The holiday season is in full force, but don’t despair if you still haven’t found the perfect present. While it’s tempting to snag that “it gift” flying off the shelves, it might be hard to accomplish this feat so late in the game. Try taking a creative, unique approach this year and give the gift of a better commute. While this may seem abstract, make it tangible with the following presents that make the time getting to and from work more enjoyable.
Better reading
Trying to read on a mobile phone puts a serious strain on the eyes, so a great gift could be one of the new lightweight e-readers like the Nook Glowlight or the Kindle Paperwhite. And if they already have an e-reader, give them a subscription to an unlimited book rental service for a year’s worth of nonstop reading. Everyone always loves a good book, especially if it helps make the commute go by faster!
Better biking
For that very special someone on your list, spring for a beautiful (and functional) commuter bike like a Public bike or folding Hummingbird bike. Even if they don’t already bike to work, this could be just the motivation needed to try it out. And for someone that already bikes on daily basis, upgrade their ride with an accessory like a mountable speaker or sleek new bike bag.
Better listening
Now that the long-awaited second season of the Serial podcast is out, it’s the perfect time to gift some brand new headphones. Both noise-isolating and noise-cancelling headphones work to limit the external noise that could mess with your listening experience (and could make you miss an important detail from Sarah Koenig). These features, once limited to the expensive Bose headphones, are now in an array of models to choose from. You could also gift a membership to a premium streaming service like Spotify or Apple Music. An entire year of ad-free tunes? Now that’s something special.
Give one of these gifts and they’ll never know the thoughtful present was actually last minute. Not only will you be making someone’s commute more enjoyable, but you could also be incentivizing them to spend less time in their car sitting in traffic. And it isn’t necessarily a gift per se, but by sharing per-mile insurance with your low-mileage friends and family you could help them save $500 a year! Learn more at metromile.com/insurance.