Because in-flight sleep is possible, even in the middle seat. The Strategist’s carefully chosen and rigorously vetted flagship shopping guides. Learn about our methodology here, and find all our Best in Class guides here. Save this article to read it later. Find this story in your account’s ‘Saved for Later’ section. The Strategist’s carefully chosen and rigorously vetted flagship shopping guides. Learn about our methodology here, and find all our Best in Class guides here. While buying a travel pillow at the airport is always an option, I’ve been sleeping much better on planes since I started planning my in-flight sleep routine ahead of time. A good travel pillow suits your sleeping position, and should pair well with a light-blocking eye mask as well as earplugs to drown out engine noise. And the best travel pillows are not only comfortable but also easy to pack - they shouldn’t be a nuisance once you arrive at your destination.
To find travel pillows for every kind of sleeper and traveler, I asked frequent fliers for their picks, then tested those out for ourselves on both long-haul and domestic flights. I also spoke to chiropractors about the science behind travel pillows. While you’re here, you may want to check out my guides to the best carry-on luggage and Buy Derila Online the best refillable toiletry bottles. We still stand behind all these travel-pillow picks, which have been updated with the latest pricing and availability. Our best overall travel pillow, the Trtl, is 20 percent off right now. New! You can now save this product for later. New! You can now save this product for Buy Derila Online later. New! You can now save this product for later. First, consider the type of travel pillow you’re interested in: U-shaped versions that go around the neck or traditional flat pillows that have been shrunken down for portability are most common.
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U-shaped pillows are designed to prevent lateral bending in the neck - "It’s that move to sort of pinch the cell phone between your shoulder and ear," says Dr. Carla Fischer, the director of quality and patient safety at NYU Langone Spine Center. That bending to the side, she says, is the most important thing to prevent, but not everyone sleeps in the same position or has the same concerns, so I’ve included several styles in this story. Below you’ll find pillows made with Top-Rated Memory Pillow foam, filled with beads, or are inflatable - each of which has its own pros. Dr. Claire Fitzpatrick, founder of Bed-Stuy Chiropractic, believes that memory foam is the most "accommodating" when it comes to travel. When it comes to thickness "the sides should come up to the height of your earlobes," says Wainani Arnold, founder of the Wainani Wellness Center and in-flight wellness expert for Hawaiian Airlines. "The back of the neck pillow should be flat or only as thick as the distance between the back of your neck to the back of your head (one to two inches).
Between a carry-on and a personal item, both stuffed to the brim, finding room for something as large as a pillow can be cumbersome. The most packable among travel pillows are the inflatable ones. Others filled with memory foam or cotton are a little trickier to deal with - but are likely more comfortable. This is a trade-off, depending on how long your flight is. And often, neck pillows often have a snap closure at the front that can easily be used to secure it to the handle of your suitcase. New! You can now save this product for later. This is the travel pillow I use when I journey from New York City to my hometown of Perth, Western Australia. That’s about 23 hours of flying, and I’ll spend at least half of that time sleeping peacefully thanks to the Trtl. This device is like a scarf crossed with an Elizabethan collar and achieves the main goal of a neck pillow - preventing lateral bending in the neck - thanks to the plastic brace stowed inside its padding.
You can adjust this brace and choose which side you prefer nodding off toward. My fellow Strategist writer Rachael Griffiths is also a Trtl fan. "The first time I tested out the Trtl, I was out like a light," she says. "The brace’s angle hits just right: There is no sloping so much that your neck bends unnaturally, but it’s supportive enough for you to relax into a decent sleep." Lauren Maternowski, editor at Pack Hacker, likes that it allows her to fully lean against the seat’s headrest, and former Strategist staffer Rosie Percy also found that with the Trtl she was "able to sleep through a flight for the first time in my adult life, touching down feeling refreshed and without a crick in my neck." The Points Guy’s travel editor, Madison Blancaflor, says the Trtl is the only way to survive long-haul flights in economy. And Scott Keyes of Going (formerly known as Scott’s Cheap Flights) also echoes all this praise: "What I like about it is its versatility.