We’ve Never Found a Travel Neck Pillow That Works. Until Now.

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I love to travel. I don’t love sleeping on the go. Why? Think about it: the average adult human head weighs roughly 11 pounds—as much as a bowling ball—and balances on the very precious neck. So when you nod off, seated upright, or even reclined, all that pressure dumps into your vertebrae and shoulders causing unwanted kinks and muscle soreness that can make flights, road trips, and train rides a living hell.

Enter: the neck pillow.

I asked Outside‘s travel editors to search long and hard for the comfiest, most supportive, and portable neck pillows for travel—because we like going to cool places pain free. From long-haul and red-eye flights to cross-country and worldwide road trips to train travel, here are the neck pillows that are actually worth bringing along. Plus, one puffy jacket hack if you don’t have space in your suitcase. You’re welcome.

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Best for the Lightweight Packer

Sea to Summit Aeros Premium Traveller Pillow

$50 at REI $50 at Sea to Summit

As a traveler who prides myself on lugging around the least amount of stuff possible, I’ve always been a neck pillow skeptic. Really—are they absolutely necessary? But recently, I picked up the Sea to Summit Aeros Premium Traveller Pillow ($50) from REI out of curiosity.

Boom, I was hooked overnight. This inflatable neck pillow blows up for travel with just a few deep breaths, and at only 2.5 ounces, it packs down conveniently into a small, zippered case that’s stuffable into any bag.

When my husband and I tackled a 5,000-mile summer road trip from New Mexico to Canada this summer, it became my napping go-to. I used it daily for siestas in our rig, which was packed to the gills with gear and impossible to recline my seat. It’s a perfect lightweight option for quick snoozes on short flights, and when we take our long-haul to Thailand next year, you can bet I’m bringing this puppy along.

Its soft, comfy polyester knit cover and inflate/deflate options provide just the right amount of pressure and support for serious Zzzs. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m a complete neck pillow convert now. And if, like me, you loathe carrying extra crap, this lightweight option is best for you. —Patty Hodapp, Senior Contributing Travel Editor, Outside

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Best for the International Traveler

BCozzy Neck Pillow for Travel

$50 on Amazon

First, an intelligent appeal to commercial airlines: You should offer neck pillows to all passengers, just like you do blankets and pillows. In fact, scrap those sorry excuses for regular pillows you hand out and replace them with the modern kind we all really want. Preferably the BCozzy ($50), which is soft and supportive and caters to the head nodder and the side angler alike.

Last fall, settling into our seats for our 12-hour flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo, my brother and I pulled out our choice in neck pillows and mocked each other’s briefly. “Nice padded python you’ve got there,” I said. “I’d rather wear this than your rigid medical neck brace,” he countered. But his pick was perfect—the BCozzy—and when he opted not to sleep, I gave it a try and was immediately won over.

The BCozzy was cushy yet not suffocating or overly hot. Its “arms” were long and flexible enough for me to wrap it comfortably around my neck twice and beneath my chin, yet it didn’t feel restrictive. I found I could actually relax in an upright position instead of trying to determine how my seat plus pillow would best support my head without giving me a neck ache.

BCozzy doesn’t pack down as much as some other neck pillows, but it does come with a carrying bag that helps compress it enough to be easily stuffed at the bottom of a daypack. And for its midrange price, it does the job way better than the standard, ubiquitous U-shaped ones as well as the high-end contraption I ended up chucking at the Tokyo airport. —Tasha Zemke, Managing Editor, Outside

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Best for the Traveler Who Hates Neck Pillows

FlyHugz Neck Travel Pillow

$40 on Amazon

I’m a minimalist, carry-on only packer, and I’ve never wanted to lug along a neck pillow on trips. But I’m also always sitting in coach and don’t sleep comfortably on longer flights, so I’ve been on a mission to find a neck pillow that packs down small and actually works.

I kept seeing ads for the FlyHugz travel pillow on Instagram. Their smart marketing campaign sucked me in, so I ordered it. I was going to test it out on a trip back east (I live in New Mexico), but that was canceled. So I tried it out on a short road trips in my car, where the seat mimics a stiff, upright airline seat.

The pillow, which is made of memory foam, wraps around your neck and attaches with velcro. At first it felt a bit claustrophobic. It took me a while to get the pillow to a comfortable place where it was loose enough and would still support my head. One thing I immediately liked is that the part of the pillow behind the neck has a slim profile and allowed me to lean back comfortably; other neck pillows I’ve tried have been too fat at the back of the neck.

Without a neck pillow, when I’m sleeping on a flight my head generally falls back with my chin up and mouth wide open, snoring. Lovely! This pillow kept my head from nodding backward or forward and supported my chin in a stable position. I also found it really comfortable to lean my head to the left to sleep. For some reason it didn’t support my head as well when I tilted it to the right. I need to keep messing with that position to get comfortable on the right side.

The pillow is lightweight—4.5 ounces—and packs down to about the size of a roll of toilet paper. I will definitely be taking it with me on my next long flight. —Mary Turner, Senior Brand Director, Outside

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Best for the Memory Foam Enthusiast

Cabeau Evolution S3 Travel Neck Pillow

$40 on Amazon

I’ll admit it: if Outside hasn’t reviewed something I’m considering buying, I almost always check Reddit before making purchases on gear. I don’t care much about how brands want me to see them; I want to know what real people—who aren’t getting any sponsorship dollars for their opinions—think of things. Multiple Reddit threads brought me to the Cabeau Evolution S3 Travel Neck Pillow ($40). It’s made of memory foam, which is great, but the feature that Redditors really seem to love are the two straps that allow you to secure the pillow to your headrest.

I should also admit that I suffer from a serious case of tech neck. I’m stiff and sore and misaligned frequently, so I try to do all I can to counteract the time I spend on computers in both the exercise that I do and the ergonomic support I give myself when I travel.

I put the Cabeau to the test on a 14-hour road trip, and I’ll gladly admit that, yet again, Redditors delivered! This neck pillow is SERIOUSLY comfortable, and it doesn’t move around, which allows you to adjust yourself without having to constantly re-adjust the pillow. I was able to sleep with the pillow, and I woke up without that crunchy, over-exerted feeling my neck can sometimes get when I cram it into the door of the car, using only my arms as support.

The Cabeau bills itself as the “Best Travel Pillow of 2024” according to CNN Underscored, and I can honestly say it gets my vote, too. —Ryleigh Nucilli, Digital Managing Editor, Outside

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BONUS: Best for the Low-Maintenance Traveler

The Puffy Jacket Hack

$239 on Patagonia $239 on REI (Women’s) $239 on REI (Men’s)

The best story I ever heard about head-tipping, that jolt that startles you awake when you were just drifting off to sleep while upright, was from two climbers on El Capitan who got stuck—ughhh—sitting out the night in their harnesses. One of them got tired of the tilt, pulled out a roll of duct tape, and—kid you not—taped his head to the wall.

I have certainly awoken due to the same movement on a plane, but I’m not going to tape my head to the seat. Nor do I want to carry a neck pillow. I had one once, but gave it away. I’m juggling enough when I go anywhere: I’ve always got my phone out, and a laptop in a carry-on, and am now strict about carrying a water bottle rather than wasting more plastic. No need to be dropping a pillow on the dirty floor.

The perfect trick came from my friend Eliza, an international flight attendant, who over the years tried all manner of neck pillows purchased at home and abroad. And it turns out that her favored method meshes with my habits. If there is one thing I always carry to travel, it is a light, packable puffy jacket, which will save you if you get stuck in an airport overnight or even in cold airplane AC.

I have a Patagonia Nano $239, but other kinds would do; I pack it into its own pocket, as intended, while leaving the jacket arms hanging out. Boom, it makes a firm little shoulder pillow. Tie the arms together to hold the padding in place on either side of your neck. —Alison Osius, Senior Travel Editor, Outside