Best travel pillows for long-haul flights, tried and tested by a travel expert

We love it when a brand breaks with tradition. Case in point is this soft, serpentine travel pillow, which can be bundled up or wrapped around your neck, and used in the car, on planes or in hotels where the pillows on offer have more in common with a lump of granite. We preferred to use this one bunched up, while our travel companion twisted it around his neck, adding more bulk beneath his chin, to prevent the dreaded head-bob. While this particular pillow probably isn’t ideal if you’re travelling light (it’s somewhat chunky), when it comes to comfort, this pillow knocks it out of the park.

A great option for traditionalists, this rectangular travel pillow is much softer than it looks, standing up to and we say that after giving it a thorough testing during a 10-hour flight. It stowed away with surprising ease. A word of warning, though – you’ll need a significant amount of hot air to inflate this one, but we’re pleased to report to campers that the valve is compatible with a pump, too. Extra bonus points for the retina-burningly bright shade of teal – in a world where too many travel pillows are varying shades of grey, we’re fully in favour of a splash of colour.

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 for 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 during a long-haul flight. However, it lacks neck support.

This doesn’t have the softness of some of the other pillows we’ve featured, but all is forgiven, because this pillow is the epitome of portable perfection. Easy to inflate, it’s sold with its very own stash bag, and its curved shape did a fantastic job of cushioning not only our head but our neck and shoulders, and the logical placement of the easily accessible valve made it a breeze (excuse the pun) to add or release air when we needed to tweak this pillow’s firmness.

Why aren’t there more travel pillows designed specifically for kids? We love Trtl’s colourful creations, and the ridiculously soft fabric won’t chafe or scratch. We also found this pillow incredibly easy to adjust. Although the blurb states this travel pillow is designed for children aged between eight and 14, during testing, we found it’s also suitable for slightly younger children, as well as adults of smaller stature.

Think of this as the Lamborghini of the travel pillow world – a precision-engineered support system for your head, chin and neck, and one that comes with an ingenious added extra: a tiny pouch, attached to the rear, which contains a pair of earplugs to help you block out unwanted noise. The memory foam is top-quality, and we loved the shape – the raised section on the inside hugged our neck in all the right places. We appreciated the extra-long strap, too – all too often, these are ridiculously short.

Sometimes, the little things make a world of difference. Take the small fabric hook on the rear of this travel pillow, which allowed us to dangle it from our suitcase and backpack, and the ultra-sturdy press stud on the neck strap, which ensured this pillow stayed in place no matter how much we twisted and turned during a particularly long flight. It’s another memory foam pillow with just the right amount of mouldability.

This is another ultra-compact pillow, and one that still provided great support for our neck, due to its curved shape. The slight indent did a great job of cushioning our head without allowing it to sink too far back, and the large valve made it quick and easy to inflate. We also loved the design of this particular component – all too often, the valves are raised or unwieldy to blow into, but this one was generously sized and incorporated into the pillow in a way that meant it didn’t snag or catch.

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 aeroplane 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.

Another hi-tech offering, Cabeau’s memory foam pillow is wrapped in an ultra-soft fleece-like lining and has a raised section that did a brilliant job of reducing the sideways head wobbles we’re prone to on long journeys. We also loved the fact that the lining (despite its incredible softness) is made from recycled RPET fabric, and although we were sceptical about how easy it would be to wrangle it back into its carry case, the drawstring design made this a breeze.

Now for something really different: a circular travel pillow filled with microbeads rather than foam. We initially baulked at the thought of a microbead filling, but the plush thickness of the outer material meant it still had a wonderful softness, as well as enough mouldability to provide adequate support where we needed it most. We should flag that there are plenty of places where this particular pillow can offer support. While the photos on Ostrichpillow’s website suggest it’s intended to be worn around the centre of the head, allowing it to cover the eyes and ears while also providing cushioning, we also loved bunching it up and wedging it between our head and whatever surface we were resting against. We also liked the fact that the design is reversible – a feature that came in handy when it came to concealing any in-flight dribble stains.

If, like many travellers, you’re drawn to smaller versions of the pillows you use at home, this might just be the one for you. Take note, though – it’s not particularly compact, even when cinched using the accompanying cord. So, if you’re short on space, proceed with caution.

We found the stuffing to be somewhat lumpy, but we appreciated the super-soft, breathable fabric and the ease with which we could remove the cover for a quick wash.

This pillow is laughably expensive, but it’s ridiculously comfortable – a thick curve of foam covered with top-quality mulberry silk. The silk not only felt great on the skin but also kept our hair frizz-free. 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). However, it’s incredibly expensive.

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).

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 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, and you’ve got a one-way ticket to the land of nod.