Travel Neck Pillow: U-Shaped Neck Pillow or Travel Pillow for the 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 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, it is a different story. 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 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 that is different for everyone. It depends on:

The last point is the unknown in a hotel. You don't know the mattress beforehand, and the hotel pillow usually comes in 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 takes at least one variable out of the equation.

To learn more about how the right height is determined, read 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 is delivered 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 will find an overview of the pillow.

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

That also means it does not replace your neck pillow for the flight or the car ride. It is meant for the night away from home, when you are lying down rather than sitting.

Which size do I need for the Pillow ToGo?

The same as at home. Your size follows from 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 options:

1. Get measured: At a Pillowise retail partner, you are measured with the Pillowise measuring tape. You can find a retail partner near you under Retail partners.
2. Determine it yourself: With PillowScan at scan.pillowise.com, on your phone or via QR code. The instructions for taking your measurements are on Taking measurements: determining your pillow size.
3. Ask about the Pillow ToGo: Mention it to the retail partner right away. The Pillow ToGo is available in all sizes.

We sell Pillowise through retail partners, such as chiropractors, physiotherapists, sleep specialists, wellness practices and specialty retailers. There is no web shop for private customers on pillowise.com.

Does your sleeping position matter when travelling?

Yes, and it is the same one 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. Read more in 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 can feel different than 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 well-fitting pillow helps keep your head and cervical spine 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.

For general information on the topic of neck pillows, see our guide Neck pillows.

Where does the idea behind Pillowise come from?

From my time as a physiotherapist. As a physiotherapist specializing 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 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 car rides, a neck pillow is enough. For the night in a hotel, it comes down to whether you want to bring 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 discomfort using the hotel pillow. If you sleep well at home with your Pillowise and notice on trips that you miss your usual height, then the Pillow ToGo is worth considering.

Determine your size or find a retail partner

Determine your size yourself or find a retail partner near you where you can get measured.

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