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The Best Travel Pillows

By Katie Dyal

Whether you’re traveling by plane, car or train, you’re most likely snoozing on the way to your destination. Some of us have no problem finding a place to lay our heads and fall right to sleep en route. However, others don’t have the luxury of being able to fall asleep under these conditions. Investing in the right travel pillow might change your mind on sleeping during flights or long rides.

In this guide, we’ll share some of our favorite travel pillows you can buy before your next trip and help you understand the benefits of having a travel pillow.

The Best Travel Pillows

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Best Overall

trtl Pillow 

The trtl pillow is different from other neck travel pillows because it doesn’t look like your average pillow. As we mentioned, manufacturers learned how to design these pillows to fit in rather than stand out. This pillow looks more like a scarf or blanket, but customers swear by it in delivering optimal neck support. It’s made of a soft, lightweight fleece material that feels soothing on the skin.

Not only does this pillow provide comfort, it’s easy to carry on-the-go without taking up much room or weight. The pillow weighs only half a pound and it’s machine-washable.

Best for Side Sleepers

Travelrest All-in-One Travel, Neck & Body Pillow

Now, the reason we always provide multiple choices is because each person sleeps differently. The first option is great for sleepers that don’t mind sitting up but if you’re more of a side-sleeper, this may be the right travel pillow for you. The Travelrest Ultimate Inflatable Travel Pillow offers support to the entire side of your body. It looks somewhat like a sling, by crossing over your torso. It’s really the only travel pillow that offers full upper body support.

It’s a little bit bulkier than others but it’s inflatable so when you’re ready to put it away, it doesn’t take up much space. It’s also washable and adjustable, so you can use it for different body types and even younger children. This shaped travel pillow offers neck, back and chin support while keeping the upper body aligned.

Deluxe Option

AERIS Travel Pillow

The AERIS Travel Pillow is definitely the most luxurious considering it comes with an easy-to-carry bag, earplugs and an eye mask. If you like getting pampered, this is the travel pillow for you.

The AERIS Travel Pillow is made with ventilated memory foam that gives just the right amount of support. The silk material sleep mask will have you relaxing in no time. This pillow is best for travelers who are light sleepers. If you tend to hear everything or constantly feel on alert, you can rest easy with the additional features that come with this high-quality pillow.

A happy customer said, “My husband bought this for our last overseas trip and I bought one filled with bean bag material. We ended up fighting over his entire trip because it was so much more comfortable.”

Most Compact

AirComfy Inflatable Neck/Lumbar Pillow

The AirComfy Inflatable Neck and Lumbar Pillow is what we would call the safe bet. This pillow serves multiple uses. It’s the perfect fix for resting on a plane or in the car but it can also benefit your legs and knees when lying down or sitting at the office. It’s inflatable so the firmness is up to you as well as your ability to take it anywhere.

This pillow is designed to be able to hold in place. With an expandable elastic band, you can secure the pillow around any seat so that when you potentially move, it will stay securely in place.

bcozzy

Best Support

BCozzy Chin Supporting Neck Pillow

Travel more comfortably with this travel pillow that has adjustable arms to prevent your head from falling forward when you’re about to fall asleep. Even better – it’s machine washable!

The chin support in the BCOZZY travel pillow helps to prevent your head from falling forward while you’re nodding off to sleep. You’re also not only limited to one position with this pillow, because the overlapping arms can be adjusted for your own personal comfort. This pillow is also great for when you’re on the go, with a built-in strap that is easy to attach to your carry-on or other luggage.

The Benefits of a Travel Pillow

Travel pillows haven’t always had the best reputation. Some may think they’re a little obnoxious or over-the-top but hey, those people are sound asleep and you’re uncomfortable so who’s really winning here? Not to mention, not all travel pillows have to be extremely noticeable. Modern-day manufacturers have come up with a way to make these pillows more discreet but we’ll get to that later.

Investing in a travel pillow has many benefits. For starters, it allows you to sleep better. Nobody likes to fall asleep sitting up straight or snuggling the hard armchair in the car. You can say it works, but let’s be honest, you wake up feeling sore and somewhat deformed. Not only that, but your lower body is still asleep from a decrease in circulation. So, let’s jump into the facts that actually prove the advantages of travel pillows.

Better comfort while sleeping

Stating the obvious here, but this is the main intention for the creation of neck pillows. It’s already hard enough to feel relaxed when you’re traveling away from your cozy home. A neck pillow can help ease your mind and give you that “homey” feeling you’re longing for, whenever and wherever you are. In order to fall asleep, you have to be relaxed and you have to be comfortable. A travel neck pillow is going to give you just enough comfort to where you can doze off on your journey out.

Helps prevent or decrease joint pain

This especially becomes true with age. The older we get, the more likely we are to feel pain from certain sleeping positions. If you put a lot of pressure on certain joints, it’s going to cause soreness and irritation once you wake up. A travel pillow is also known as a neck pillow for a reason – it cushions the neck joints. Providing a cushion for the neck will allow you to sleep well and wake up pain-free.

Prevents snoring

You definitely don’t want to be that person on the plane that’s snoring. Investing in a neck pillow will keep your airways in a comfortable state so that way you aren’t creating a blockage that results in snoring. Your seat mate (and the rest of the passengers) will thank you.

Supports the neck, back and spine

We’ve already mentioned how a travel pillow supports your neck, but it also supports your back and spine. Spines have a natural curve to them called the lordotic cervical curve. When we put our bodies in an awkward position, that extends the spine in a not-so-natural way, resulting in pain. Your travel pillow will provide neck support, head support and back support your entire trip.

Comments (2)

  1. I tried the deluxe option Aeris, the item is soft, compact and comfortable. Love the flexibility on how you could just fold it in as supposed to the big travel pillow ls out there where it gets a bit clumsy trying to find a place to clip on your bag or suit case. Worth the buy.

    Reply

  2. I purchased the Aeris Travel Pillow based on your article and good reviews for my first long haul flight in over 26 years! I didn’t want to risk getting a pinched nerve in my neck from trying to catch some shut-eye on the way there. I am very pleased with the quality of this pillow. The cover is soft and doesn’t get too hot after prolonged use. The memory foam is very comfortable. This pillow can be folded which makes it great for storing in your carry on when not in use. It comes with its own carrying bag, an eye mask, and earplugs. Very nice extra touches. A very nice value for the price. Plan on purchasing another one for my husband!. Thanks a lot for recommending a great product.

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