As a travel journalist, I’m used to long, uncomfortable flights. In fact, I had resigned myself to a life of sleepless plane journeys. A red-eye route once meant an endless night shifting in my seat, while others snoozed around me before I disembarked with brain fog, exhaustion, and severe back pain from slumping in awkward positions all night.
I’ve tried many traditional U-shaped travel pillows over the years, and they never seemed to work for me. Though I tried various brands and versions, all seemed to require resting my head at an uncomfortable angle, so, if I did drop off, I’d often wake with a jolt when my head fell forward. Plus, they were generally too big to pack properly, so had to dangle from the outside of my cabin bag which gets in the way.
I’ve tried lots of other “hacks” along the way, too. I’ve tried to to cut down on sleep a few days before travelling and have even taken sleeping tablets before flying, but alas, to no avail. Most times I’ve just ended up feeling even worse by the time I landed.
Keen to try anything that might help, I spotted a strange-looking pillow online. About to take a long flight to Belize, I decided in desperation to give it a go and, to my surprise, I slept like a baby on the journey. I arrived feeling startlingly well-rested, convinced it must have been a one-off, yet slept for several hours on the return flight too.
It’s no exaggeration to say the Trtl pillow has revolutionised travelling for me, and I haven’t stopped raving about it ever since. If you travel regularly or have a long-haul flight or lengthy journey of any kind ahead, read on to find out why this simple pillow is your new hand-luggage essential.
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