She flipped her travel pillow the wrong way — and finally got real sleep on a plane 😴✈️ What looked awkward to other passengers turned out to be the secret to avoiding that dreaded head drop. Once you see how she does it, you’ll never wear yours the same again. Smart trick in this article 👇
Let’s be honest — a travel pillow is one of those must-have things for long trips. While companies keep coming up with new shapes, fillings, and materials, the classic “horseshoe” or “bagel”-shaped pillow remains the favorite among travelers. Today we’ll talk about how to use it correctly and get the most comfort out of it.
The main reason people use travel pillows is to support the head and neck during long periods of sitting — usually while dozing off on a plane, train, or bus. When you wear it like a “collar,” the pillow helps relieve tension from your neck muscles. That’s exactly what the instructions tell you to do.
But experienced travelers — the kind who spend countless hours on the road — often find new ways to use it that work even better. One such traveler, journalist and popular blogger Amanda Woods, shared her personal trick for better sleep during flights.
Amanda, because of her job, flies a lot. For her, a travel pillow is always part of her carry-on. But during her early flights, she found the pillow wasn’t helping. Every time she drifted off, her head would drop forward, waking her up.
After a while, she stopped taking the pillow with her — it just didn’t seem useful. But later, Amanda discovered she had been using it wrong the entire time. The trick, she realized, was to flip the pillow around — turning the open ends to the back of her head. That way, her chin had support and her head stayed upright, making it much easier to sleep.
At first, Amanda felt awkward — especially when other passengers stared at her unusual way of wearing the pillow. But the comfort won her over. She could sleep almost the whole flight, waking up only when the plane hit turbulence. And she quickly fell back asleep each time. Over the years, Amanda has figured out other smart ways to use the pillow too. She wears it in the standard way when eating or drinking during the flight. And she puts it behind her lower back for extra support while watching movies.
Now she laughs, saying she’s waiting for the day when she sees another traveler who knows “the secret” of using the travel pillow in reverse — and they can give each other a knowing nod.
In the end, a simple item like the “bagel” pillow can make all the difference — as long as you know how to use it right.
