When I first started working, I was travelling about 110 kms round trip per day. Besides making sure all my podcasts were loaded on my phone for that week, there was one really important detail I had to take care of to ensure a smooth commute.

The most important item I needed was my car charger for my phone. There were times when I would forget it and would turn around just before I got onto the highway to go home and get it. It was that important.

I know I wasn’t alone with my longer-than-normal commute, either. The number of so-called “super commuters” is growing every year, and in today’s world, some people aren’t ever in an office, or their office is the local coffee shop, a hotel room across the country, or anywhere there’s a free WiFi hotspot. That’s why now is the perfect time for businesses to offer giveaways geared to this part of the workforce.

Technology isn’t slowing down. In fact it’s is one of the fastest growing categories in the promotional products industry. The following tech products are all items you’ve seen before, but may never have thought would be useful for the business traveller.

1.USB Car Charger

As I made pretty clear above, a car charger is pretty important for the long distance driver. One thing smart phones never seem to have is a long enough battery life. They are getting better, but for someone who is never in the office (or commutes from a distance), they’ll usually always need an extra boost of power throughout the day.

Most of these car chargers come with a USB port on the other end, which makes charging a smart phone, and even a tablet, very simple. It was a lifesaver for me, and it allowed me to stay up to date with all my podcasts.

2.Power-Banks

Of course, not every person on the go is in their car. Those who spend more time on a plane than in a car will need something a little more practical. Power banks come in many different sizes, compact or larger to fit just about anyone’s need. Each one also comes with specifications for the type of device it can charge.

Some are built for charging phones but won’t work very well when trying to revive a dead tablet, while others would work great for powering up either one. So be sure to check out the description for the one you want to make sure it will fit your needs.

3. Stylus Pens

Stylus pens have always been a pretty big seller here. People love free pens. When was the last time you were in a group and someone asked if you had a pen? However, with the rise of the smart phone a few years ago, a new type of pen has grown in popularity: styluses.

These handy products are a practical giveaway. While you might not use one for your phone all the time, they are great to have when using a tablet or other touch screen. Either way, they are a must have for anyone on the go.

4. USB Mice/Keyboards
Tablets might be all the rage right now, but not everyone has gotten rid of their laptop computers in exchange for touch screens. Even some tablets support a USB mouse. This handy little device might seem a little outdated, but speaking from personal experience, it makes working on a laptop a lot quicker and more efficient than using the touchpad below the keyboard. Most of the standard computer mice are a little too big for those using a non-traditional office.

That’s why the smaller travel mouse, such as the Optical Mini Mouse, is an ideal item for the employee who is always travelling for their job. On that same note, if a mouse makes working on a laptop easier, then a wireless keyboard does the same for tablets. Wireless keyboards come in all different sizes, and some even fold up for easy packing.

5. Bluetooth Speakers.

Again, this one is related to cell phones (thanks, Apple). A Bluetooth speaker does more than just making sure you can have a dance party in your hotel room. A lot of our speakers also have a built-in mic and work with your phone, so you can hold a conference call.

Plus, they can make multitasking easy by freeing up hands to answer email or do other work while talking on the phone. We even have the Zoom Audio Flask, which is a water bottle with a Bluetooth speaker built in so you can stay hydrated while you dance the night away. We can’t make this stuff up…or maybe we do?
 

6. USB Desk Caddy

Organization is pretty important for just about everyone. However, for those who don’t have a home office, or are never at their office, staying organized is especially key.

A product like the USB Desk Caddy is compact enough to make it travel-friendly, and it still features additional USB ports and a place to hold a cell phone and other essentials. It’s one of those items that they won’t know what they did to stay organized before you gave them one!
 

7. Tablet Sleeves & Accessories

The number of tablets worldwide surpassed 1 billion last year. Thanks to continuing improvements on power and capabilities, tablet sales were expected to top the sales of laptops for the first time in 2015 as well.

They can be especially valuable for employees on the go every day because they take up less space than a laptop but still provide much of the same functionality. Protecting those tablets with a sleeve is incredibly important, more so if the tablet is owned by the employer.
 

8. Flash Drives

I know, with the Internet it’s hard to believe that flash drives are still a thing people use, but it hasn’t gone the way of the floppy disk just yet. It’s always useful to have some type of a backup in case you don’t have access to the Internet or another unforeseen event occurs.

The good thing about flash drives is that they aren’t all that expensive (and they are a lot less expensive than an annual fee for cloud storage), and the memory capacity has increased significantly over the years. Get each of your employees one of these, and chances are they won’t need another one for a long time.
 

9. Earphones

This just in: little kids like to cry on airplanes. Ear buds not only help you ignore those cries but also block out other unnecessary noise in crowded places like airports. Nearly all of our ear buds come with a convenient carrying case for easy transportation and storage when they aren’t in use.

Ear buds are the quintessential mark of someone on the move. You see them everywhere in major cities as people walk to work or look to catch public transportation. It’s no different for the business traveler heading to a new city every week.

***

Business travel is continuing to rise, but the budgets that companies have to work with to pay for those travels isn’t growing at the same rate. Making sure your employees are well equipped for their commutes or travels is just one way to help reduce the overall costs.

Giving your employees even one of these items can help improve travel through the workweek. Whether these products are part of a welcome package for new employees getting ready to hit the road for your company, or you give them to veteran travellers, everyone will benefit. Most of all, your business will also benefit from the exposure of your logo travelling the country with employees!