I got offered a job in Camden Town at the end of last year. They were going to pay for my travel passes (about 10k all in). My commute would have been drive to Solihull, train to Marylebone, bus to Camden (or two tubes).
I'd have taken home double the pay that I do now. But the 2.5 hours minimum (providing everything ran on time on days when I left on time) each way meant, after lots of discussion with family and a couple of sleepless nights, I turned it down.
I would have happily done the commute and read, listeded to music, done work etc... on the train. But the thought of leaving the house before anyone else woke in the morning and not being able to bath and put my kids to bed, was absolute torture. I began to hate the company that offered me the job in the first place! I felt guilty when I considered what others do for their work, soldiers inparticular, but i just couldnt do it.
if the kids were a lot older I'd have done it, or obviously if we hadnt had kids I'd have jumped at it. But the timing was just terrible.
With hindsight it was definately the right decision.
