I have to admit: I love flying, and I know that many of you out there do so as well! But if you aren’t earning six figures a year, you’ll have to stick with economy class. Yep, the place where you’re stuck like cattle in narrow, uncomfortable seats without proper recline for ten hours straight. Add some hours time difference and no sleep in that uncomfortable seat, and your body is seriously f***ed up once you arrive at your destination. Therefore, us travelers should try everything to be able to sleep for some hours in an airplane! As I’m not a big fan of sleeping pills or something (too dangerous if you’re just starting out with your vacation), I always take a travel pillow with me. As I’ve been through many different ones in my life, I want to help you sleep better in airplanes (or trains, buses,…) and recommend you the best travel pillow out there!
What makes a pillow the best travel pillow?
There are different things to consider when looking for the best travel pillow out there. Of course you could just buy any pillow and see if it works, but there are huge differences between certain models in my opinion! Therefore, you should always look for the following characteristics of the best travel pillow:
1. Comfort
Obviously, a travel pillow should give you the best comfort in various sleeping positions (no “one-trick-pony”). Of course everyone sleeps differentely, so the best travel pillow has to fit for everyone.
2. Size
We’re traveling, so we obviously need to have a travel pillow that is as small as possible when it’s folded. We want to put it in our bag or purse when we don’t need it, so that’s a major factor.
3. Material
We don’t want to lay our heads into a pile of chemicals when sleeping and breathe dangerous materials. This is why athe best travel pillow should be made of the best material out there, that is also durable enough.
The Top 5 Best Travel Pillows
Rank 5: Comfy Commuter Pillow
The Comfy Commuter Pillow might look weird at the beginning. Compared to “normal” pillows though, it covers your neck completely which gives you great comfort throughout your travels! Your head will not wobble around at all because of this. In addition, the opional chin strap is something very practical as it also covers your neck – which most cheap travel pillows don’t. Its backing keeps it constantly in place – which is good, because you’re actually sleeping. Additionally you get a small bag to put your music player in as well. When sleepy time is over, you can just compress it in the attached bag, which makes it also score in the “Size” category. Overall the Comfy Commuter Pillow is the best travel pillow when these are the most important factors for you!
Rank 4: TravelMate Memory Foam Pillow
The TravelMate Memory Foam Pillow is the best travel pillow for you when you’re on a budget. For under 15 USD you will get a basic product that gives a great value! Of course it can’t be compared to more expensive products, but it serves its purpose. The basic u-shape maintains a good head and neck alignment and has a good “softness” to it. It is made of high-quality foam, so no cheap materials for this great price here. You can even wash it as often as needed. The downside though is that you can’t fold it – it’s made out of foam. So although it can be considered a best travel pillow, it’s not as portable as travelers might need it to be.
Rank 3: Skyrest Travel Pillow
Okay, this one is something different. Although the Skyrest Travel Pillow looks like a trashcan on first sight, it can be considered the best travel pillow out there as well! You do not put this around your neck. You put it on your legs once your seated and can then just rest your head on it – just like a pillow in your own bed basically. This one is especially good if normal neck travel pillows did not work out for you in the past. It is also inflatable and not made out of foam, so you can take it with you easily in your bag. Inflation and deflation is very fast as well! Although you might draw some weird looks of your fellow passengers, your hours of sleep will be worth it. For the current price, a great deal and it always needs to be included when looking for the best travel pillow!
Rank 2: Cabeau Memory Foam Pillow
The Cabeau Memory Foam Pillow is a very thought-through product. It is made out of high-quality foam, but still can be deflated to a quarter of its original size. It offers a great 360° support for your head and neck with adjustable front toggles. In addition (and I like this feature a lot), it has a media pouch that holds your MP3 player or phone. And to make sleeping even easier, a pair of ear plugs is included as well! Once you’re done sleeping, you can pack it in the included bag and put it away. With all these nice features combined it doesn’t surprise you that many people call it the best travel pillow in the world!
Rank 1: Travelrest inflatable Travel Pillow
Okay, the Travelrest inflatable pillow basically looks like you have an elephant sitting behind you with his trunk on your shoulder. But once you get used to that, you might have bought the best travel pillow out there! You can wear this one in different ways, but it always worked perfectly for me – no matter how much I changed position on my airplane seat. Put it on your shoulder, rest your head and wake up eight hours later. Once you’re done, just deflate it and roll it up – it doesn’t get more compact than that. This travel pillow is a great value for sure and an awesome invention. For my personal use, I decided on TravelRest as the best travel pillow for myself – and plenty of newspapers agree!
