They may sound like an oxymoron to anyone who finds it impossible to sleep while traveling, but the best travel pillows really can help you get some much-needed rest during long-haul flights and road trips. Unlike the worn-out donut pillow you’ve had for years, these cushions are designed to keep you comfy for hours at a time—and, most importantly, help you avoid reaching your destination with a crick in your neck.
“Neck pillows can limit the amount of effort or muscular load to the neck while sleeping,” Rahul V. Shah, MD, FAAOS, a board certified orthopedic spine surgeon at Premier Orthopaedic Associates in Pennsylvania, tells SELF. “The goal is to minimize the awkward positioning of the neck when sleeping in a semi-upright position, such that the head is supported over the shoulders with minimal additional neck muscle involved for support.”
Made with supportive materials and clever designs, the five pillows below handily accomplish that goal. Shop our selection below, then read on to learn how to pick the right travel pillow for you, according to Dr. Shah.
Our top picks
- Best Overall: Cabeau Evolution S3 Neck Pillow, $40
- Runner-Up: Ostrichpillow Go Neck Pillow, $69
- Best Bed Style Pillow: Alkamto Memory Foam Pillow for Travel, $33
- Best Inflatable: Coop AirJustable Travel Neck Pillow, $59
- Best Body Pillow: Tempur-Pedic All-Purpose Pillow, $49
In this article
Shop the best travel pillows
With these cozy picks, you’ll be tucked in by takeoff.
Best Overall: Cabeau Evolution S3 Travel Pillow
Cabeau’s best-selling neck pillow is a longtime travel essential for one SELF contributor. “I grabbed this compactible Cabeau pillow from a Hudson News a few years ago, and it’s been my constant companion ever since,” she wrote. “Wearing mine makes me feel like a dog in a cone, but I never fail to throw it in my backpack anyway because it makes napping way easier on my neck.”
Cabeau elevates the standard neck pillow design with a few key features: It lays flat, so it doesn’t force you to lean forward. And it has adjustable straps that fasten around your seat’s headrest, which alleviates some of the pressure on your neck and back.
Dimensions: 9.50 x 10 inches | Materials: Polyester, memory foam
Runner-Up: Ostrichpillow Go Neck Pillow
Ostrichpillow
Go Neck Pillow
“On a plane, I always hope for two to three hours of uninterrupted rest without the drink cart rolling over my foot or turbulence jarring me awake. That’s exactly what the OstrichPillow offers,” one SELF contributor wrote in her review of Ostrichpillow’s wraparound Go Neck travel pillow. “[It] feels like I’m bringing a luxury pillow with me everywhere I go. It strikes the perfect balance between comfort and support.”
It doesn’t have the same flat back as the Cabeau Evolution, but it collapses against your seat to prevent you from pitching forward in the middle of your in-flight nap. And its sides feature long Velcro strips, so you can fasten it around your neck as snugly or loosely as you like.
Dimensions: 10.60 x 10.20 inches | Materials: Rayon, memory foam
Best Bed Style Pillow: Alkamto Memory Foam Pillow for Travel
Alkamto
Memory Foam Pillow for Travel
Not a fan of neck pillows? Take a mini version of your favorite bed pillow along for the ride instead. One SELF staffer swears by this memory foam travel pillow that clocks in under $35.
You can pack it down by rolling it up into its own carrying bag—it’ll reshape itself when it unfurls. And, unlike many memory foam pillows, this one won’t trap sweat and heat, thanks to its perforated cover.
Dimensions: 15.70 x 9.85 inches | Materials: Polyester, viscose, cotton, memory foam
Best Inflatable: Coop AirJustable Travel Neck Pillow
Coop
AirJustable Travel Neck Pillow
We’ve previously recommended Coop’s adjustable bed pillows for folks who deal with neck pain. The brand’s travel pillow takes a similarly do-it-yourself approach to getting comfy. With a couple squeezes, it inflates to your desired level of firmness—and it deflates just as easily when you need to stow it in its drawstring carrying pouch. It also contains Coop’s signature foam fill, so it won’t feel like you’re snoozing on an innertube.
Dimensions: 12 x 13 inches | Materials: Nylon/spandex blend, polyester/spandex blend, microfiber, memory foam
Best Body Pillow: Tempur-Pedic All-Purpose Pillow
Tempur-Pedic
All-Purpose Pillow
Unfortunately, it’s not realistic to bring my enormous, J-shaped body pillow with me when I fly. Luckily, there’s Tempur-Pedic’s compact take on the use-it-anywhere pillow. Its peanut shape feels comfy behind your neck, between your knees, or simply cradled in your arms like a snuggle buddy.
Our tester found it supportive and cushy, and loved how easily she could maneuver and adjust it as she needed. Better still, it never collapsed or lost its shape—the “slow spring back” foam fill stayed firm and solid.
Dimensions: 13 x 5 inches | Materials: Cotton, memory foam
What should you look for when choosing a travel pillow?
“When looking for a travel pillow, initially focus on the shape to ensure that the pillow conforms well to one’s neck and shoulders,” Dr. Shah says. He explains that it shouldn’t be too large or bulky, but it shouldn’t feel thin and flimsy, either. Instead, it should fit around your neck and shoulders and help cradle your head.
The pillow shouldn’t feel squishy-soft or rock-hard. It needs to be somewhere in the middle, in order to keep your neck and head in alignment without feeling like a neck brace. That’s why so many of our picks are made with high-quality, contouring memory foam—it has enough give to keep you comfy, but it won’t totally lose its structure under the weight of your head.
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