Best travel pillow for long haul flights

Best travel pillow

Sleeping while travelling can be tough!  To help you out, we’ve created a shortlist of the three best travel pillows for long haul flights.

The challenge of sleeping on long haul flights

In April 2018, Qantas Airlines launched the first ever-nonstop commercial flight from Australia to London. Clocking in at 17 hours and 20 minutes, the route was made possible by the new breed of super airliners, like the Airbus A380.

But, as every traveller knows, the longer you spend in the air, the more you’re likely to suffer the biggest downside of long haul flying – sleep deprivation.

Aside from the effects of jetlag on your body clock, the main challenge on long haul flights is being comfortable enough to be able to relax and sleep. This is especially the case if you’re flying economy.

Goodbye to the U-shaped travel pillow

In the past, the standard option for flying in comfort was a U-shaped, or horseshoe travel pillow. Whilst these work fine for providing neck cushioning, the problem is, when you finally manage to fall asleep, U-shaped pillows do nothing to stop your head from drooping forwards or sideways.

Thankfully, as part of a new wave of innovative sleep products hitting the market in recent years, talented designers and inventors have taken it upon themselves to update the U-shaped travel pillow for the 21st century – embracing cutting-edge materials, ergonomic design and innovative new shapes.

travel pillow for long haul flights

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at three of the best travel pillows in 2018 for providing head and neck support whilst you sleep.

Trtl Pillow Review

Conceived by 2 mechanical engineers in 2010, the Trtl Pillow is a revolutionary new take on the travel pillow. Their invention was designed to support the head and neck in a more ergonomic way than traditional memory foam or inflatable pillows.

The Trtl Pillow looks more like scarf because it’s designed to wrap around your neck with a special velcro fastening. But the real clever bit is hidden away from sight, because inside the lining is a soft internal neck support made of structured foam.

This means that unlike regular pillows, the Trtl Pillow can support your neck in an upright position preventing your head from drooping forward or sideways. It’s compact, and lightweight weighing only 200g so it can easily fit into your hand luggage.

See how the innovative Trtl Pillow works here.

Trtl Pillow has won several awards and been extensively in the media and on TV. With over 6000 online reviews and a 4.5 rating on Amazon.com, the Trtl Pillow comes highly recommended.

trtl pillow

J Pillow Review

Designed by Gemma Jensen, a former flight attendant, J-Pillow is another innovative design, that features a 3-way support system for your head, neck and chin.

After buying a sewing machine and attempting over 200 different prototypes, the J-Pillow was born. This unusual and unique shape was conceived as a solution to fill the gap between your head and your shoulders. So instead of your head slumping forwards or to the side – as is the case with traditional U-shaped pillows – the J-Pillow offers a simple and comfortable way to stop you nodding forward or slumping to the side.

Get the J Pillow for a great price here.

The winner of British Invention of the Year, J-Pillow has sold over 1 million worldwide, with over 15,000 online reviews and a 4.2 rating on Amazon.com.  There are plenty of copy cat j pillows on the market, so make sure you are buying the real J Pillow.

Travel pillow

BCozzy Review

Like Trtl and J-Pillow, BCozzy is another original take on solving the problem of how to maximize your sleep quality on planes, trains and automobiles.

Continuing the tradition of moving away from the U-shape, BCozzy is a soft fleece pillow that wraps around your neck. Depending on how much support you need, you can adjust the position of BCozzy depending on whether you need support for your neck, chin or for side-sleeping.

Buy the stylish BCozzy Now.

If you have a family, there’s also a child version of BCozzy available. Available in a range of colours, this patented travel pillow is another popular favourite with over 3,500 reviews and a 4.3 star rating on Amazon.

BCozzy Travel Pillow

Summary of travel pillows 

So now you know. Next time you fly long haul, there’s no need to struggle with an old-fashioned horseshoe pillow. The new generation of travel pillows will allow you to relax and sleep in more comfort, allowing you to enjoy your journey without feeling like a zombie when you reach your destination.

Safe travels!

long haul flight

Please note:  This article is not to be used as medical advice.  This post may contain affiliate links.

Author profile
Jeff Mann
Jeff Mann
Founder | Sleep Junkies
Jeff is the founder and editor of Sleep Junkies and SleepGadgets.io.  He has been testing and reviewing the latest consumer sleep technology products since 2012.
3 replies
  1. Vox says:

    Somehow I not sure that a travel pillow will make that much difference in getting good sleep on a long-haul flight, but I know that it eases the neck pain associated with trying to sleep in such a cramped space. Thanks for sharing your review though.

    Reply

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