"It's A Shame For You Not To Use A Travel Neck Pillow To Help You Sleep While Traveling -- When Other People Do It So Easily"

A good travel neck pillow is a very important travel accessory. Travel pillows can mean the difference between getting valuable sleep while traveling or an uncomfortable, tiring journey.

Hi, I'm pilot Paul. I'm a captain at a major airline. Currently I fly long-haul international flights.

During those flights, we bring an extra pilot so we can take turns resting in a cabin seat. This break is extremely important so we can be alert and rested while at the controls. Because of that, we get very skilled at sleeping in passenger seats. Without a good travel pillow, that is a difficult task.

To get this critical sleep, I use two travel pillows. One to support my lower back and one for my head. Without these, I usually can't sleep on a plane. They're great for car trips too. I'm a big fan of the ones that wrap around your neck to stabilize your head. They really help you get as comfortable as possible. Without one, your head might flop around, which may wake you up.

Without one of these, I've tried leaning against the window. I never seem to get comfortable, and if I am able to sleep, I usually wake up with a very stiff neck or back.

Having your own travel neck pillow is more sanitary than using the airline pillows. Those are moved around everywhere and the covers are not necessarily changed before every flight.

Pilot Paul's Checklist For Travel Neck Pillows

If you are not interested in the U-shaped travel pillows, and want to learn about a great traditional-shaped pillow that has multiple uses,

click here on contour travel pillow.

I will review that strengths and weaknesses of the various types. After each type of travel pillow discussed, I will provide a link to a closer analysis and recommendations for the best travel pillows of that type.

Since there are many different kinds of travel neck pillows available, my hope is that you can make an informed choice and pick the one that you would like best.

My desire throughout this site is to help make you a relaxed, seasoned, savvy, well-informed, well-equipped traveler. This should allow you to have the best travel experience possible.

Travel Informed + Travel Well Equipped = Travel Wisely and Relaxed

Seat belts fastened?

Here we go...

There are basically four different types of neck travel pillows available:

• Inflatable
• Polyester Filled
• Memory Foam
• Buckwheat Husk

1. Inflatable.

Like many people, I initially went the cheap route with travel neck pillows- I bought the cheap inflatable ones at discount stores. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for with these. While having a cheap, inflatable travel neck pillow is far better than having nothing, there are many better alternatives.

The main problem with inflatable travel pillows is that they usually fail by developing a slow leak. You'll go nuts on the trip where it is leaking because you'll constantly wake up to replace the lost air. Having these inflated to an amount that is "just right" for you is critical to good rest.

Even if it does not leak, the air inside the inflatable travel neck pillow will expand and contract the as the aircraft changes altitude. This is because the cabin altitude changes in proportion to the plane's altitude. As the cabin altitude climbs, the air in the pillow expands. As the plane descends, it contracts. You can imagine how that affects your sleep. It is common to change altitude numerous times during a flight.

Altitude change = pillow size change.

These inexpensive travel pillows rarely last more than two or three trips. The better ones do last longer.

Another disadvantage of the less expensive air travel pillows is the vinyl material can get hot and sticky against your face.

Like me, if you had bought a better travel pillow initially, rather than continuously replacing leaky cheap ones, the total cost have been less. With a better travel pillow, you wouldn't have lost sleep from struggling with a leaky air travel pillow.

The main advantage of inflatable travel pillows is that they take little room in your luggage. They are also lighter than any of the other types, especially the buckwheat ones.

In general, I prefer the memory foam travel pillows the most.

However, one air travel pillow that is much better than the rest. To learn more about this exceptional travel neck pillow, click here on Inflatable Komfort Kollar® .


2. Memory Foam Travel Pillow.

These are my favorite kind of travel pillow. They provide lots of support and stabilization and are extremely comfortable.

A travel neck pillow made with memory foam will last you many years. It should last much longer than an inflatable or poly-filled one.

Foam travel pillows do an excellent job of holding your head still thus allowing you to sleep.

Memory foam molds in response to your body' shape, weight and warmth to form a pressure-free cradle of support.

When you're not using it, a foam travel neck pillow compresses well to fit in your carry-on bag. They are relatively lightweight.

While memory foam travel pillows can be some of the most expensive, I think that they are worth the investment. They will outlast many of the others and you will likely have the most success sleeping with one of these. The slightly higher cost becomes negligible when you consider the value of your sleep and rest.

I recommend two different types of memory foam travel pillows. They are basically the same price.

To learn more about them, click here on foam travel neck pillows.


3. Polyester Travel Pillows.In general, I don't care for the polyester filled travel neck pillows. They simply don't provide the support and stabilization of memory foam or buckwheat travel pillows. The better travel accessory merchants don't even carry these.

Therefore, save your money by not buying a poly-filled travel pillow that you will likely disappoint you.

4. Buckwheat travel Pillows. Huh? Buckwheat hulls in a pillow?

This may be a new concept to you. They are actually very popular in Asia. I used a buckwheat hull pillow at home for about ten years. They shape to the exact contour of your head and support very well.

It is possible to remove some of the hulls to custom fit this type of travel pillow to your preferences.

These travel pillows support as well as the memory foam ones, but cannot compress in your luggage like the memory foam ones.

There are two different buckwheat hull travel pillows that I recommend. One has a fleece cover and the other has velour. To learn more about these, click here on buckwheat travel pillows.

For a different approach, you can use a full body travel pillow. This is an inflatable, full-length seat liner.

Click here to learn about the 1st Class Sleeper®

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