With narrow, lightly padded seats and inadequate recline, airplane seats will never be comfortable. But on a long flight, minimizing discomfort is key, and a travel pillow can help. Even the best travel pillow can’t make sitting for 10 or 12 hours truly cozy, but it’s better than bumping your head against the bulkhead or, worse, the drinks cart.Over the years we’ve had multiple panelists and testers check dozens of travel pillows in a variety of situations. What we’ve found is there’s no one pillow that’s perfect for everyone. The pillow that works great for you — and the way you prefer to sleep — may very well not work for your friend/partner/seatmate.That said, our pick for most people is so comfortable and easily compressible that it should work for most travelers. We also have options for heads that tilt to the side while sleeping and heads that tilt forward. If you’re worried your neck will get hot, we have a cooler (temperature-wise) option. We also have a bigger, softer option that fits a variety of sleeping positions, as well as a surprisingly comfortable inflatable that rolls up tiny. If you’re more concerned about your back than your neck, we have an inflatable lumber option. Lastly, if you really want your own cocoon, we have a pillow with a built-in hood and mask.Everything we recommendBest for most travelers: Travelrest Nest Ultimate Memory Foam Travel Pillow. Ruthie Darling/NYT WirecutterBest for side-leaners: Trtl Pillow. Ruthie Darling/NYT WirecutterBest for forward-nodders: Bcozzy Pillow. Ruthie Darling/NYT WirecutterBest for hot sleepers: Cabeau Evolution Cool. Ruthie Darling/NYT WirecutterBest for restless side-leaners: Ostrichpillow Go Neck. Ruthie Darling/NYT WirecutterBest for ultralight packers: Cabeau Air TNE. Ruthie Darling/NYT WirecutterA pillow for your back: Therm-a-Rest Lumbar Pillow. Ruthie Darling/NYT WirecutterFor total seclusion: Pluto POD. Ruthie Darling/NYT WirecutterBest for most travelers: Travelrest Nest Ultimate Memory Foam Travel Pillow. Ruthie Darling/NYT Wirecutter