Travel pillow review: rest well on your journey

The excitement is building.

You finally get to go on that trip you’ve been postponing all year.

Whether you’re braving international destinations or simply taking a family road trip to Cape Town, the Richtersveld or the South Coast, you can’t wait!

And as you make your way through your pre-holiday to-do list, you remember that you lent your travel pillow to your aunt in Bloemfontein. And seeing as you couldn’t go visit her over Easter, you’re in quite the fix…

On the one hand, you are contemplating to take on the long road without your trusted travel pillow. While on the other hand, you are thinking about getting the cheapest one you can lay your hands on in short notice.

But here’s the thing:

Getting off at your destination with a sore neck and back just isn’t worth it. So rather take a couple of minutes to read this thoughtful review by The Mattress Warehouse (that’s us). We want you to stay well-rested and have an ache-free festive season. Thus we decided to review and give you some pointers on how to choose the best travel pillow to suit your neck.

If you are leaning towards the first option, you are probably wondering…

Are travel neck pillows worth it?

That is a good question.

No, seriously! Many people ask that question.

And in our humble opinion, the answer is yes yes yes! Trust us when we say that a travel pillow makes a massive difference.

And so you might be wondering…

What are the best travel pillows?

In short, a pillow that will support your neck and chin while you sit in an upright position.

Back in the day, the pillows people used for travel was basically a shaped sock stuffed full of beans. But nowadays, because people are slowly waking up to the reality of how important sleep is, travel pillows are getting better and better.

Gone are the days of stuffing socks with beans. Well, almost. There are still some neck-beanbags out there, but those are the neck pillows that you should try to avoid. Instead, be on the lookout for memory foam or shaped plastic travel pillows.

We recommend the following:

• Malouf Z Zoned Travel Pillow – Scented memory foam for increased relaxation

If you are looking for a great travel pillow, look no further!

Here’s why:

The Malouf Z Zoned Travel Pillow

Selling at a festive season discount price of R349.00, the Malouf Z Zoned Neck Travel Pillow has more to it than meets the eye. Literally.

These travel pillows are scented with essential oils to help you relax. When inhaled, both of these scents – Lavender and Roman Chamomile have relaxing effects on your body.

Breathing in Lavender reduces your heart rate and skin temperature (both effects that induce the onset of sleep). Whereas breathing in Roman Chamomile is regularly used in relaxing herbal teas. Isn’t it cool that your travel pillow can help you relax just by being close to you?

However, aroma therapy isn’t this pillow’s only selling point.

Malouf uses unique memory foam with holes in, both as a structural feature and to promote airflow through the pillow. Moreover, the holes in the center of the neck pillow are larger than the ones on the side. So the sides of your neck are well supported while your head can sink into the plush central part. One drawback is that if your head flops forward while you sleep, there is no chin support.

The Tencel fabric cover can be taken off and washed separately. Plus the Malouf Z Zoned Travel Pillow is on our fast shipping list. So if you need it in a hurry, you’ll get it in a hurry!

Pros: Scents to help you relax, zoned neck support, great temperature regulation and fast shipping

Cons: No chin support

How do I choose a travel pillow?

We know what you’re thinking.

There are many travel pillows to choose from. So which one do you pick?

Here is a quick check-list to help you choose the correct one:

• Space/Size: How much space do you have in your carry-on luggage for a pillow. Choose one that fits into that space.
• Sleeping Style: How do you sleep, on your side or on your back/stomach? Pick a pillow that will best simulate your rel sleeping conditions.
• Body Heat: How warm does your body get from having a scarf wrapped around your neck? If you get uncomfortable wearing scarfs, opt for a travel pillow with some breathing space around the ears.
• Budget: How much money are you willing to spend on that travel neck pillow? Keep in mind that in this case, more money doesn’t necessarily equate to better quality rest.

Hope that helps!

After you’ve gone through all of the struggles associated with selecting your neck’s new travel companion, some doubt might still be gnawing away at you. Maybe you are thinking something along the line of…

Do travel pillows help neck pain?

Let’s put it this way; if you get in the aeroplane/bus/car/train and your neck is already sore, there is no evidence to suggest that a neck pillow will take away the pain.

However, a neck pillow can help to prevent the pain from increasing. Likewise, it is more likely that you won’t develop neck pain during a long transit if you have proper neck and head support.

In short, travel pillows do not cure neck pain but it helps to prevent it.

Need more advice on selecting your travel neck pillow?

Please feel free to contact us. We are here to help. e have a wide variety of bedroom pillows for sale from some of the country’s leading bedding brands, so browse our pillows catalogue for more information. Otherwise, happy travels!