This "Neck-Pillow" Thang, Y'all

I hate to say this since I admire Rick Steves so much, but his neck pillow is terrible! First, very hard to blow into, and the pillow lasts only a few hours.
I threw mine in the trash. There are other brands that work, I'm sure.
Happy Travels!

Bill, I don't think a good neck pillow will bring your chin closer to your neck. Perhaps a blow-up one that is overstuffed might, but the one I use just fills in the gap between my neck and the seat and adds support on the sides so your head doesn't roll around. It's hard to say depending on how you sit, etc., but the one I use is comfortable even when not reclining. I use one filled with micro beads that I got at Target. This allows for squishing down any particular area that you want.

The best use we found for the inflatable neck pillow was to use it as a seat cushion. Seriously...

Our first trip to Europe, we took no neck pillows and just couldn't get comfy enough to rest at all. This second trip, I was shopping around before the trip and decided to give them a try. I don't remember the brand, but it blew up easily, and stayed that way....soft cover...I only blew mine up partially so I could squish it around to suit my position. Will take again for sure. My husband loved his, too.

I think the inflatable is best because it takes up no room.

Don't blow it up all the way or it will develop a leak at altitude.

You don't have to put it around your neck. You can wrap a sweater around it, put it in the window and lean on it. You can inflate it only slightly and use it as lumbar support.

If you really don't want to do any of these carry extra zip lock bags. Blow one up partially, seal it and you have a pillow.

I personally like neck pillows, but they won't work if you don't recline your seat. When you use such pillow, your head will come forword, so I see it being very uncomfortbale to use one when you don't recline your seat.

Bill, I am one who can NOT use those inflatable pillows, whether they're U shaped or whatever.

I went to Walmart and in their "real" pillow section they have small regular pillows. The plastic on it says "travel pillow". They're fluffy, almost like down, and the pillow can be stuffed in a 2 gallon zip lock bag (with the air taken out) for better storage.

I found that pillow more comfortable, not to mention hygienic.

For some reason I am not able to edit my above post.
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Bill:

I am also one who tends to keep the seat up. On my last trip I discovered a neck pillow that worked for me. It looks a lot like the neck collars that you get when you have a neck problem. It was a foam circle (you can also get them in an inflateable version) that you wrap around your neck under your chin. It kept my head upright and it did not lean to either side, or forward or back. For me it was perfect. Felt a little strange until I got used to it.

I got it at a travel store, but have seen them on the Travelsmith and Magellan websites.

Barbara

I've used an Eagle Creek blow-up pillow for several years now and find it invaluable, even without the seat reclined. It has a soft cover, blows up in about 3 breaths, deflates in a second, and hardly takes up any room in my carry on.
I just used it across the country last week, but didn't use it on the return trip because I had been changed to first class and thought those cushy seats would be adequate. I was wrong and couldn't access my bag in the overhead bin. If nothing else, it keeps my neck stable and doesn't develop a crimp. I agree about not blowing it up completely, also for comfort. The center "u" section doesn't always have to be at the back of your neck; I turn mine depending if I want to lean against the window or lean my head towards one side or another. Just play around with it. It's great!

I just bought a regular (albeit alittle smaller than normal) pillow at target for $4.00!! I am taking an old pillow case cover and putting them together into a "packmate". This bag squeezes ALL the air out and will make the pillow quite small. I will put in my only bag that I am carrying on. Once in the plane I will remove it, shake it alittle and now I have a cheap but clean pillow for the flight. If I don't want to keep it I can throw it out but to have a quality pillow for $4 for a transatlantic flight is well worth it.

Bill,

There's also the "emergency pillow" that can be used in a pinch (aka "Ricardo's Secret"). Rick's Civita Daypack is made from a soft micro-fibre material, and with a somewhat bulky coat rolled up inside the pack, it makes quite an acceptable pillow, especially for sitting in a window seat when you can lean against the plane.

Cheers!

Bill, if a person leans his head at the side wall, I think a neck pillow for travelers is not thick enough. A thick standard pillow would be the most comfortable. But I would not want to carry a pillow when travelling in Europe, unless it is totally deflatable. I like Ken's suggestion of using a bag such as a Civita bag, as a pillow : if you will travel to a place that will have cold air, bring an insulated vest filled with goose down. Put that vest in the Civita bag ... ahhhh, you will have a goose down - filled pillow for your head.

I love my eagle creek neck pillow. It is easy to inflate and deflate and is super comfortable and soft. Even my husband, who hates to sleep on planes loved this when he used it the first time on our trip to Hawaii.