This Comfy Neck Pillow Is the Only Way an Off-Duty Flight Attendant Gets Any Sleep on a Plane

Photo: Getty Images/Robert Hunter
Getting comfortable on an airplane isn't easy. And falling asleep during your flight is particularly challenging, what with the shrinking leg room and reclined-seat battles. Sarah Foster, a New York City-based flight attendant behind the blog Flying with Foster, knows this all too well. Some days she's working up to four flights in a single day. While she doesn't get much a chance for shut-eye while she's on the job, she takes full advantage of a super soft neck pillow on the weekly flights she takes off-duty. If anyone's an expert in choosing a travel neck pillow that'll help you get some sleep in the sky, it's Foster.

"Comfort and functionality is very important, but I personally look for something I can pack easily over anything else," she tells me. "I live out of a suitcase most of the time and it can get hard to fit everything I need in my carry-on, so something that's easily portable is the most desirable quality to me."

neck pillow
Photo: Trtl

After hundreds of flights, Foster's travel neck pillow of choice exceeds the standards for comfort and portability. The Trtl Pillow ($30), which wraps around your head like a scarf. It's soft, machine washable, and—most importantly—prevents you from nodding as you're falling asleep by holding your head upright.

"This is—in my opinion—the best travel neck pillow if you're looking for one that's easily transportable and won’t take up a lot of space in your luggage," Foster says. "I also love the neck support. These types of pillows are becoming more and more popular. I see them being used on my flights very frequently."

If you do like something that's more pillow-y, Foster has a pick for that, too: Dot&Dot's Twist Memory Foam Travel Pillow ($25). "It's one of my go-tos because of how comfortable it is," she says. "I also love how you can twist and adjust it however is best for you."

Sweet dreams, jet-setters.

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