Master the commute

Another day, another dollar, as the saying goes. However, the pesky commute can make or break your day before you’ve even got into work. So, if you commute by train, these are our ultimate and unusual commuter hacks for a majestic journey in.

1. Walk the platform

Get on the train at the most convenient place to get off, not the most convenient place to get on. So if your exit is towards the front of the train head to the front, after a few days of testing you will have located the prime spot. Once you’ve found it try to pinpoint it using an inconspicuous landmark, for example a distinct crack in the tarmac, you don’t want everyone stealing your prize boarding spot.

2. Take your time

Save your regular journeys to your app in “favourites” and before you leave home check for real-time journey updates. If your train gets a few minutes behind schedule you’ll know with a tap. So you could gamble and slow to a leisurely saunter, or pause to grab a coffee for the journey. The choice is yours, and the power is literally in your hands.

How to add your journey to favourites:

iOS

  1. Open the Trainline app
  2. Select “favourites”
  3. Scroll through your recent searches and tap the star to mark a favourite
  4. Choose to see “Times & prices”, or just “Times”
  5. These will then be added to your personalised departure board, pinned to the top of the favourites section

Android

  1. Open the Trainline app
  2. Select the My Account icon
  3. Scroll through your recent searches and tap the pin to mark a favourite
  4. These will then be added to your personalised departure board, pinned to the top of the favourites section

3. Survey and select

This seems like an odd suggestion when the luxury of sitting alone is the obvious choice. However, we know the commuter train will fill up fast, and by choosing who you sit next to now, you get the devil you know, rather than the devil you don’t.

4. Stow your baggage

Tempting as it is to keep your lunch bag and laptop at your feet, unless you need your bag during the journey it is better to put it in the overhead shelf and get a few inches of extra leg room.

5. Avoid the flicker

Lovely as the sun is, during the commute it is usually low in the sky which means you get treated to a strobe light effect. Avoid spending 45mins with the strange zebra effect by sitting on the opposite side of the train. If there aren’t many spare seats check BusyBot to locate some free space on the train.

6. Get ready for the weekend!

Hold it, we don’t mean crack out the #trainwine. While you await your day of meetings and dodgy air-con think ahead to the dreamy weekend. Two days of solitude for you to do what you will, like take a little trip somewhere exotic, we recommend Margate, or Oxford. Don’t just dream it, do it, you can book in seconds right here.