I TESTED the viral travel pillow hack that’s meant to give you great sleep – but I found it worse.
In the last few years, passengers on TikTok have been making some bold claims about travel pillows, namely that we’re wearing them wrong.
Hope BrothertonI recently tested out a viral travel hack that passengers claim gives you great sleep[/caption]
Hope BrothertonI tested out a travel pillow hack on a recent four-hour flight from the UK to Lanzarote[/caption]
If you have a U-shaped travel pillow, the chances are you wear it with the opening at the front, which is apparently wrong.
According to Dr Michael Breus, who is also known as The Sleep Doctor, the correct way to wear a travel pillow is with the opening at the back.
He told News.com.au: “And one thing I tell my clients is that if you have a U-shaped neck pillow, turn it around so the bottom of the U is under your chin.”
“That’s because your head tends to bob which will wake you up, and by rotating the pillow it stops your head from bobbing.”
On a recent four-hour flight from the UK to Lanzarote, I decided to put the travel hack through its paces and see what all the fuss was about.
I got the pillow out as soon as I sat down in my seat and kept the opening at the front for around 30 minutes.
After watching Netflix for a little while, I turned the travel pillow around, so the opening was at the back – as per The Sleep Doctor’s instructions.
But as I rested my eyes, my neck couldn’t have felt any less supported.
This is because I am more inclined to tilt my neck back as I sit on the plane.
I also didn’t fall asleep, I was just dozing, which meant my neck didn’t flop forward at any point and really put the hack to the test.
By and large, I didn’t find it any comfier with the opening at the front, but this doesn’t necessarily mean the hack is to blame.
Because my colleague Giuli Graziano on The Sun’s travel team always wears her travel pillow with the opening at the back.
She said: “I like wearing my travel pillow with the opening at the back so that the bulkier side supports my neck when, without fail, my head falls forward while I’m asleep on the plane.
“However, I also like the cushioning of the pillow around the front of my neck even when I’m awake, as it creates a snug fit and the option to rest my head on one side while I’m reading a book or watching a TV show.”
I originally bought my travel pillow from Primark for a couple of quid a few years ago, which may mean it’s not the best on the market.
While the padding in my pillow was comfortable and great to rest my head on in general, I don’t think the arms of the travel pillow were long enough to give my head and neck the right support – especially when the opening was at the back.
That being said, I don’t believe U-shaped travel pillows are the most practical.
The Sun’s travel team has tried out plenty of different travel pillows to help you choose which is the best one to take on your flight.
Adrian SherrattThe Tallgo travel pillow was the pick of the bunch[/caption]
Tallgo travel pillow
According to Julia Etherington, The Tallgo is the pick of the bunch.
In a review of six travel pillows, she gave it a 5/5 star rating.
She wrote: “I was really impressed by this pillow, from its immediately softer feel to its shaped and firm, memory foam curves.
“It also has quite a high front which helps support your chin as well as your head, keeping a good posture to avoid any part of your neck aching.”
The Tallgo is available for £10.99 from Amazon.
Adrian SherrattSun Online Travel’s Ryan Gray tested out the Trtl Pillow on a nine-hour flight[/caption]
Trtl pillow original
It feels like a lot of people have raved about the Trtl pillow, with Sun Online Travel’s Ryan Gray testing in on a nine-hour flight.
Ryan explained that he was “pleasantly surprised by the support it offered” and managed to get some shut-eye on his flight.
The Trtl pillow wasn’t without its faults as he had to keep adjusting the travel pillow to make it comfortable.
He wrote: “Achieving any long-lasting comfort was difficult, meaning I wasn’t able to get much proper rest while using the pillow.”
The Trtl pillow costs £54.99 on Amazon.
Plenty of other travel pillow hacks have also been hailed on social media, including:
Creating a travel pillow from a puffer jacket
Stuffing a travel pillow with clothes to avoid paying for extra luggage
Using a packet of crisps as a pillow
And, using the viral Uniqlo bag as a cushion.
Meanwhile, this flight attendant revealed how they feel about passengers trying Tiktok luggage hacks on their planes.
And this 20p hack can help you avoid having to pay for extra hand luggage.
Hope BrothertonI actually found the hack uncomfortable and used the travel pillow with the opening at the front[/caption]