11 top-rated travel pillows in 2023 to shop now

Between crowded seats, crying babies and limited leg room, long flights can make traveling feel exhausting and uncomfortable. A travel pillow can be a handy accessory to help you get a bit of shut-eye during those long travel periods. We consulted sleep and travel experts about what to consider before buying a travel pillow and compiled highly rated options to consider.

SKIP AHEAD Best travel pillows to consider | What are the benefits of travel pillows? | Factors to consider when buying a travel pillow

Our top picks

How we picked the best travel pillows

Experts told us the best travel pillows are ones that are comfortable, supportive and easy to carry around. When shopping for a quality travel pillow, they recommended considering the following factors:

• Inflatable vs. non-inflatable: Inflatable pillows can be adjusted to be as firm as you need, and they can be easily stored away when deflated. Non-inflatable pillows, on the other hand, can be filled with more cushioned materials to promote comfort, including memory foam and poly fiber fill.
• Portability: Look for portable features like included straps that you can attach to your luggage or the ability to pack it down into a pouch.

Travel pillows to consider

Below, we rounded up these travel pillows based on high ratings and expert advice.

Ostrichpillow offers a variety of unique pillow alternatives, from a napping pillow to a mini hand pillow. This memory foam option can be worn around your neck and has raised edges for neck support. It comes with a velcro strap that allows you to customize its fit, and it can compress to snugly fit inside the included travel bag, according to the brand. The travel pillow has a 4-star average rating from over 1,200 reviews on Amazon.

Fill material: Memory foam | Machine-washable cover: Yes | Portable features: Travel bag

Select editor Christina Colizza says she loves this memory foam travel pillow from Cabeau because it attaches to the plane’s headrest to prevent slouching. “As someone who is 5’10,” I’ll take all the help I can in getting to sleep while flying, and this pillow has made a huge difference,” she says. “Plus, it compresses down into a small pouch, which makes it convenient enough to schlep around airports.” This travel pillow has a 4.3-star average rating from over 5,300 reviews on Amazon and comes in five colors and patterns, including indigo and galaxy.

Fill material: Memory foam | Machine-washable cover: Yes | Portable features: Travel bag

This matching travel pillow and sleep mask set from Calpak can be great for long flights or car rides, especially during the day. It has a removable, machine-washable silk exterior that can be beneficial for acne-prone and sensitive skin since it doesn’t result in too much friction or irritation, experts previously told us in our guide to silk face masks. The set — which has a 4.7-star average rating from 45 reviews at Calpak — also comes with a clear carry bag for traveling.

Fill material: Cotton/polyester blend | Machine-washable cover: Yes | Portable features: Travel bag

Few things can jolt you awake faster than your head falling forward while you’re seated. This ergonomic neck pillow offers an adjustable front loop for chin support and a flat back to avoid pushing your head forward. It includes a snap strap that can be hooked to your luggage or hung up in your car. The pillow comes in multiple colors — including Purple, Pink and Navy — and you can choose between various sizes ranging from kids small to extra-large. It has a 4.2-star average rating from over 25,700 reviews.

Fill material: Polyester | Machine-washable cover: Yes | Portable features: Snap closure

The Travelrest memory foam pillow has contoured cut-outs to mold with the natural contours of your neck, shoulders and head. It includes a non-slip backing that’ll keep the pillow against your seat, along with an adjustable velcro strap that can customize the fit of the pillow around your neck while preventing it from slipping or moving around, according to the brand. It has a 4.1-star average rating from over 1,900 reviews on Amazon and available in blue and gray colors.

Fill material: Memory foam | Machine-washable cover: Yes | Portable features: Travel bag

Select managing editor Leah Ginsberg said she likes a lumbar pillow for added back support during long flights. This self-inflating pillow can be used both as a neck pillow and a back pillow, and it’s designed to fit your body’s natural curves and reduce pressure on the spine and neck, according to the brand. It has a 4.3-star average rating from over 800 reviews.

Fill material: Inflatable | Machine-washable cover: No | Portable features: Travel bag

This inflatable pillow’s ergonomic shape can soothe discomfort in your head, neck and shoulders as the design follows the natural curve of your neck and body to reduce pressure, according to the brand. It includes a pouch for storage, a matching eye mask and earplugs. It has a 4.4-star average rating from over 5,500 reviews on Amazon.

Fill material: Inflatable | Machine-washable cover: No | Portable features: Travel bag

For those who don’t find enough support from traditional U-shaped travel pillows, this unique option comes with a hidden inner support that can hold your head and neck at any position that’s comfortable for you. You can adjust the support to contour your neck, shoulder or jaw, while the fleece exterior is soft and machine-washable, according to the brand. It has a 4-star average rating from over 30,800 reviews on Amazon.

Fill material: Mesh fabric | Machine-washable cover: Yes | Portable features: Flat design for easy packing

This travel pillow has an ergonomic, curved design for neck and head support, and it comes wrapped in a cover that is both machine-washable and sweat-resistant, according to the brand. It can fold down to half its size to fit neatly into the included travel bag, and the built-in snap strap can also latch onto your suitcase. The travel pillow has a 4.3-star average rating from over 23,000 reviews on Amazon.

Fill material: Memory foam | Machine-washable cover: Yes | Portable features: Travel bag

This neck pillow has a fleece cover for soft, thermal comfort. It’s entirely machine-washable (not just the cover) and comes with a snap closure to keep it from sliding off of your neck or to connect it to your luggage. The pillow — which has a 4.5-star average rating from over 12,300 reviews on Amazon — is available in over a dozen colors, including burgundy, charcoal and purple.

Fill material: Polyester blend | Machine-washable cover: Yes | Portable features: Snap closure

This travel pillow comes with a removable and machine-washable cover, so you can easily wash it when it’s gotten quite a bit of use. It’s made with a memory foam interior and a velour fabric exterior for a soft and comfortable feel, according to the brand. The travel pillow also has an elastic strap to help you connect it to your suitcase for portability. It comes in four colors — black, blue, gray and purple — and has a 4.3-star average rating from over 5,400 reviews on Amazon.

Fill material: Memory foam | Machine-washable cover: Yes | Portable features: Elastic strap

What are the benefits of travel pillows?

Whether your airplane seat is too small or your bus ride, bumpy, it may be difficult to relax on a long trip. Plus, add noisy conversations and frequent overhead announcements and you have multiple barriers in your way to getting a good nap. Dr. Andrew Varga, a board-certified physician at The Mount Sinai Integrative Sleep Center, said one of the main reasons people struggle to sleep while traveling, especially on international flights with time changes, is because they’re trying to sleep at a time with “low circadian and homeostatic drive,” which means it’s not a time when they would normally sleep, so they’re not as tired. The other factor, according to Varga, is the sleeping space, which is usually cramped and doesn’t let you lie recumbent or change positions, except in typically pricey business- and first-class cabins.

“Not everyone is an equally deep sleeper, and people with any sleep issues at baseline will often have a harder time sleeping in a louder and less comfortable environment — such as an airplane,” says board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist Dr. Alex Dimitriu. He noted that posture plays a big role in the discomfort we feel — and as anyone who has slept on a plane knows, “the head tends to fall off to the side or forward, which is both uncomfortable and can cause neck pain, and [can] even make breathing less efficient.”

“Sleeping upright is not at all a natural position,” said Dr. Mayank Shukla, a board-certified pulmonologist and sleep medicine specialist in New York City. “Our head weighs almost 10 pounds and flops around the neck when sleeping upright, leading to aches and pain with all that muscle strain.”

Experts noted that travel pillows can provide support for the neck and head, alleviating some pain and discomfort when combating an upright sleeping position while traveling. They’re typically portable, lightweight, ergonomically designed and come in different sizes to fit every type of person, plus some have additional high-tech features like temperature regulation. This can be a good tool for frequent flyers, who hope to maintain a semi-regular sleeping schedule when going on trips.

What to consider when buying a travel pillow

The best travel pillow is one that you find the most comfortable to use for extended periods of time. Ideally, Dimitriu recommended testing out the pillow beforehand to see whether it’s comfortable and how it changes shape.

“The emphasis for most users should be to see how comfortably the pillow lets you rest with your back to the seat and without your head falling forward,” he says. And while larger pillows tend to provide more cushioning, he noted “airplane seats are tight, and there is such a thing as too much pillow.”

Below, we highlighted two of the most important considerations when shopping for travel pillows: Inflatable vs. non-inflatable and portability.

Inflatable vs. non-inflatable

When going on a long-haul trip, most travelers don’t want their pillow to be an extra thing to lug around. “Inflatable pillows may allow for more cushion and can fold to a smaller size,” Dimitriu says, adding that they won’t take up too much space in your luggage. They’re also typically more adjustable — you can change the amount of air to get more or less firmness, depending on your comfort level.

Non-inflatable travel pillows can have various types of filling material, including memory foam, polyester fiberfill and microbeads. While the different materials can make it easier to find a more comfortable fit, non-inflatable pillows tend to be bulkier than inflatable ones. When it comes to cleaning, both inflatable and non-inflatable pillows typically have removable covers that can be machine washed or spot cleaned.

Portability

If you’re on a multi-part journey or backpacking through Europe, for example, the size and portability of your travel pillow can be just as important off a plane as it is on it. Some travel pillows have straps that you can attach to your luggage, while others can be folded to fit inside a small bag. But for shorter trips, sometimes carrying an additional item can just be a hassle.

Meet our experts

At Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.

• Dr. Andrew Varga is a board-certified physician at The Mount Sinai Integrative Sleep Center.
• Dr. Alex Dimitriu is a board-certified psychiatrist, sleep medicine specialist and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, California.
• Dr. Mayank Shukla is a board-certified pulmonologist and sleep medicine specialist in New York City.

Why trust Select?

Mili Godio is an updates editor at Select and covers a range of sleep topics, including weighted blankets, sunrise alarm clocks and blackout curtains. For this story, Godio spoke to three sleep medicine experts to get their recommendations on how to shop for travel pillows and their benefits. She also researched dozens of travel pillows on the market that were in line with experts’ guidance.

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