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Arriving at your holiday destination with a crick in your neck and a dull pain in your lower back is a fate no traveller wants to endure, that why a good travel pillow is a travel essential.
And unless you’re lucky enough to be flying first class – which, let’s face it, is out of reach for most of us – it’s imperative to come adequately equipped for the trials of a long-haul flight.
With the summer travel season on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to get fully equipped for flights and long journeys.
You might already have a cabin bag or some good hold luggage in your site (if not be sure to read our reviews on those), and even thought about things like your travel mug and portable charger.
However, you don’t want to be messing around with a saggy cushion bought last-minute from the airport – or worse, your tiny cardigan as a paltry pillow substitute.
As a travel editor, I’ve dedicated myself to finding the best travel pillows, so you can slumber en route to Singapore or doze all the way Down Under, without a bother.
Here’s our rundown of the best options on the market.
You might also want to check out the best sleep masks, tried and tested by us for even better shut eye on your next trip.
Best travel pillows at a glance How we test
Genie Harrison dedicated herself to finding the ultimate travel pillow for these extended journeys, from more traditional memory foam numbers, to innovative alternatives
Everyone has different preferences and requirements for sleeping – particularly when attempting to do so mid-air – so we considered the various benefits of each pillow from a few different angles.
These included comfort of the material, neck support, best design and the ease with which they could be packed. Additional benefits considered included the ease of cleaning, overall bulkiness and versatility of the pillows.
Together with a group of expert reviewers at the Daily Mail, we collate and compare how well each product performs, so you can choose what’s best for your travels. You can read more about how we test travel products as well as the best sleep buys.
Why trust us
Our team of travel writers and editors has been testing products and writing reviews for many years, covering a wide range of products. With a focus on travel equipment, such as suitcases, we provide expertise on what travellers need on their journeys.
Our reviews are honest, impartial and based on real-world testing. We take into consideration all budgets and lifestyles when reviewing products to ensure you have all the information you need to make an informed buying decision.
OstrichpillowProduct SpecsWeight350 gFill materialBASF® Memory foam coreDimensions25 x 17 x 7 (cm)What we love
DesignThe pillows have an innovative, ergonomic design
WeightThe Ostrichpillow is lightweight and sleek
PracticalityThe cover is machine washable
This came out as the most expensive of the bunch we tested – but for good reason. As well as being comfortable sitting around one’s neck, the Ostrich pillow also provided great support – even for those of a more giraffe-like persuasion.
The 360-degree design means the wearer can adjust as necessary, with the lightweight memory foam tying the whole experience together. You can also remove and machine wash the pillow cover after a flight’s use.
Tested over the course of an 11-hour flight from London to Cape Town (and back again!), the Ostrich pillow was a welcome companion to what could have been an arduous overnight flight.
SNUGL’s award-winning travel pillow is shaped like a car seat for your neck, and comes in two different sizes based on your height
SNUGL travel pillow
Coming in two sizes based on the wearer’s height, SNUGL’s award-winning travel pillow is shaped like a car seat for your neck. What makes the pillow particularly great, though, is the variety of ways that the user can successfully fashion it, based on their preferences.
Whether your neck tends to loll forwards, backwards, or to one side, the pillow can be suitably arranged to provide the necessary neck support.
Our only slight disagreement with this pillow was arguably how supportive it is: it snuggles up very tight, especially when clipped together.
3. Best travel pillow for side sleepers: Travelrest pillow
slept alternately with the pillow sandwiched between mine and my neighbour’s seat as a head rest
Ultimate inflatable travel pillowProduct SpecsWeight226 gSize2 x 9 x 3 inch
As someone who prefers to sleep on my side, Travelrest’s Ultimate Inflatable Pillow gets a big tick from me.
You simply blow the pillow up with a few short puffs and then sling the detachable strap around your body like a messenger bag. I slept alternately with the pillow sandwiched between mine and my neighbour’s seat as a head rest, and in a more upright position.
Nestled against, rather than around my neck, I also found it to be less constricting than some of the tighter, more form-fitting varieties tried.
Being inflatable, the pillow was also very easy to pack away and store in my hand luggage – ready to whip out as soon as I started to feel dozy.
TRTL pillowProduct SpecsWeight133 gSize22 x 24 x 9 cm
This pillow definitely wins the award for the most unusual design of any that we tried: the TRTL includes an internal support that you wrap around your neck like a scarf and then arrange in whatever position you find most comfortable.
While the idea is certainly novel, I found that I needed the additional support of my hand to keep my neck fully supported. While the material was also soft and cosy, the internal support did dig in when not angled correctly.
That said, the pillow still provided reasonable comfort on a long-haul flight to Colombia and wraps up neatly into any hand luggage.
While at the cheaper end of the pillows we reviewed, the Roamwild pillow is of a more unusual design. In addition to firm neck support, users are able to inflate a portion of the pillow so the wearer can lean one’s head
Roamwild Travel PillowProduct SpecsWeight499 gSize28cm x 18cm x 20cm
While at the cheaper end of the pillows we reviewed, Roamwild’s offering is of a more unusual design. In addition to firm neck support, users are able to inflate a portion of the pillow so the wearer can lean one’s head, even when saddled with the dreaded middle seat of a plane.
The idea probably works better in theory than in principle; the inflatable portion of the pillow doesn’t blow up a particularly large amount – meaning additional support is also needed. That said, the pillow is comfortable to keep round one’s neck and provides better support than the average.
BCozzy travel pillow
Similarly designed to the Ostrich travel pillow, the BCozzy snakes around the neck in an effort to provide all-round support.
The pillow is comfortable to wear and lightweight, but suffers from the support itself being less heavy duty than other options offered. Those of longer necks and heavier heads may find it is not quite as supportive as other offerings.
That said, the pillow is lightweight and clips easily to one’s hand luggage, and sits at the lower end of the price range.
7. Most versatile travel pillow: Infinity Pillow
Fashioned after a Mobius strip, the USP of the Infinity Pillow is that it can be wrapped and twisted in whichever way will suit the wear
Infinity PillowProduct SpecsDimensions85 x 15 cm / 33.5 x 6″
Fashioned after a Mobius strip, the USP of the Infinity Pillow is that it can be wrapped and twisted in whichever way will suit the wear.
It is lightweight and soft, and thus comfortable to drape around one’s neck.
However, personally, when using the pillow I found that even if I wrapped it around my neck twice, I wasn’t able to quite get the support I needed. I almost wanted it to be longer, so I could have got a third wrap in.
Forgotten your favourite pillow at home? Run into Boots at the airport and grab the Go Dreamer for a better kip once you’re safely on the plane
Boots Go Travel Memory DreamerProduct SpecsWeight355 gMaterialPolyester
This memory foam offering from Boots is lightweight and comfortable, with a handy clip to keep in place.
It could do with slightly taller neck support, but for the price it does a great job. Plus – you should be able to collect from the Boots at whatever airport you’re flying from.
FAQs What are the different types of travel pillows?Memory foam pillows – especially good for anyone with existing neck or back pain.Inflatable pillows – these are great if you are travelling with limited luggage space, as they can be compressed down a great dealClever designs – if you like to sleep in a particular way, you will be suited to one of the more innovatively designed pillows.Are travel pillows good for your neck?
According to Dr Lewis Raiman, a sports medicine physician verified on healthcare review platform Doctify: ‘Neck discomfort when travelling often comes from prolonged, unsupported bending or twisting of the neck while sleeping upright.
‘Travel pillows can help by keeping the head and neck in a more neutral position, reducing muscle strain and uneven pressure.
‘Well-designed pillows supporting the natural cervical curve improve comfort and reduce pain compared with unstructured supports. In practice, pillows that prevent the head dropping forward or sideways are most effective.’
Can the pillows be washed?
All of the pillows we reviewed can have their sleeves removed to be machine washed.
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