, wallet and shoes. I put on my bathing suit and swam home."
In total, the commute takes her around 15 minutes in the water, she told the local news outlet.
Videos showcasing the unique river commute went viral last summer, with one TikTok from travel account PubityEarth garnering over 2 million views.
An hour north of Bern in the city of Basel, Switzerland a similar pilgrimage takes place along the Rhine River, as travel blogger @Alexas_adventures documented in a TikTok last summer. Bathing houses along the river serve as pit stops for swimmers to rinse off and change.
"Everyone has a dry bag called a 'wicklefisch'. It's in the shape of a fish to store their stuff," she said in the video that has since received 20k views. "Before work, after work, adults, children, dogs, everyone floats down the Rhine because the current is so strong."
While the strong currents in the Aare and the Rhine are great for speedy transportation, they can also be dangerous if you don't know how to navigate the river and follow certain best practices.
"Going for a swim or taking a dip in the river Aare is part of having fun in summer for the people of Bern," the city's government advises. "But unfortunately, tricky situations and serious incidents occur every summer as a result of carelessness."
Do you have a unique way you commute to the office? Email this reporter at htowey@insider.com to share your story.