I use a travel pillow from www.brookstone.com -- compressible and compact. It occupies bottom 1/4 of my day pack. I use it on planes to make flying in cattle class more bearable.

I'm relatively new here — asked a question or two when planning a trip to Italy last summer. Anyway, thought I'd jump in: I travel with neither pillow nor pillowcase, even though I'm always a little skeeved by used pillows and such. But, I'm most comfortable sleeping without a pillow under my head. Just thought I'd chime in for what I'm sure is a minority. On planes, however, my jacket/sweater/purse always serve as a pillow for me. For some reason I'm way more disgusted by airplane pillows than by hotel pillows.

I find Italian pillows realy weird as they are square not rectangular or those sausage things. Freaks me out when I wake up in the night

Seeing this has become a somewhat serious thread... We bought Briggs & Riley luggage last year (what a great purchase!) and they gave us two B & R travel pillows that clip on to the outside of the outside of the luggage. I guess you would clip it on the carry on bag and take it on the plane. The clips tuck into the pillow when removed. They are extremely comfortable and I threw them in the car for use there. You might want to check the B & R luggage store and see if these would work as they don't take up any space inside your bags.

At first I thought we'd be getting into "do you bring your own sheets when traveling?" Remember that thread!

So many pillows in Europe are square.
Not unusual... it's a pillow! In fact, I prefer these and have a few back in the States.

Always get extra pillows as needed. Never a smelly one, and for my sensitive nose, that's quite refreshing.

Never had a too soft or too hard mattress. Always been perfect, but then I'm so exhausted at the end of the day, I could probably sleep on anything.

To each their own. Bring whatever you can carry.

I did pack my own small down pillow when we went to Morocco last year...I put it into a bright green pillow case to make sure I wouldn't leave it in any hotel bed, but then ended up leaving it in stored luggage because I didn't have more room when I downsized my suitcase.

We have a pillow system. We pack two acceptable home pillows that are "past it", sleep soundly on our trip, then leave the pillows behind. This way we have the "pillow space" in our luggage for everything we bought! Works for us.

Nope never have and maybe never will. Asked around with my traveling sister and she said nope. I hate toilets that aren't my own

I'm also not crazy about toilets that aren't my own, but at least I know how to avoid sitting on them, and...I don't have to put my face into them everynight for eight hours!

I haven't quite got as far as taking my own pillow (although I've seriously considered it) but do often take a pillowcase. I probably end up using it 25% of the time, it depends how clean the bed linen looks and whether the pillow is falling out of the hotel pillowcase.

I routinely take my own pillow, as I'm used to sleeping on a latex foam pillow (have since I was a very young child) and this sort isn't available at hotels (or at at most shops, for that matter, unless you want the egg crate sort and I don't). It doesn't have to be a particular latex foam pillow, just that type. Any other type of pillow leaves me with a stiff neck the next day.

Fortunately this type of pillow is very compressible, and fits easily in my carry-on size luggage (which is all I take) along with my clothes, shoes, and toiletries.

I don't use a pillow on the plane, at least not for my head.

To all of the Pillow Posters: Thanks for all of your honest and candid feedback and stories. I had hoped I wasn't alone out here, and now you have all helped me feel that whatever I do about my "pillow problem" is perfectly okay and acceptable. And whatever that turns out to be, I am not alone in my desire to have a pillow that I know and love on the trip with me, or to at least put a couple of clean pillowcases on the ones that I find. Thanks again.

I showed this thread to my husband to prove that my family aren't the only people who travel with our pillows. He just about died the first time we took a caravan road trip with several members of my family and everyone was in their respective cars with their pillows - LOL.

I don't take mine overseas though - I have in the past, but gave it up because it just takes too much room. Even with my down pillow squished down. I do bring a pillow case from home though. It isn't about the germs really. I just sleep better with my own pillow or at least my own high-thread count pillow case.

Years ago I walked through the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas carrying my own pillow while the bell hop delivered my luggage to the room.

I got some pretty racy remarks said to me and I cringe about it to this day.

Oh I'd definitely take a couple pillows from home for a car/road trip. Just not traveling by plane to Europe.

If you are so worried about a pillow... what about hotel room furniture, carpeti8ng, bedspreads, sheets, bathrooms, towels, restaurant silverwear, airplane seats, etc. etc.???

I don't travel with one because I just don't have space to carry around a pillow on my trips.

I dislike almost all hotel pillows, though, because they are too thick. I can't sleep on them because my pillow at home is a very thin pure goosedown pillow, and anything very thick gives me a crick in my neck. Only about 10 pct of the hotels I stay in have a pillow I can use because they are all too thick. And many of them are foam rubber, which I really detest, so I'm surprised someone else said they can't get those in hotels as I seem to find them a lot because they are a lot cheaper than a real pillow.

So, most of the time I just sleep without any pillow at all if the one in the hotel is too thick, or I try to scrunch up a towel or something fairly thin that won't raise my head too much.

I don't care about any of that hygiene business because I don't have allergies (and don't understand how that would work, virtually all hotel pillow are synthetic and would be covered by a clean pillowcase), and never noticed a smell problem. I wish I could take a small down pillow with me, but just don't have the room for that when flying. If I were driving, I would.

I am with J Correa and other BYOP types...but for different reasons. I always travel with a full-size pillow at home and with a "baby" pillow overseas.

I was told by a physiotherapist some years ago that the balance of neck /back problems that foks develop in mid-life comes from sitting for long stretches of time with your arms weighting down your shoulders.It is not a problem when you walk, run or stand, just sitting for long stretches.

And before you start with the smart remarks, think about the last time you were a passenger in a long car ride or on a plane. According to this health care pro, one can avoid most of this particular problem by putting a pillow on your lap for a long ride or (!) flight, resting your elbows on something instead of letting them dangle and thus bracing the shoulders.

This technique works for me and I have brought many members of my previously skeptical family/friends over to the dark side. You will know us when you see us all checking in with giant, but very light, bags!

Sure, I believe that. Leaning forward on to a lowered airplane meal tray with a pillow or blanket on top of it, is one of the best tips for plane comfort I've learned in recent years.

with luggage restrictions...how can you do this if you're flying.
Sure, I do this for "car trips"...

I admit I have not tried it for international flights since the latest round of restrictions, but for a flight the other day within Canada, it was no hassle-I tucked my small travel pillow (Its about 7 x 14) in my carry-on. It squishes up to nothing as it is foam.