Travel Neck Pillow: U-Shaped Neck Pillow 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're sitting. For a night in a hotel bed you need something different: a travel pillow that holds your head at the right height while you're lying down, such as the Pillow ToGo.

What is a U-shaped neck pillow designed for?

When you're sitting, 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's made for sitting upright or slightly reclined, and it does that job well.

In bed, it's a different story. If you lie flat on a U-shaped pillow, you get a shape that isn't matched to your own shoulder width and neck length. The height is then often wrong, and when you're on your side, your shoulder has little room.

A U-shaped neck pillow supports your head when you're sitting, while a bed pillow carries it when you're lying down. These are two different jobs.

What does a travel pillow for the hotel bed need?

When you're lying 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 that is different for every person. It depends on:

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 might suit you, but it might not. Bringing your own pillow that fits your body measurements at least takes one variable out of the equation.

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

What is the Pillow ToGo?

The Pillow ToGo is the Pillowise travel pillow. It measures 34 x 35 cm, which makes 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 comes 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'll find an overview of the pillow.

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

That also means it doesn't replace your neck pillow for the flight or the car trip. It's intended for the night away, when you're 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 these. An algorithm uses all of this information to choose the best-fitting pillow. You have two options:

1. Get measured: At a Pillowise stockist, you're 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: working out 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 your sleeping position matter when travelling?

Yes, and in exactly the same way 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. Stomach sleepers usually lie lowest. You can read more in Pillows for side sleepers.

When you travel, there's also the unfamiliar mattress. If it's softer than yours, your shoulder and hips sink in deeper, and the pillow may feel different from what you're used to. You can't solve that in advance. Whether your pillow sits too high or too low in the hotel is something you'll notice from the result: Pillow too high or too low? shows the typical signs.

What can't a travel pillow do?

A pillow that fits you helps keep your head and cervical spine in line, and gives your shoulder room. It isn't a cure. It doesn't treat neck pain and doesn't 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.

For general information on neck pillows, see 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 couldn't recommend a suitable pillow to patients with neck complaints. So I developed a measuring method: three measurements that determine the right pillow. Pillowise grew out of that, together with United Comfort Industries, which has been making ergonomic sleep products in the Netherlands since 1990.

So: neck pillow or Pillow ToGo?

Both, if you travel a lot, because the two do different jobs. For flights, trains and cars, a U-shaped neck pillow is enough. For a night in a hotel, it comes down to whether you'd like to take along a pillow that fits your body.

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

Work out your size or find a stockist

Work out your size yourself or find a stockist near you where you can get measured.

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