Neck pillows for travel: U-shaped or travel pillow for bed?

For planes, trains and cars, a U-shaped neck pillow is the right choice, because it supports your head while you sit. For a night in a hotel bed you need something different: a travel pillow that holds your head at the right height while you lie down, such as the Pillow ToGo.

What is a U-shaped neck pillow designed for?

When you sit, your neck muscles relax, especially when you doze off. Your head then tips forward or to the side. A U-shaped neck pillow wraps around your neck and limits this tipping. It is made for sitting upright or slightly reclined, and it does that job well.

In bed, things look different. If you lie flat on a U-shaped pillow, you get a shape that is not matched to your own shoulder width and neck length. The height is then often wrong, and when you lie on your side your shoulder has little room.

A U-shaped neck pillow supports your head while you sit; a bed pillow carries it while you lie down. These are two different jobs.

What does a travel pillow for the hotel bed need?

When you lie down, what matters is that your head and cervical spine are in line and your shoulder has room. How high the pillow needs to be for this differs from person to person. It depends on:

• your shoulder width,
• your neck circumference,
• your neck length,
• your sleeping position (back, side, front),
• the mattress (soft, medium, firm).

The last point is the unknown in a hotel. You don't know the mattress beforehand, and the hotel pillow is usually one height for all guests. That may suit you, but it doesn't have to. A pillow of your own that fits your body measurements at least takes one variable out of the equation.

You can read more about how the height is worked out at Calculating pillow height.

What is the Pillow ToGo?

The Pillow ToGo is the Pillowise travel pillow. It measures 34 x 35 cm, making it narrower than the standard Pillowise pillow at 55 x 35 cm. It offers the same support as the standard pillow and is available in all sizes. It is supplied in a sturdy travel bag.

Pillowise comes in six sizes, each with its own colour: pink, orange, green, blue, red and purple. Which size suits you depends on your measurements, not on the trip. On the page The Pillowise pillow you can find an overview of the pillow.

The Pillow ToGo is not a U-shaped neck pillow but a bed pillow in travel format, with the support of your size.

That also means it does not replace the U-shaped neck pillow for the flight or the car journey. It is meant for the night away, when you are lying down rather than sitting.

Which size do I need for the Pillow ToGo?

The same as at home. Your size is based on three measurements:

Your sleeping position and your mattress are added to this. An algorithm uses all of this information to select the best-fitting pillow. You have two ways to go about it:

1. Have yourself measured: At a Pillowise stockist, you are measured with the Pillowise tape measure. You can find a stockist near you under Stockists.
2. Work it out yourself: With PillowScan at scan.pillowise.com, on your mobile phone or via QR code. The measuring instructions are on Measuring: determine your pillow size.
3. Ask for the Pillow ToGo: Mention it to the stockist straight away. The Pillow ToGo is available in all sizes.

We sell Pillowise through stockists, such as chiropractors, physiotherapists, sleep specialists, wellness practices and specialist retailers. There is no online shop for consumers on pillowise.com.

Does sleeping position matter when travelling?

Yes, and it's the same as at home. If you sleep on your side, you need more height than someone who sleeps on their back, because the pillow has to fill the gap between your ear and your shoulder. Front sleepers usually lie lowest. You can read more at Pillows for side sleepers.

When travelling, an unfamiliar mattress comes into play. If it is softer than yours, your shoulder and hips sink in deeper, and the pillow may feel different from what you are used to. This can't be solved in advance. Whether your pillow sits too high or too low in the hotel is something you can tell from the result: Pillow too high or too low? shows the typical signs.

What can't a travel pillow do?

A suitable pillow helps your head and cervical spine stay in line and gives your shoulder room. It is not a cure. It does not treat neck pain and does not replace a medical assessment.

If you regularly wake up with neck pain, have the cause checked by a doctor before you buy a new pillow.

You can find general information on neck pillows in our guide Neck pillows.

Where does the idea behind Pillowise come from?

From my time as a physiotherapist. As a physiotherapist specialising in the neck and shoulder, I was unable to recommend a suitable pillow to patients with neck complaints. So I developed a measuring method: three measurements from which the right pillow follows. This is how Pillowise came about, together with United Comfort Industries, which has been making ergonomic sleep products in the Netherlands since 1990.

So: U-shaped neck pillow or Pillow ToGo?

Both, if you travel a lot, because the two do different jobs. For plane, train and car, a U-shaped neck pillow is enough. For the night in a hotel, it depends on whether you want to take along a pillow that fits your body.

You don't need to change anything if you rarely travel, sleep well in hotels and wake up without complaints with the hotel pillow. If you sleep well at home with your Pillowise and notice when travelling that you miss the height you are used to, then the Pillow ToGo is worth considering.

Determine your size or find a stockist

Determine your size yourself or find a stockist near you where you can have yourself measured.

Thijs van der Hilst, physiotherapist (non-practising)
Inventor of Pillowise