Packing a pillow

I think it depends on the country. To me pillows in Italy are hard and flat. You were probably watching a packing video by Sarah Murdoch who is a former RS guide who, yes, indeed, packs light but packs her own pillow, lol.

IF you get to Germany and find the pillows are not to your liking, you can always buy one locally and leave it when you come home.

I've been to Germany but don't remember any issues I had with pillows there...YMMV though since pillow comfort is pretty personal.

Pillows are like mattresses, and we are all Goldilocks. I'm particular about my pillows at home, but wouldn't even think of packing one for travel. YMMV.

I hate hard pillows. I'm quite the pillow diva. I pack a small travel pillow I got at Walmart years ago. It may even have been a baby pillow. It has a removable zip cover that I can wash. I use it on the plane and when the hotel pillows are too hard..

I really don’t remember hard pillows from any of our 12 European tours, a lot of flat ones. I do remember some very hard and/or lumpy mattresses. It seems in the last few years the beds and pillows in a number of the hotels have been better on the RS tours. I do not have space to pack a pillow although there’s been a couple times lately that I have thought maybe I could find space for a lightweight throw for naps.

I spent 3 weeks in Germany a few years ago, kingclan9, and do not ever remember the pillows being hard. Believe me, I would have remembered if they were, as I'm picky about my pillows, too.

Italy is my favorite country, but the pillows are HARD. I have a Cocoon blow-up pillow. I made my own pillowcase for it. It packs into a tiny sack and weighs less than half a pound.

I do. On our last 3 week road trip, we even packed a mattress pad. Expect VERY firm mattresses. And pillows that are either very hard, or very flat, or both. And an awkward shape. That makes for very bad sleep, which makes for a very difficult day, day after day. And this isn’t just cheap hotels. I’ve stayed in all kinds of places, and definitely gravitate toward more luxe places after 25+ years of European travel. Nothing guarantees a comfy bed. My husband and I joke that we need to sleep on our hard wood floors for a couple weeks before each trip.

Last trip we had a car, and I packed a pillow in a vacuum seal bag. I also did this with a mattress pad. Much more challenging if you don’t have a car!

Amazon sells a tiny pump that is charged by usb to pack it up at the end of the trip. Bring an extra bag in case of rips.

If I’m just bringing a pillow, I’ll buy a $3 pillow at Walmart and just leave it at the last hotel. Best $3 spent on any trip.

You can always stop at an IKEA and buy a pillow there. Bring an extra pillowcase from home (not a white one so you don’t forget your pillow).