20 Sanity Saving Gift Ideas For People With A Long Commute

The rush hour commute can be hell, especially if it's a long one. So treat your loved ones to a gift that can ease the pain.

Whether it be on buses, trains, or cars, a long commute can tire you out before work even begins.

As you have to deal with delays, cancellations, strikes, fighting through crowds of fellow commuters, heavy traffic, and the many other irritations the journey always throws up.

Not to mention the early dark mornings, cold weather, and wasted hours when you are wishing you could literally be anywhere else.

So if you have a hard working commuter in your family or friendship circle, why not treat them to a little something to make it more bearable.

As the following gift ideas for people with a long commute are all ones that I'm sure they'll find good use for.

1. A Sunrise Alarm Clock For A More Natural Awakening

When you're faced with a long commute to work, it probably means you have to get out of bed at an ungodly hour each morning.

And waking up in the pitch black darkness is no-one's idea of fun.

So our first gift idea for long commuters is to get them a Philips sunrise alarm clock.

As the lighting on this alarm clock imitates a sunrise as you approach waking up time, making it feel a whole lot nicer and more natural to get out of bed at silly o'clock.

2. A Coffee Machine To Wake Them Up In The Morning

The next thing they'll need before setting off on their long commute is a strong cup of coffee to wake them up.

So getting them a coffee machine for their kitchen can be a great gift idea.

As this way they can make themselves a good quality coffee quickly and without any fuss, saving time and energy.

And a good option to go for here is a Nespresso Vertuo coffee machine which uses the Nespresso pods.that can be found in most supermarkets.

3. A Travel Coffee Mug For A Caffeine Boost Enroute

If your favourite commuter is more the rush out of the door type, then they might need a coffee to go instead.

Which makes an insulated coffee tumbler an ideal gift choice.

As they can reuse one of these each day for their morning coffee and take it with them for the journey, as it will keep their drink hot for hours at a time.

And one that is great for commuters is the Thermos travel coffee mug.

4. A Reusable Water Bottle To Keep Them Hydrated

As well as a morning coffee to get them going, it's also important to carry some water for the journey into work.

Especially during the summer months where trains and buses can get hot, crowded and uncomfortable.

So getting them a reusable water bottle such as the one above by Hydro Flask would be perfect as a gift.

5. A Lunch Box For Healthy Homemade Food

Bringing your own lunch into work each day has many benefits, such as saving you money and making sure you eat healthier.

So the gift of a high quality lunch box that can keep their homemade food and sandwiches fresh on the commute is a really good idea.

And a great choice here is the Black + Blum stainless steel sandwich box.

As not only does this look the part, it seals tight and also has compartments they can add inside to keep their food seperate.

6. A Flashlight For Dark Mornings

Walking to the train station or bus stop on dark mornings can be hazardous if you live in a dimly lit area.

So a helpful gift idea for a commuter that often travels in the dark is to get them a flashlight to carry with them.

As this way they can see where they're going and avoid any trips and falls.

And I'd go for something like the Streamlight flashlight, as this is really powerful yet also tiny enough to be able to fit easily in their bag or pocket.

7. A Sleek Card Wallet For Their Travel Passes

Getting a commuter a new wallet is always going to go down well as a gift, especially if their current one is looking a bit worn.

As they will definitely need one to house their bank cards, travel passes, and cash on the journey.

However, if you want something that is a bit more petite and easy to carry, then you could opt to get them the Bellroy card sleeve.

As while this doesn't have all the space and compartments of a regular wallet, it's the ideal size to house their bank cards, metro cards and travel passes.

Which is all most of us really need these days anyway. 

8. A Commuter's Backpack That's Thief Proof

Another item that commuters need for their trips to and from work is a solid laptop bag or backpack to carry all their things in.

And a great option here for those that carry valuable stuff is the Pacsafe Metrosafe anti-theft backpack.

As this not only has all the space, padding and compartments needed to keep their things safe and orgnaized.

It's also has anti-theft zippers and meshing in the lining to thwart any potential thieves.

9. A Messenger Style Work Bag

Many commuters prefer messenger bags rather than backpacks to take on the commute to work.

So if your favourite commuter likes this style too, why not get them the Bellroy Tokyo work bag instead.

As this bag looks stylish and has all the compartments they need to keep their stuff safe, dry, and organized.

10. A Travel Umbrella Set To Keep Them Dry

When you're commuting daily throughout the year then you are bound to get caught up in some extreme weather conditions.

And one of the worst things is when you get soaked by an unexpected torrent of rain on the walk to the train or bus stop.

So a handy little gift for a commuter is to get them a travel umbrella that they can keep in their bag to get them out of trouble when they need it.

And one that'll do the job is this travel umbrella two pack, giving them a back up umbrella in case they lose one.

11. A Cold Weather Jacket For The Winter Months

Commuting during the winter is the worst time, as you have to deal with the freezing temperatures, ice, rain, snow and general misery.

So if you live in a colder climate, a warm coat can make for a really useful gift for a daily commuter.

As this will help to keep them warm and dry on their way in to work each day.

And obviously you have hundreds of options here depending on their style and tastes, although for men the Carhartt Full Swing Cryder jacket could be a nice choice.

12. A New Pair Of Sunglasses For The Summertime

While travelling during the winter months is tough, things can brighten up a lot by the summertime, quite literally.

So the gift of a stylish and protective pair of sunglasses is a good one for summertime commuters.

As not only will they look good on their journey, they'll be able to see where they're going and protect their eyes from the sun's UV rays too.

And once again there are a ton of options when it comes to which sunglasses to buy, but a pair of Ray Ban Aviators may be a good guess as many people seem to like them.

13. A Handheld Fan For Those Hot Summer Journeys

If you want a handy stocking stuffer gift idea for a commuter, then how about getting them a handheld fan to carry in their work bags.

As packed buses and train carraiges can get uncomfortably hot during the summer months, leaving you covered in sweat and desperate for the journey to end.

So something such as the TriPole mini handheld fan is ideal to whip out for a much needed gust of cool air to keep you sane when needed.

14. A Pair Of AirPods To Drown Out The Noise

As far as I'm concerned, having a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones is an absolute must on any journey on public transport.

As not only does this allow you to listen to music, podcasts, and audiobooks to pass the journey quicker.

It also drowns out the noise of your fellow commuters on the train or bus, which is necessary to keep stress at bay and remain in a state of zen!

And if they don't already own some, then a pair of Apple AirPods Pro would be the ultimate gift for a commuter.

15. A Kindle Paperwhite To Get Lost In Books

Having a long commute doesn't have to be all bad news, as it also gives you time to sit down and read.

Which is great if you're an avid reader!

So if you know a commuter who always has their nose in a book, then a Kindle Paperwhite could be a gift that will delight them.

As this is a device where they can store multiple books without weighing their work bag down like carrying physical books can.

16. A USB Power Bank To Keep Their Devices Topped Up

There's nothing worse than getting on your train or bus with a long commute ahead of you and finding out your devices are out of battery.

So you can help a commuter avoid this hellish situation with the gift of an Anker portable power bank.

As this power bank has USB plugs that will charge your phone, iPad or Kindle on the go, giving you the battery power you need to not die of boredom.

17. Subscriptions To Keep Them Entertained

If you wanted a non-physical gift for someone who regularly makes a long commute, then you could offer to pay for one of their subscriptions for a year.

As this way they'll get a free years worth of entertainment that they can make good use of on the journey.

Whether that be watching movies on Netflix, listening to podcasts and music on Spotify, listening to audiobooks on Audible, or watching videos ad-free with YouTube premium.

Or you could sign them up for an educational course they could listen to such as learning a second language if they wanted to be more productive with their time.

18. A Notebook For Inspired Thoughts And Ideas

Having a nice notebook and pen in your work bag is always going to come in handy for commuters.

As they may be struck by ideas or inspiration on the journey while daydreaming that they want to note down before they forget it.

While some people will also want to do some prep work for meetings etc that may be easier to write down in a notebook than going to the trouble of getting a laptop out.

So the gift of a Lemome notebook could be a winner here.

19. A Make Up Mirror For Their Bag

For busy women on the go, doing their make up on the journey into work is the only time they can find to do it.

And rather than struggling to do it with the help of their smartphone camera, it's so much easier when using a make up mirror.

So why not get them the Fancii travel make up mirror as a gift, as this will fit in their bags and even has LED lighting so they can see exactly what they're doing.

20. A Folding Bicycle For A Hybrid Commute

Some people like to cycle to work these days for the exercise and also to save money on the fares.

However, it's not always possible if you live too far away from your workplace.

But a very generous gift idea that might give a commuter the chance to get some exercise and save time on their commute is to get them a folding bicycle.

As they can then cycle to the station in the mornings and from the destination station to their workplace, and simply fold their bike up when getting on the train.

Now these bikes come in a wide range of price points and styles, with varying amounts of gears and some even being electric powered.

But for an example of one that is really high quality check out the Brompton folding bicycle.

Rounding Up

Having a long commute to work sucks and can leave you feeling drained before you've even got there, not to mention knackered every evening.

So if you know someone who complains about their commute, get them a little something to help them out.

As each of these gift ideas for people with a long commute that I've featured here can brighten their day in one way or another.