Originally Posted by bedrock

Neither of those options is great. I admit, I got used to a 4 hr commute only by "Zenning out", which means mentally conditioning yourself to not care. Whatever happens, you just don't care. Of course, I commute in a day early, so that relieves me of a lot of stress, but the days away are not good for family life.

Are you planning to commute in, then go straight to work? After a 7 hrs of commuting, starting a long day of flying is going to be fatiguing. Driving in the previous day may be your best option. If you have a minivan, or camper, you could sleep inside and avoid hotel costs. Welcome to the "dream".