Tis the Season: 12 Easy Ways to Cut Your Daily Commute Time in Hampton Roads

(Featuring Holiday Movies That Lowkey Model Better Travel Choices) 

If you’ve ever sat in HRBT traffic and wondered if you accidentally wandered into a sequel of Christmas Vacation, this one’s for you. December hits, everyone panics, and suddenly the highways look like they’re holding a mall-wide flash sale. 

Instead of giving you another same-old list of commuter tips, we’re doing something different – your new guide to smarter travel inspired entirely by holiday movies. Yes, really. Don’t knock it ‘till you try it. 

And hey, if it helps reduce traffic, improve air quality, and make your daily grind feel a little less chaotic? Perfect. We’re not here to lecture. We’re just here with some surprisingly solid commuter solutions, movie references, and the occasional questionable metaphor. 

Let’s get into it. 

1. Channel the Griswolds and plan ahead before you hit the road 

In Christmas Vacation, the Griswolds almost get flattened by a semi because Clark’s road-rage energy is off the charts for 8 a.m. in December. Moral of the story: know your route, know your exit, and maybe don’t pick fights with trucks. A tiny bit of planning goes a long way.  

Unsplash.com/heyquilia 

2. Share a ride like you’re in Four Christmases 

Reese and Vince spend the whole movie in the same car because it’s efficient – and because chaos follows them. Grab a coworker, neighbor, or friend heading the same direction. Even one less car in traffic does wonders for your daily Hampton Roads commute. 

3. Go full Home Alone and hop in with a quirky crew 

Kate McCallister literally carpools with a polka band. Your carpool buddies probably won’t bring tubas, but goCommute has free commuter resources to help you match with real humans going to real jobs. Low stakes. No accordions required. 

4. Take a walk like Buddy the Elf 

Buddy survives Manhattan on vibes alone. If he can navigate Lincoln Tunnel and Central Park wearing felt shoes, you can absolutely try a walk to work once a week.  

Source: Unsplash.com/Tanya Burrow  

5. Tap into your While You Were Sleeping era 

Lucy works for the Chicago Transit Authority and practically lives on the platform. Not saying you need to move into a station, but swapping one car trip for a light rail or ferry ride? That’s a pretty solid commuter solution right there. 

6. Ride like the kids on The Polar Express 

The kids in the movie hop on a magical train to the North Pole, trusting the conductor and enjoying the ride. You don’t need magic to make your commute more fun. Hampton Roads Transit is safe, significantly more regulated than a certain fictional train, and ready to help you get around this holiday season. 

Bonus: The Tide is decked out like a whimsical Winter Wonderland! Hop on for the Read and Ride Winter Adventure on December 10, grab a hot cocoa, and enjoy story time – Polar Express vibes included.  

Unsplash.com/Zoe  

7. Ride like it’s Love Actually 

Londoners in Love Actually somehow make the entire city feel like one giant holiday carpool. Taxis, buses, frantic airport runs... Everyone’s moving together, somehow staying festive despite traffic chaos. You probably won’t have Colin Firth serenading you from the back seat, but hopping on a bus, sharing a ride, or taking transit for a bit can give your Hampton Roads commute the same “organized chaos, but actually fun” vibe. 

8. Pull a Family Stone move and take the bus for backup 

In The Family Stone, Meredith feels totally out of place, so she calls her sister Julie for backup, and Julie rolls in on a bus to her rescue. Lesson? Shared transit can be more than just practical. Sometimes it’s your emotional ride home.  If traffic’s a nightmare or you just don’t want to deal with parking, consider hopping on a bus every now and then as a real-life commuter solution. 

9. Split the trip like The Holiday 

Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet swap homes, swap cars, and even swap lives. You don’t have to do all that. But you can park at a park-and-ride lot and take transit the rest of the way. It’s basically the same thing, minus Jude Law. 

10. Make your time count like Miracle on 34th Street 

A lot of that movie shows people walking, bussing, and moving through the city. Moral of the story: sometimes the simplest commuter options save the most time. Combine errands, consolidate trips, or stop driving in circles trying to find a parking space the size of a Chiclet. 

Unsplash.com/Vitali Adutskevich 

11. Use shared modes when life gets chaotic, Jingle All the Way style 

When traffic gets wild, buses and shared rides become clutch. Plus, avoiding parking lots during the holidays is basically an act of self-care. 

12. When all else fails, go full Grinch mode  

Hot take: The Grinch had it figured out. He stayed off the roads entirely, avoided peak-hour Whoville chaos, and he only made one major trip. Which he optimized by doing every delivery in one loop. It’s basically trip consolidation with a moral lesson and a better outfit. 

Unsplash.com/Kiran Jerome 

What does all this actually mean for your Hampton Roads commute? 

Every one of these movies gives off a quietly brilliant message: you don’t have to commute the same way every day. 

A small switch here and there – carpool once, take transit twice a week, bike when the weather isn’t being rude – can genuinely cut down your travel time. When more people do it, traffic eases up, the air gets a little cleaner, and we can all breathe easier without turning this into an eco-lecture. 

If you want to explore real commuter resources, ride-matching, or ways to shake up your routine, try goCommute. We’ll help you figure out what combination makes your life easier, and maybe even a little more festive.