Best Travel Pillow – Long journeys, whether on planes, trains, or busses, can be very uncomfortable, especially if you want to rest your head and get some sleep. More often than not, you’ll end up with a painful neck. Well, this doesn’t have to happen. With a good travel neck pillow, you will be able to relax and feel good.
What to Consider Before Buying a Travel Pillow
- Packing space it takes
- Does it have a breathable cover
- Does it have a removable washable cover
- Cost
- If it attaches to luggage
- Travel pillow design
- Classic u-shaped travel pillow
- Rectangular travel pillows
- Inflatable neck pillow
- Compressible pillow
Best Travel Pillows Reviews
There are many styles and types. Find the best travel pillow to keep you comfortable and help you get quality sleep while traveling.
Travelrest Ultimate Travel Pillow & Neck Pillow
While u-shaped travel pillows are what many people think of first, this is a very unique kind of travel pillow for your neck. It’s unlike most others which you are likely familiar with. The Travelrest Ultimate Travel Pillow & Neck Pillow is quite a comfortable option with its ergonomic design. It can help you get into your preferred sleeping position.
Instead of a neck pillow that you place behind your neck, this one provides lateral support for one side of the neck. This travel pillow can be placed on either side of your neck, so you can lean your head comfortably without getting neck pain.
It is soft if you have the plush cover on it, but this is sold separately. The pillow goes from one side of your neck to the other side of your waist.
You can choose to place it crooked across your body from neck to waist, which would create a bit of an armrest, or have it fully support one side as well, so you can lead your full body on it from head to waist.
You can have it support one side or the other. Because you can position it to your liking, you may find it easier to fall asleep.
The Travelrest Ultimate Travel Pillow & Neck Pillow straps to car, bus, train, and airplane seats, which is nice because this helps to provide additional support and it allows it to stay in place as well.
This is an inflatable pillow and it only takes a few breaths to inflate. Being inflatable is convenient because you can deflate it when not in use, thus allowing for easy storage. It’s easy to pack and carry inflatable pillows.
Pros:
- Inflatable travel pillow
- Easy to inflate and deflate
- Many positions
- Soft and comfortable
- Compact size; easy to store and carry
- Can attach to luggage
- Ideal if you have limited space
- Works for planes, trains, buses, cars, and more
- You can buy a cover and wash it
- Easy to hand wash
Cons:
- You have to inflate it before using
- Plush cover sold separately
- Can be popped
Travelrest Therapeutic Memory Foam Travel & Neck Pillow
This type of pillow is also from Travelrest. This is the more classic neck pillow which you are probably familiar with. Unlike the travel pillow we just looked at, this one is not inflatable. It is made with a soft and plush interior and is covered by a plush exterior.
The interior pillow should not be washed, but the exterior cover can be machine washed, so cleanliness should not be an issue. The interior pillow is made of high-quality NASA space-grade memory foam, so it should compact in the places that need to, while staying quite firm in the areas where you need support.
Memory foam is also ideal because it retains its shape for an extremely long period of time.
What is convenient about this memory foam pillow, although it does not deflate, because it compacts quite well, you can still stuff it into a small space, like your carry-on baggage. It also comes with an elastic carrying strap to make traveling with it a bit easier.
Moreover, the Travelrest Therapeutic Memory Foam Travel & Neck Pillow is designed to provide maximum head, neck, and shoulder support to keep you comfy on those long distance journeys and red-eye flights.
Pros:
- Soft and supportive
- Great neck and head support
- Washable cover
- Fairly convenient for travel
- Memory foam retains its shape well
Con:
- A bit stiff when brand new
Travelon Comfort Neck Pillow
This is another fairly unique travel pillow to consider, also another one that’s not just a neck pillow to support the back of your neck. This is a special wraparound neck pillow that provides 360 degrees of support. The Travelon Comfort Neck Pillow provides 360 degrees of support, as it forms more than a full circle.
Air travelers will want to pair it with the best travel headphones, especially if you are in the middle seat on a long haul flight. Depending on your neck size, you may even be able to wrap it around a full 2 times, kind of like a really thick and soft scarf.
You can get front, side, back, and full support from this pillow. This is ideal because not only does it provide support for the head and neck from the rear and the sides like a basic travel pillow, but it also supports your chin as well.
Even better is that you can choose how many times to wrap it around, as well as the position, therefore providing for a good deal of adjustability. The Travelon Comfort Neck Pillow comes with interlocking ends so it will stay in place as you rest or sleep.
The fabric is very soft and durable, plus supportive too. Just keep in mind that this particular travel pillow is not washable, not to mention that it’s quite bulky too.
Pros:
- Durable design
- Soft and plush
- Various possible positions
- 360-degree support for neck, head, and chin
- Interlocking ends to stay in place
Cons:
- A bit large and bulky
- Not washable
trtl Travel Pillow
This is yet another unique travel pillow that provides customizable 360-degree support that is proven to relieve pain and provide comfort on long journeys. Exactly how this travel pillow looks is a bit hard to describe. It is kind of like a small, padded, and elastic blanket with Velcro.
You wrap it around your neck and then use the Velcro to adjust the position and to keep it in place. The padding is not overly thick, thick enough to provide a bit of support, but nothing like other pillows which we have looked at. The upside here is that you can wrap it around your neck and make it as tight or loose as you want, therefore providing adjustable support.
You can adjust the positioning; you can support the front, the back, or either side of your head. Position it a certain way, and you can provide 360-degree support for your head and neck, although not a huge amount.
Another upside is that because the trtl Travel Pillow is not really a thick pillow per se, more of a neck wrap, it is very small and compact, and is therefore ideal for placing in small carry-on baggage, plus it weighs only half a pound. It’s machine washable which is important to me when I’m using it in public spaces, such as an airplane.
The trade-off with the trtl Travel Pillow is that it might not provide as much support as full-size plush neck pillows, but it is highly adjustable and convenient for travel.
Pros:
- Lightweight and compact
- Adjustable and multi-position support
- Machine washable
- Cost-effective
Con:
- Not as supportive as full size neck pillows
J-Pillow Travel Pillow
This pillow won the award for the British Invention of the Year 2012/2013 and features a patent-pending design proven to provide maximum comfort or support. It provides support in three different ways. Let’s take a closer look at it right now.
This travel pillow has a very special shape. It’s somewhat like a regular travel pillow that you put around your neck for support. However, instead of supporting the back and both sides of the neck, it has a special design which supports the back of the neck and a single side, but it also has a special “J hook” which supports the face, so you can lean your whole face on it.
Yes, you can turn it around to support either side. This J hook is quite convenient because you can also use it to lean against a window without direct contact with the hard and cold window. This is a very soft and plush travel pillow, so it’s not only supportive, but very comfortable as well.
What is also nice about the J-Pillow Travel Pillow is that it folds down smaller than a U-shaped pillow, so while it’s not inflatable, it can still fit into very tight spaces, such as a small carry-on bag, and it does not weigh much.
Finally, what is surprising is that this travel pillow is machine washable, so cleaning is not an issue.
Pros:
- Machine washable
- Soft and plush
- Supports head, neck, chin, and face
- Adjustable for position
- Award-winning design
Cons:
- Not the most durable in the world
- Has a bit of a smell
Best Travel Pillow
When all has been said and done, there are plenty of really good travel pillows to help keep you comfortable on long journeys, and to keep your neck from becoming painful. Whether you prefer the aisle seat or a window airline seat, the best pillow for travel will provide support and help with your sleep position.
There are many styles and shapes to choose from. Many are washable which I consider to be important.