--- ---  # Traffic-Avoidant Man Who Swims to Work Every Day Is Your New Career Guru by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Jul 28, 2017 6:19 PM UTC  Benjamin David swims in the Isar river. Benjamin David swims in the Isar river.Barcroft Media/Getty Images by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Jul 28, 2017 6:19 PM UTC When Benjamin David commutes to work, he doesn’t drive or bike or take public transportation—he swims. David starts each morning by packing his suit, shoes, and laptop into waterproof bag, putting on a swimsuit or wetsuit and rubber sandals, and then jumping into the Isar River, reports the [_BBC_](http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20170724-the-man-who-swims-to-work). He told the _BBC_ that he was frustrated by the traffic surrounding his hometown of Munich, Germany and realized that it would be much faster for him [to swim](http://time.com/4864457/michael-phelps-races-shark/?iid=sr-link1) the 1.2 miles to work. “The traffic on the road next to the Isar is so wild that it is no fun,” he tells the [_BBC_](http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20170724-the-man-who-swims-to-work). “When I’m [swimming](http://time.com/4860215/payson-arizona-deadly-flash-flood-cold-springs/?iid=sr-link6), I am indeed quicker and also more relaxed.” To get to work in style, David stores his work clothes and computer in a specially designed waterproof sack that also doubles as a flotation device. Having something to hold on to while he swims is helpful, because people frequently try to talk to him about his commute, while he is making his way down the river. “People look down from the bridges and laugh or ask what I’m doing,” he says, adding that the Isar was used as a waterway for 150 years and he’s just trying to bring it back. When he reaches his destination, he emerges from the river, and, naturally, goes to order a cappuccino, because while he may [swim](http://time.com/4864457/michael-phelps-races-shark/?iid=sr-link7) to work, he still has to put in a full day at the office. Man Swims to Work Every Day to avoid traffic ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4878199/man-swims-to-work/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4878199/man-swims-to-work/"},"headline":"Traffic-Avoidant Man Who Swims to Work Every Day Is Your New Career Guru","datePublished":"2017-07-28T18:19:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:45:59.278Z","description":"Why commute on the bus when you can swim down the river?","url":"https://time.com/4878199/man-swims-to-work/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Work","viral","Bizarre","Travel","commuting","People"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1f0c059f173c197e/6988d796096a94860469ef19/gettyimages-807651102-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Locker","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1f0c059f173c197e/6988d796096a94860469ef19/gettyimages-807651102-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Benjamin David, Munich's Isar Commuter","caption":"Benjamin David, Munich's Isar Commuter","creditText":"Barcroft Media/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4878199/man-swims-to-work/","name":"Traffic-Avoidant Man Who Swims to Work Every Day Is Your New Career Guru"}}]}] ```