Gifts for commuters

There are few things less appealing than getting up in the mornings to go to work. Unless of course, your route to work involves a long bus ride, two train interchanges and a short walk before you get to the office. In the rain. Or during winter. Or both. Add to that the pressures of delays, crowds, dirt, noise and pollution and it’s no wonder many commuters find themselves stressed and anxious well before they even get to their desks. Luckily there are gadgets, knick knacks and gifts that can make commuters lives a little easier.

Toys for grownups

A long commute is awfully boring. You can pass the time with a button click and a screen flick, whether you are playing games, watching movies, listening to music or “reading” an audio book on your mobile phone or your MP3 player.

Nintendo DSi

For the child within us all, a Nintendo DSi is the perfect gift. Many commuters while away the hours playing games on this portable player.

Adults can enjoy grown up games like the NY Times Crossword Puzzle, revisit their teen years with The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks or indulge in role play with Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron. Other games that are available for DSi are classics like Jewel Quest, Tetris, Pinball, and Space Invader.

An iPhone is the obvious all-singing, all-dancing choice for a mobile phone, camera, media player and internet browser all-in-one plaything, but the iPod Touch will work just as well for playing music and videos if your budget is slightly lower.

The Samsung P3 is another sexy portable player, now complete with Bluetooth for use with wireless headphones. You can drag-and-drop your media files if you connect it to your home computer – the media player recognises a variety of different file types.

To drown out the sound of the rushing trains or the traffic outside, the new Shure SE115 Sound Isolating Earphones are the smart commuter’s best budget bet. These headphones isolate sound and offer a personalization fitting kit for greater comfort. On the other end of the market are the legendary Sennheiser headphones, which are large, over-ear phones that block out noise and minimize distortion.

Perfect commuter laptop for use while standing

The ASUS Eee PC 1000HE is the netbook that I’m using right now. It’s the perfect commuter laptop. So light that you can use it standing in a packed train, holding it with one hand. And of course, it’s tiny, so you can throw it in your everyday bag and not have to think about a special laptop bag. And did I mention the battery life? 9.5 hours! After the iPhone, this is my favourite gadget.

All you need now is some media to play. iTunes offer gift cards for music or podcasts for Apple enthusiasts, or you can download your favourite tunes from napster.com or kazza.com. You can also buy audio books to listen to on your ride in. The BBC is the UK’s leading audio publisher and their audiobooks are available from traditional bookshops and entertainment stores like HMV. Online sites such as audible.co.uk offer audiobook downloads for a fee.

Bibliophiles will also like the Kindle from Amazon or the Reader from Sony, both e-books with the capacity for hundreds of books. Commuters can stash their entire library into a device that is about the same size as a paperback and bring it with them wherever they go.

Victorinox

Everyone who commutes eventually needs a knife, a pair of scissors or a toothpick. All commuters need a Victorinox penknife. I have the creditcard version in my travelcard holder.

Useful and unique gifts

A great gift for the hygiene conscious commuter would be travel sized bottles of hand sanitizer. Many chemists sell these. Look out for alcohol-based sanitizers as these effectively kill off the bacteria that cause colds. A thoughtful touch would be a bottle of hand moisturizer to complement this gift – no one likes dry hands! In light of the recent swine flu scare, other useful gifts for commuters are a few pairs of gloves or face masks. You can order these online from janices.com, which stocks organic cotton products.

For the sleep-deprived commuter afraid of missing his or her stop, a portable alarm clock that vibrates or rings will help. However this is not always foolproof, as trains do not always run perfectly on time and you may still miss your stop if your train is early. Commuters on the London Underground have the option of using Wake Me Up At … Stickers, round, brightly coloured stickers that bear the legend “Wake Me Up At [Tube Station]”. Cute, kitsch and good for a laugh, the stickers come in a set of nine, covering stations like Earl’s Court, Piccadilly Circus, Waterloo and Embankment. Some stickers are left blank so you can add your own station. If you think you can place your trust in your fellow commuters, order your set of stickers from designmuseumshop.com.

If you take the same route every day, you probably know your transport system like the back of your hand. Just in case you do get off track, however, it would be handy to have a map lying around. Forget about the normal paper stuff – they tear too easily and aren’t environmentally friendly. Whether you are commuting in Paris, New York or London, head to shop.tfl.gov.uk where you can find credit card sized, mirror polished, etched stainless steel maps of the Metro, Subway and Tube.

And to keep it all together, a commuter needs a hardy, durable card holder. The best ones are designed so that there is no risk of your cards falling out. Steel or silver card holders won’t work for electronic transport cards, so choose leather, plastic or cloth versions. At the high end, luxury brands like Montblanc and Hermes offer some glossy leather card holders for the discerning commuter, while in the mid and low range, anything goes. They can be found on Amazon, Kelkoo and eBay.

Many commuters can’t start their day without coffee. In these cash sensitive and environmentally aware times, the best gift for a coffee-loving commuter would be the “I am Not a Paper Cup” reusable mug from Target. In the style of Anya Hindmarsh’s “I am Not a Paper Bag”, this mug looks like a normal polystyrene coffee cup but is actually made from porcelain, with a reusable plastic lid to prevent spillage. However, to keep tea or coffee warm, commuters may prefer a traditional thermal flask. The website corvusweb.co.uk stocks a sleek and functional flask that can hold just under a pint of your favourite morning brew. The flask comes in six different colours guaranteed to make the morning brighter.