Round Table: Neck Pillows?
Image: kelly.
I found myself standing in the travel aisle of Target yesterday contemplating the merits of one of those travel neck pillows. You know, those oversized u-shaped pillows people cart around attached to their carry-on or inflate once they get on the plane. I'm not much of a sleeper on an airplane, so I've never actually had the desire to use a pillow. But, two red eye flights in three days and some botched planning on my part putting me in a middle seat for eight hours made me start to wonder if I actually might *need* one of these things.
So, I begrudgingly picked up an unattractive hot pink inflatable one on clearance and decided I'd take it along next week. I'm not sure if it'll make me any more inclined to sleep on a flight with it cushioning my head in pink velour. But, I wondered, do you use one? Are the non-inflatables ones worth the bulk? Do you have a favorite brand? Or do you snark in silence at all of us pillow toting fools? Let me know in the comments.
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I dunno - these remind me of Baby Boppies - these similarly shaped pillows they tell you you need when you're nursing babies and which then spend a lot of time gathering dust in the corner (especially once you've moved past your first child).
I think I'm more of a wad-my-sweater-up-into-a pillow type of gal. But then of course I travel with two small children who happily use me as a pillow and leave me few opportunities to sleep.
I find that the bigger ones just chafe my neck and keep me from being comfortable. The ones filled with hulls are comfy, but weighty as well. I do have a little one, brand name "HedBed" that is wonderful. It's small, partly inflated in two breaths, just right for behind the neck and nothing more is needed. Fully inflated it's more of a head-prop on the shoulder, which never works for me. Deflates quickly and rolls down to the size of a sock.
I use one that looks just like yours except it's navy blue. (Slightly less conspicuous.) :-) I have no idea what brand it is, I just bought it at an airport gift shop.
I finally decided to try one because I can never nap on airplanes and really wanted to. They do help to keep your head from lolling over onto your neighbor and keep your mouth from hanging open while you sleep. I wouldn't fly without mine now. They are kind of bulky, but smush pretty well, so when I need to, I can just shove mine in my knapsack (which I use as a carry-on).
I've been with friends on flights when the pressure in the cabin during landing caused inflatable ones to pop. I've not experienced it myself though so I could laugh freely at their loss ;) I've considered getting one of those super soft memory ones from Brookstone but they seem a bit heavy and becomes just another thing to drag through the airport.
I used to be skeptical about those donut-shaped travel pillows, but now I never travel without one. They let you sleep sitting up pretty comfortably by supporting your head so you don't wake up with a sore neck (what traveler wants to arrive in their destination tired AND crippled?) They also help when you are lucky enough to snag a window seat by allowing you to lean slightly against the side of the plane (conventional pillows will sometimes fall out from under your head, and don't support your neck). Inflatable ones are best if you are concerned about saving space in your carry-on, but I find the stuffed ones more comfy.
I've got an inflatable one, aloha print, also from Target. And I use it whenever I'm on a flight that's more than an hour or two. I like the inflatey ones coz you can get them Just Right, baby bear, Just Right.