You’ve tried slouching against the window, which is uncomfortable. Over the tray table, you are stooped. Even your neighbor’s shoulder has been secretly considered as a potential headrest. Let’s face it: It’s never easy to sleep on a long-haul flight unless you’re in first class. Best Travel Pillow is essential for even attempting to fall asleep on a flight. In addition to foot slings and other natural sleep aids. There are the ones provided by the airlines, as well as neck pillows, lumbar pillows, and even head pillows. We spoke to picky individuals who log a lot of kilometers.
Best travel pillow overall
Pillow Trtl
Despite not having a classic U-shape, being extremely thin, and lacking fill, this is the best travel neck pillow tops our list. It has the most endorsements from our specialists and accomplishes. The primary objective of a neck pillow, which is to prevent lateral neck bending, in the most convenient manner. None of the other items on this list have a design like its.
During a recent 12-hour flight to Seoul, I put the Trtl to the test. Best travel pillows have never worked well for me. I can’t stand the space they create between you and the seat. The hazy sensation of being smothered if you droop down too far.
My admiration is echoed by Scott Keyes of Scott’s Cheap Flights. Its adaptability is what he likes, he explains. It keeps you from waking up with a stiff aeroplane neck. Enables you to sleep soundly even if you are in the middle seat. Additionally, this pillow is much smaller and easier to fit into your backpack than large pillows.
Memory foam travel pillow by Cabeau
This Cabeau travel pillow is a more conventional option. It is a memory foam neck pillow in the shape of a U that provides solid support. To maintain your neck in line with the back of the seat. It is best if the back of your neck squares off a little.
Ultimately, according to Dr. Fitzpatrick, it must be flush with the chair. It will be more comfortable and secure for you if your spine is flush with the chair. She claims that those with straighter spines are more affected by this.
This pillow also features a strap that fastens to the headrest’s back to further aid in maintaining your upright posture. Arnold claims that if you do tumble to the front, this pillow supports your jaw. “You won’t be caught open-mouth breathing, which is, one, not very attractive and, two, dehydrating,” she claims.
When Carmen Sognovi falls asleep on a plane, she always wakes up abruptly because her head slides forward. Carmen Sognovi blogs about her family’s trips. She wears this pillow “back of my neck, U-shaped ends at the rear, the ‘wrong’ way around. I won’t be awakened by these head dips because my chin is always held in that way, she explains.
Best neck pillow for travelling with beads
Although this Muji pillow is over an inch taller than the Cabeau. It is not as firm, which is appealing if you want to sink in a little deeper. It is packed with polystyrene beads, the same material used in bean bag chairs. This pillow is less rigid than the memory-foam options, which Stella Shon, a writer for The Points Guy, prefers, verifies.
She declares, “Muji has created the ideal neck pillow.” The best part is that Martha Stewart approves of it, and it’s fully soft and low profile. In an interview with Brian Kelly of the Points Guy, Stewart claimed that Muji’s neck pillows are the greatest.
Good Back Travel Buddy
The most convenient best travel pillows are probably inflatable ones. Although you must inflate them up, they are the smallest when deflated, making them the simplest to pack. A favourite of Dr. Hoffman’s, the Travel Pal is an inflatable lumbar pillow that expands to two inches thick. He considers low-back support to be essential, which an aeroplane seat does not provide.
Many aeroplane seats, in his opinion, bend in at the lumbar region when they ought to curve out. This pillow aids in supporting the low-back curve. Which is crucial since it lowers stress on the low back’s joints and discs. Dr. Hoffman not only suggests it to patients, but adds, “This I have used personally and I think it’s one of the best products I’ve come across.”
Best inflatable neck cushion for travel
Additionally, there are inflatable neck pillows. This Cabeau, which is made by the same company that makes our favourite memory-foam cushion. Expands to a thickness of five inches yet contracts to the size of a soda can. This cushion has a flat back like the memory-foam pillow to assist maintain your neck. In line with the seat, but it also has a tiered construction to keep your head extremely stable.
According to Jennifer Lachs of Digital Nomad Girls, ‘They are a little higher than normal neck pillows. They have a specific toggle you can attach and tighten so the cushion doesn’t slip off’. Although the memory-foam pillow mentioned above is “even more comfortable. ” Lachs concedes that the inflatable pillow is preferable if you want to pack lightly.
The more air you put in, the higher it will be, and the less air you put in, the less firm it will be. However, Dr. Fischer advised against not filling these pillows all the way up because that is not how they were intended to be used.
Best travel pillow that converts
A convertible cushion like this one can be your best option if you’re unsure whether you’ll need neck support or lumbar support. This neck pillow can be used on your lower back or up against a window after it has been folded into a square-shaped pillow.
It folds into a pocket and is quite comfortable, according to Taryn White of The Trip Wish List. “Keeping the pillow from coming into contact with tonnes of germs was a huge selling point,” says the manufacturer. “We all know that aeroplanes and airports are not very clean.”
The hook it uses to attach to your luggage is less practical than a strap, but the snaps that close the front of the cushion give you another alternative. White is more preoccupied with the storage detail.
It includes compartments where I can keep my headphones, gum, and mints, she explains. This travel pillow’s content is not disclosed, but one Bed, Bath & Beyond customer said it is “firm but not [too] hard for me & my aching neck.”
Best middle seat travel pillows
Even if you won’t always be lucky and get an aisle or window seat, that doesn’t mean you have to endure sitting in the middle. This inflatable pillow can be worn as a sash so that you always have something to support your neck. Travel blogger Teddy Minford suggests this unusual travel pillow, saying “I’m obsessed with this hideous inflatable golf club.”
Even if you are sitting in the centre seat, it provides a surface to lean on. Although it doesn’t have the sexiest appearance, it sure beats sleeping on a stranger, and when deflated, it might be the least bulky pillow on this list: It can be compacted to fit inside an iPhone.
Which travel pillow is best for a window seat?
Mercedes Arielle prefers window seats and claims that this J-Pillow works best for supporting her head, shoulder, and chin while she is in the air. The pillow has a primary body that supports your neck’s crook and a cushion that extends below the chin to prevent your head from rolling forward. It has an almost claw-like form.
That three-pronged support is crucial, in Arielle’s opinion, “because I rest my head against the window so I can maximise every inch of my window seat.” She claims that she now “gets sound uninterrupted sleep on flights rather than being restless and uncomfortable waking up every few minutes” and experiences reduced jet lag as a result of purchasing her J-Pillow.
The best travel pillow for sleeping on a tray table
A neck pillow is pointless if you don’t sleep on your side, no matter how vital it is to support the neck. Dr. Fitzpatrick advises selecting a pillow based on how you typically sleep when you travel. She suggests this pillow that’s more like a bolster for people who lean forward and lay their head on the seat in front of them or on the tray table.
It can be applied in a variety of settings because it covers all sides, including the forehead. This is a pillow, eye mask, and noise-canceling headphones all in one, with a hole for your mouth to breathe through. It is quite challenging to travel with this pillow because there is no sign that it will compress once it is taken out of the package.
The ideal pillow for families travelling
Chantel Tattoli, a writer and mother of one, claims that this Huzi cushion has a somewhat supernatural effect on her daughter during lengthy flights. She writes that generally, “she seems to accord a magical ‘fairy-ring’ quality to this fluffy circle, as if she’s staked some space in which things are pretty good once she’s thrown it over her.”
It can be utilised in many different circumstances because it covers all sides, including the forehead. In addition to being a cushion, an eye mask, and noise-canceling headphones in one, there is a hole for your mouth so you can breathe. It is really challenging to transport this pillow because once it is taken out of the package there is no sign that it will compress once more.
The cushion may wrap around your neck or lower back, or perhaps both at once, like an incredibly fluffy scarf to create a highly personalised, ideal resting position. This makes it a perfect option for scoliosis sufferers as well. Even a minor case of scoliosis can make it difficult to sit comfortably in a small space, according to Dr. Fitzpatrick. The movable lemniscate-shaped pillows may be useful in this situation.
