Taking public transportation can be an easy and convenient way to commute to work every day. You avoid the aggravation of waiting out traffic in your car. You’ll need a few key essentials to make the most of your time on buses and trains.
Entertain yourself with a podcast by having high-quality wireless earbuds. Use your phone to stay on top of your to-do list. Have a small umbrella handy for those days when a random rainstorm threatens to ruin the outfit you picked out for your big work presentation.
These eleven essential items can make your commute enjoyable and productive while ensuring weather or long wait times never catch you unaware.
- Quality Work Tote
You’ll need a convenient and secure bag to carry all your essential items for work, like your laptop, small umbrella, notebooks, chargers, and more. A quality work tote will be easy and comfortable to carry, durable to withstand daily use, and chic enough to match all your fashionable work attire.
Choose a bag you can comfortably carry on your shoulder for an extended period. Pick a weatherproof material with zipper closures to ensure no one can swipe your phone or wallet on a crowded train.
- Wireless Earbuds
Wireless earbuds make listening to music or your favorite podcast while you ride the bus or train a breeze. They are simple and discreet. Don’t get tangled up in the wires from your headphones on a long commute. Plus, while you walk from one stop to the other, you can make a quick work call without even having to take your phone out of your pocket.
- Hand Sanitizer
Even before Covid 19 shocked everybody into sense, carrying a small container of hand sanitizer on public transit was a good idea. Thousands of people ride these buses and trains every day. Protect yourself from catching a cold or the flu by cleaning your hands between stops.
- Mask
Most cities still require you to wear a mask to ride public transit – if you forget one, you may not make it to work on time. Always keep a few spare masks in your bag in case one goes missing. Choose N-95 masks for the best protection against airborne germs. Now, you won’t have to worry about anyone coughing or sneezing on a crowded train.
- Spare Phone Charger
These days we use our phones for everything. It’s our entertainment device, notepad, sketchbook, game center, and GPS. Don’t get stuck on public transit with a low battery. Always have an extra phone charger with you, just in case.
- Kindle Paper White
Unlike driving to work, riding the bus or train allows you to distract yourself with a book on your commute. Rather than toting heavy books everywhere with you, use a kindle paperwhite. You can load it up with all your favorite books, magazines, and newspapers and read them offline, even if you lose service when the train goes underground.
- Pop Socket
Keeping your phone, Kindle, or iPad in your head can be challenging on a crowded train. People are constantly bustling about, changing stops, and bumping into each other. A pop socket can give you a better grip on your devices and prevent you from dropping your phone and cracking the screen if you hit a bump in the road.
- Small Umbrella
If you are riding public transit, you’ll probably have to walk a few blocks from the train station or bus stop to your office building. Always carry a small umbrella in your work tote to prevent getting caught in the rain unawares.
Choose a small umbrella that folds up into a compact tube to make it easy to keep it with you at all times. If the weather turns, simply pop the small umbrella out of your bag and hit the button to open it up automatically. A small umbrella can also provide an essential bit of shade if you have a long walk to work on a hot summer day.
- Warm Water Resistant Jacket
Once the cold weather hits in late fall, you’ll want to keep warm on your long commute. However, the bus or train can sometimes feel stuffy when you are in a heavy winter coat. Choose a sleek, waterproof jacket to keep you warm as you walk to the office but isn’t too bulky to make riding public transit uncomfortable.
- Touch Screen Gloves
Use your phone without removing your winter gloves with touch screen gloves. You may not be able to text as effortlessly as you would with your bare fingers, but these gloves will let you answer a phone call without subjecting your fingers to the icy cold.
- Comfortable Walking Shoes
City streets and inclement weather can quickly ruin a classy pair of shoes. Rather than wearing your fancy heels on your morning commute, wear a practical pair of boots, oxfords, or sneakers. That way, you can navigate puddles while you carry your small umbrella through the rain or icy patches during winter.
If you prefer to wear a pair of heels, bring them in your work tote and change shoes when you arrive. You’ll be grateful to have a solid pair of walking shoes when you make the trek back to the train station at the end of a long day.