If you follow my travel tips and product recommendations here on Travel Awaits, you know I have a few controversial travel opinions—ones that I swear by.
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Here’s the weirdest of them all: I always bring a plushie pillow with me when I travel.
While I’m not usually one to fall asleep on planes, a plushie is my key to getting a good night’s rest when I finally land. It’s also one of the most viable solutions I’ve encountered to help me catch a few Zs on a flight.
Don’t worry—I’m not recommending you buy a plushie as a travel sleep solution. (Unless you want to. You’d be in very good company.) Instead, I’m counting down some of the most lauded and popular neck pillows.
As with almost every travel topic imaginable, the humble neck pillow has undergone a revolution over the last few years. Or, more appropriately, several revolutions.
If you’re ready to learn more about the types of science-backed solutions that travelers are buying, keep reading. I’ve uncovered the best neck pillows on the market.
7 best neck pillows on the market
Turtl
Turtl is a wrap-around neck pillow that has a rigid but comfortable support system—one that’s been backed by science and verified as ergonomic. It will hold your head in place without causing neck or back strain. It’s also lightweight, compact, and easy to carry with you.
The downside? There’s a reason it’s called turtl.
Snugl
The Snugl is a larger and uniquely shaped neck pillow that can be adjusted into a variety of positions. As a bonus, some of those positions are designed for you to be able to wear over-ear headphones—which is a pretty thoughtful feature, in my opinion.
Plus, the Snugl will conform to your shape thanks to its unique composition. Unfortunately, it’s not the most compact option out there.
Sarisun Wrap Around
The Sarisun neck pillow isn’t actually a pillow—it’s a soft-sided apparatus that wraps around the back of your airplane seat to hold you in place. I’ve read rave reviews on the Sarisun, along with subpar reviews.
The big hangup? Some Sarisun users said it started to get uncomfortable after an hour of use. But it’s one of the most trendy new airplane sleep solutions, so I’ll let you decide for yourself.
BCozzy
BCozzy combines the wrap-around ideology of the Sarisun with the soft-sided adjustability of the Snugl. The result is a narrow, comfortable pillow that’s designed to wrap around your neck more than the average pillow, firmly supporting your neck, chin, and back.
It’s also machine washable, which I don’t see from too many neck pillows.
Huzi Infinity Pillow
Huzi Infinity Pillow is almost identical to BCozzy, except that it’s larger, looser, and designed to be more like a scarf. (It’s also machine-washable!)
The scarf element is important, as Huzi can be used as a neck pillow that wraps around your shoulders, or stuffed against the window like a traditional pillow. You can eve wrap it around your ears for a little noise cancelling action.
JPillow
Awarded the British Invention of the Year, the JPillow takes the neck pillow in a new direction. It almost looks like a three-armed octopus (I should be able to come up with something better, but I’m at a loss), which partly wraps around the neck while also offering support to the side of your head.
There’s also a scarf that wraps from one end to the other to keep your head in place.
Cabeau Evolution
Cabeau Evolution lets you pull out all the stops, as it wraps around your neck and the back of your seat to keep your noggin secure. It’s also made of memory foam, giving you total comfort as you settle in for a long flight.
As a final coup, Cabeau Evolution is designed with materials that let your neck breath, making it great for passengers who tend to overheating.
