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Best travel pillows for long-haul flights in 2026, tried and tested
Our tests reveal the best travel pillow from Trtl, Go Travel, Boots and more for comfort, neck support and portability
Chris tests tons of sleep products. But it’s not all lying down on the job - testing running shoes, treadmills and exercise bikes ensures he works up a sweat, too.
The best travel pillows make everything from long-haul flights to bumpy bus journeys more comfortable, helping you to drift off and get some much-needed rest.
To find the best, we tested popular travel neck pillows from Boots, Tempur, Trtl and more.
We've picked out two Best Buy travel pillows – including one that gained a Great Value recommendation. We also found a second Great Value pillow that's excellent for the price.
How our tests find you the best
Neck support
Sleeping while travelling can be a pain in the neck - literally. We rate the supportiveness of each pillow on public transport.
Comfort
Our testers zipped across the country on high-speed rail to find the most comfortable travel pillows for sitting upright or leaning against a window.
Heat retention
We use hot water bottles and temperature probes to assess which travel pillows retain the most heat and are most likely to leave you feeling hot and stuffy.
We also test...
Portability, adjustability and ease of removing the covers
The travel pillows we tested
Only logged-in Which? members can view the travel pillow test results below.
Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations.
| Travel pillow | Price | Score | Comfort | Side support | Portability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations Unlock tableGet Digital access £9.99 per month, cancel at any time. Already a member? | 78% | ||||
| 78% | |||||
| 71% | |||||
| 71% | |||||
| 67% | |||||
| 66% | |||||
| 65% | |||||
| 61% | |||||
| 40% |
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Date tested: June 2026. Page last checked: July 2026. We are not able to show every retailer and cheaper prices may be available.
Our tests have been updated and improved for 2026 so they better reflect real-life use.
A selection of the travel pillows we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.
Only logged-in Which? members can view the best travel pillows from our tests.
Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations below.
American Tourister Memory Foam Travel Neck Pillow
Need to know Wipe-clean only
Boots Travel Deluxe Pillow
Need to know Machine-washable cover and pouch, carry bag included
Go Travel Memory Dreamer Pillow
Need to know Removable cover – machine-washable at 30°C
Go Travel Ultimate 3.0 Memory Pillow
Need to know Removable cover – machine-washable at 30°C
Infinity Pillow
Need to know Machine-washable at low temperature
Mountain Warehouse Memory Foam Travel Pillow
Available from Mountain Warehouse (£12.99)
Need to know Removable cover – machine-washable
Ostrichpillow Go Neck Pillow
Need to know Removable cover – machine-washable, carry bag included
Streetwize Travel Neck Pillow
Available from Argos (£10)
Need to know Machine-washable cover
Trtl Pillow
Need to know Removable cover – machine-washable, carry bag included
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How we test travel pillows
We buy the bestselling travel pillows and put them through our tough tests. We don't accept freebies from product manufacturers or retailers.
We regularly revisit the travel pillows on sale to see if there are any more popular models that need testing – and when we find them, we do.
To find the best pillow for travelling, we rate each one on:
Comfort and support
- Each tester tries out each pillow and rates them for comfort and the support provided when sitting upright and leaning against a window while travelling on a high-speed train.
- They also score each travel pillow on how adjustable it is and how cool its fabric feels.
Portability
- Each travel pillow is rated on how easy it would be to travel with, taking into account its size and weight.
- If a travel pillow has a removable cover, we check how easy it is to take off and put back on.
Heat retention
- We use hot-water bottles and temperature probes to measure how much heat is retained by each travel pillow.
- The best cool down to their original starting temperature quickly.
Why you can trust us: at Which? we're free from manufacturer and retailer influence. Find out more about our impartiality and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent.
Is a Trtl travel pillow worth it?
We tested a bestselling Trtl (pronounced 'turtle') travel pillow. Trtl may have a large consumer following, but what did our testers make of it?
To find out, log in or join Which?
Does a travel pillow count as hand luggage?
It depends on the airline you're flying with, so check before you travel.
We asked Ryanair, which has one of the smallest cabin bag allowances (a 40 x 30 x 20cm bag to fit under the seat in front), whether we could take a travel pillow on board as part of its free baggage allowance.
It said a travel pillow is allowed on board, free of charge, as long as it's 'light and not too big' – although no specific weights or dimensions were cited.