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12 best travel pillows for long-haul flights and adventures in 2024

Whether you’re camping, flying or on a long car journey, ensure you’re well rested with one of these

Tamara Hinson
Monday 25 March 2024 13:00 GMT
Say goodbye to uncomfortable travel days with one of these impressive designs
Say goodbye to uncomfortable travel days with one of these impressive designs (iStock/The Independent )
Our Top Picks

Travel pillows are everywhere – slung around the necks of passengers waiting to check in, poking out of backpacks and dangling from cabin cases. But they’re not just designed for use on planes – they’re great for arduous journeys by car, bus or ferry, too, and can be a lifesaver when (god forbid) a delayed flight means you’re forced to spend the night on a cold airport floor.

Most importantly, they play a crucial role when it comes to body alignment, lightening the load on our neck, head and shoulders by preventing the dreading head bob and making sure that our head stays upright even when we’re out for the count.

The key thing to finding the best travel pillow is that it provides support for your head – if a pillow does this, your neck, back and shoulders will benefit, too. This doesn’t necessarily mean pillows that loop around the neck are the only option because different people sleep in different ways (something reflected in the wide range of options we’ve recommended).

Beyond the shape and filling, there are other, less important factors to consider. Is the lining removable? This isn’t the be-all and end-all, but bear in mind travel pillows are quick to acquire stains and signs of wear and tear, so if it’s not, consider a design that hides those pesky marks. How well does it fit around your headphones, if your go-tos are over-ear models? This isn’t a problem with most pillows, although there are certainly some options in our round-up that score better than others in this regard.

Finally, in an era when airlines are rolling out increasingly restrictive regulations relating to cabin baggage, how does it do in the stash-ability stakes? If you’re prone to exceeding your size or weight allowance, an inflatable pillow in a carry sack which can be stuffed into a side pocket or dangled from your backpack’s carabiner attachment might be the best option.

How we tested the best travel pillows

A selection of the best travel pillows that we tried for this review
A selection of the best travel pillows that we tried for this review (Tamara Hinson)

We tested these travel pillows in a whole host of scenarios – at our desks, on long flights, on painfully arduous train journeys and bus journeys across southeast Asia. And trust us – as keen travellers accustomed to long trips on planes, trains and automobiles, we’ve got through more travel pillows than we can count.

We considered multiple factors – were they suitable for trips on which space was at a premium? What did the outer lining and stuffing feel like? Were they as useful on trains and long car journeys as they were on planes (anything that means we get more bang for our buck can only be positive, after all)? In other words, you can rest assured you’re (well, your head, neck and shoulders specifically) in good hands.

The best travel pillows for 2024 are:

  • Best travel pillow overall – Ostrichpillow go neck pillow: £55, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best budget travel pillow – Lifeventure inflatable neck pillow: £12.99, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best luxury travel pillow – Slip jet setter travel pillow: £79.29, Beautybay.com
  • Best breathable travel pillow – Trtl pillow cool: £29.99, Amazon.co.uk

Ostrichpillow go neck pillow

best travel pillow 2024 review indybest Ostrichpillow go neck pillow
  • Best: Travel pillow overall
  • Material: Viscose
  • Filling: Memory foam
  • Weight: 350g
  • Dimensions: 25cm x 17cm x 7cm
  • Why we love it
    • Ultra-soft materials
    • Brilliant ergonomic design

This fantastic memory foam pillow ticked all of the boxes – a removable, ultra-soft lining, a top-quality memory foam filling and generous patches of Velcro to keep it in place, which allows for more adjustability than we’re used to. It’s got a more ergonomic design than other pillows of this size, with a tapered shape which allows it to tuck neatly under our chin. The two-tone colourway also looks incredibly stylish, and we appreciated the tiny size of the label – all too often these are too large and attached to parts of travel pillows where they’re almost certainly going to rub against our skin.

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Lifeventure inflatable neck pillow

best travel pillows 2024 review indybest Lifeventure
  • Best: Budget travel pillows
  • Material: Polyester and TPU bonded fabric
  • Filling: Inflatable
  • Weight: 54g
  • Dimensions: 33cm x 47cm x 12cm
  • Why we love it
    • Very tough fabric on the pillow and stuff sack
    • Great value
  • Take note
    • No fastening to secure the ends at the neck

These days a growing number of travel pillows are made from memory foam. But as travellers who are perpetually short on space, we’ve got a major soft spot for inflatable ones, such as this piece of portable perfection. It inflated and deflated in seconds and the material – a combination of polyester and TPU-bonded fabric – didn’t chafe or rub, even on long flights. We also loved that it came in its very own bag  – an ultra-tough one made with ripstop fabric.

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Snugpak butterfly neck pillow

 best travel pillows 2024 review indybest Snugpak butterfly neck pillow
  • Best: For travellers short on space
  • Material: Nylon
  • Filling: Inflatable
  • Weight: 100g
  • Dimensions: 37cm x 15cm x 8cm
  • Why we love it
    • Stashes into the smallest of pockets and pouches
  • Take note
    • Butterfly shape might not appeal to all

This pillow’s outer material was wonderfully soft, with a thickness that did a fantastic job of ramping up the comfort. It’s a great option for jet-setters who don’t gel with traditional travel pillows worn around the neck – we loved the way its butterfly shape meant it could be jammed into awkward corners and used as a headrest against airplane windows. It inflated and deflated incredibly quickly, and bonus points were awarded for its handy stuff sack, which can be dangled from buckles on backpacks.

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Vango deep sleep ergo pillow

best travel pillow 2024 review indybest Vango deep sleep ergo pillow
  • Best: For frequent flyers
  • Material: Knitted elastic
  • Filling: Inflatable
  • Weight: 80g
  • Dimensions: 41cm x 30cm x 11cm
  • Why we love it
    • Incredibly soft fabric
    • Supersized valve makes inflation and deflation a breeze
  • Take note
    • Not the best option for those in need of neck (rather than head) support

The shape of this one is inspired by traditional pillows in that it doesn’t loop around the neck but acts as a headrest. Its small size makes it both wonderfully portable and versatile – it works just as well on planes as it does on long coach journeys and camping trips. The large valve means it takes just seconds to inflate and deflate, and the combination of the super soft fabric and a slightly sunken area in the centre did a great job of cushioning our head on a long-haul flight.

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Slip jet setter travel pillow

slip silk travel pillow indybest (1).png
  • Best: Luxury travel pillow
  • Material: Silk
  • Filling: Foam
  • Weight: Unspecified
  • Dimensions: 25cm x 25cm x 12.5cm
  • Why we love it
    • Soft outer cover
  • Take note
    • The filling is not memory foam

Twenty years ago, when we were backpacking around the world using our wallet, socks or pants as pillows on bus journeys and flights, we’d have loved a pillow such as this one. Yes, it’s expensive but it’s also ridiculously comfortable – a thick curve of foam covered with top-quality mulberry silk (which didn’t just feel great on the skin but kept our hair frizz-free too). An integrated zip allows the cover to be removed and washed (because let’s face it, we’re all prone to the odd mid-snooze dribble). We’re not quite willing to award this a full five stars on account of the filling, which is standard foam. Yes, it’s top-quality stuff but we were hoping for memory foam given the use of the finest silk for the exterior.

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Ostrichpillow light versatile pillow

best travel pillow 2024 review indybest Ostrichpillow light versatile pillow
  • Best: Lightweight travel pillow
  • Materials: Viscose
  • Filling: Microbeads
  • Weight : 110g
  • Dimensions: 31.5cm x 16.5cm x 7cm
  • Why we love it
    • Comfortable
    • The toggle is great for adjusting the fit
  • Take note
    • No washable lining

Yes, this particular pillow looks a little different to the average travel pillow – the suggested way of wearing it is to place it around your head, halo-style, so that it covers your ears and eyes while also cushioning your bonce in all the right places (we could use the toggle to adjust to fit).

We were initially a little nervous about the filling, which consisted of microbeads that felt similar to the ones inside bean bags, albeit slightly smaller. However, our concerns were unfounded – perhaps due to their small size, the result is a wonderful mouldability which provided high levels of comfort, boosted by the ultra-soft lining. The only reason we’re not giving this pillow five out of five is because there’s no removable outer covering should it get dirty, but trust us – this is a minor issue when comfort levels are this high.

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Trtl pillow cool

best travel pillow 2024 review indybest Trtl pillow cool
  • Best: Breathable travel pillow
  • Material: Tencel
  • Filling: Foam
  • Weight: 299g
  • Dimensions: ‎25.4cm x 20.32cm x 10.16cm
  • Why we love it
    • Innovative design
    • Breathable material
  • Take note
    • Not the most compact of travel pillows
    • The fastening can be a little fiddly at first

We’ve not come across many travel pillows that come with instruction manuals and were somewhat sceptical about the slightly more complicated design of Trtl’s pillow. In summary, it’s got a built-in rigid section designed to offer firm support for the neck – you keep this section in place by wrapping the scarf-like section around your neck. It was much more comfortable than we imagined and did a great job eliminating the dreaded head-bob, although it only offers support on one side. Despite the built-in rigid section, it’s incredibly light, and the material is surprisingly breathable, too.

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Vango Shangri-La memory foam pillow

best travel pillow 2024 review indybest Vango Shangri-La memory foam pillow.
  • Best: For superior comfort
  • Material: Brushed polyester
  • Filling: Memory foam and an air pocket
  • Weight: 450g
  • Dimensions: 36cm x 11cm
  • Why we love it
    • Superior comfort
    • Soft fabric

We loved everything about this pillow, which has a precision-engineered ergonomic shape and is covered by some of the softest fabric we’ve come across. The memory foam provided the optimal amount of cushioning, and a colleague who borrowed it for a few moments described his experience as “similar to sleeping on a cloud”. What that actually feels like is anybody’s guess, but we reckon that’s a pretty good endorsement.

The secret to the superior comfort lies in its design, which comprises an outer layer of memory foam and a central air pocket. The result? The mouldability of memory foam and the support which comes courtesy of the air pocket – AKA the ultimate double act, we reckon.

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Lifeventure inflatable pillow

best travel pillows neck flights support memory foam
  • Best: For a traditional pillow option
  • Material: Polyester and TPU fabric
  • Filling: Inflatable
  • Weight: 77g
  • Dimensions: 36cm x 51cm x 10cm
  • Why we love it
    • Ergonomic shape provides support
    • Flexible

An ergonomic shape provided just the right amount of support (including all-important lumbar support) and the deep grooves aided airflow during a particularly hot, sticky night on a cramped red-eye flight. It’s got enough flexibility to use on planes and trains, and the combination of polyester and TPU fabric makes for an extremely durable pillow. The carry case, made from ripstop fabric, is equally rugged.

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Exped air pillow

best travel pillows neck flights support memory foam
  • Best: For durability
  • Material: Polyester and TPU polyether film laminate
  • Filling: Inflatable
  • Weight: 60g
  • Dimensions: 46cm x 30cm x 12 cm
  • Why we love it
    • Easy to adjust rigidness
    • Quick to inflate

Another pillow with an unusual shape – in this case, a semi-rectangular profile – the Exped air pillow isn’t the softest of travel accessories, but it’s ridiculously quick to inflate and wonderfully easy to adjust when it comes to rigidity. It took five short breaths to inflate it fully, and the presence of separate, dedicated inflation and deflation valves cranks up the efficiency. An internal flap in the intake valve means a minimal chance of leaks, too.

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Go Travel memory dreamer travel pillow

best travel pillows neck flights support memory foam
  • Best: For lumbar support
  • Material: Polyester
  • Filling: Memory foam
  • Weight: 355g
  • Dimensions: 26cm x 25.5cm x 12.5cm
  • Why we love it
    • Memory foam core provides great lumbar support
    • Thick lining
  • Take note
    • No hook to hang it off backpacks

A memory foam core provides great lumbar support along with cushioning for the head and shoulders, and the lining has a surprising thickness – one which suggests that the memory dreamer is more than capable of standing up to some serious wear and tear. There’s no hook to hang it off backpacks, but we loved the buckle-style clip, which meant we could quickly and easily tweak the fit (something which press studs don’t allow).

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Outwell dream boat ergo pillow

best travel pillows neck flights support memory foam
  • Best: Multipurpose travel pillow
  • Materials: Polyester
  • Filling: Memory foam
  • Weight: 300g
  • Dimensions: 50cm x 29cm x 10cm
  • Why we love it
    • Large makes it versatile
    • Top-quality memory foam construction
    • Provides great support

This pillow is one of the largest we’ve tested, but we can confirm it’s still perfectly suitable for plane journeys, thanks to its amazing squishiness. The upside to its supersized design is that it can be used for camping holidays too, and its versatility is ramped up due to a number of factors.

Firstly, the low-flat valves, which are easy to inflate but won’t snag when the pillow is squashed into small spaces or stashed into backpacks. Add a top-quality memory foam construction, super soft fabric and a shape designed to support not just the head but the back and shoulders too, and you’ve got a one-way ticket to the land of nod.

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Travel pillow FAQs

What is the best travel pillow shape?

If you’re lucky enough to be one of those few people whose in-flight discomfort doesn’t come from head bobbing but the displeasure stemming from resting your head against hard surfaces, opt for a travel pillow with a traditional shape, rather than a looping design (another benefit of these is that they’re more versatile, and double as great camping pillows when space is at a premium).

What is the best travel pillow filling?

Don’t make the mistake of insisting on memory foam – although memory foam is usually best when it comes to fantastic support, there are plenty of other fillings (such as lightweight microbeads) which work just as well, while inflatable pillows are handy if you’re short on space.

The verdict: Travel pillows

What’s not to love about a cloud-like neck pillow filled with the finest quality memory foam and precision-engineered to support our head, neck and shoulders? Nothing – which is exactly why Ostrichpillow’s go neck pillow bags the top spot. Snugpak’s butterfly neck pillow comes second for its wonderful versatility while Lifeventure’s inflatable neck pillow earns a special mention for its hat trick of practicality, comfort and value for money.

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