The best inflatable, washable, and memory foam travel neck pillows

Even though there are few things worse than trying to sleep on an airplane, sooner or later we all wind up on the red eye.  Sometimes, heaven help us, with kids.

I’ve owned piles of travel pillows over the years and lugged them all over the planet.  Here are the pros and cons of the various styles I’ve tried as well as examples of each.

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1.  Horseshoe-shaped pillows

These are the original c-shaped travel pillow.  They can be inflatable or memory foam (with or without a removable, washable cover) and tend to pack up very small.  If your head falls forward when you sleep, your mileage may vary with these. 

Eagle Creek Comfort Travel Pillow
Travel Accessories Samsonite Convertible Travel Comfort Pillow
Bucky Utopia Neck Pillow with Buckybag

2.  Collar-style pillows

If you’re the sort of person who can’t relax while the possibility exists that your head will flop forward onto your chest causing you to startle and snort, this is the pillow for you.  It looks exactly like a neck brace and provides 360-degree support.

Complete Support Travel Pillow
Embrace Sleep Collar – Travel Pillow
Caldera Releaf Neck Rest, Regular

3.  Elongated comma-shaped pillow

Maybe this mania for neck-centric pillows is totally off-base.  Do you like to sleep hugging a pillow at night?  If so, try this long skinny pillow that goes from ear to waist.  Works best when you’re sitting next to a window or a person you know well.

TravelRest Pillow-The Ultimate Inflatable Travel Pillow

4.  Enormous crazy wedge thing

Hate every travel pillow you’ve ever tried?  Throw caution to the wind and purchase this giant, bulky, wedge-shaped inflatable lap pillow.  It doesn’t work for everyone, but many love sleeping leaning forward instead of leaning back.

SkyRest Travel Pillow

5.  Kid sized travel pillow

And what about kids?  We found three options.  Is your kid going to be riding in a car seat on your flight?  Lucky you.  Consider one of the first two.  If those days are long behind you, try the third.  Good luck!

Kiddopotamus Cradler Adjustable Head Support for Newborns to Toddlers
ToddlerCoddler Toddler Head Support System
TravelRest – The Travel Pillow Reinvented for Kids & Adults

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Throw a stone and you’ll hit a beautiful place to hike, bike, swim, or boat

Amy Whitely is a writer, mother of three, and the publisher of Pitstops for Kids, a review blog about family friendly road trips, roadside attractions, restaurants, parks, motels, and airport play spaces.

Glacier is a large park in a large state, which can be challenging to families with young kids. With planning, there’s no reason for its size to limit how much you’ll see, but depending on where you stay, it may determine the order in which you see it.

The two main entrances to the park, West Glacier on the west and St. Mary on the east, are connected by the beautiful but slow-moving Going to the Sun Road. If you plan to stay at least several days in the area, consider entering the park on the opposite side of your accommodations. While this seems counter-productive, it will in fact allow you to visit first the side of the park you’ll be furthest from for the duration of your trip and avoid back-tracking. Given the length (50 miles) and intensity (steep and winding and not without its share of traffic closures) of the Going to the Sun Road, you may not want to navigate the length of the park with kids in the car too many times!

What not to miss

You could throw a stone anywhere in Glacier National Park (not that you would, of course!) and hit a beautiful place in which to hike, bike, swim, or boat. The following, however, made our kids’ top activities list.

1.  Going to the Sun Road:  As stated above, driving the Going to the Sun Road makes for a great overview of the park and affords such breathtaking scenery and sights (such as Weeping Wall and Triple Arches, just to name two), even your toddler won’t mind being in the car (for a while).

Plan on spending at least two hours navigating this narrow mountain pass (allowing for stops at the scenic outlooks). Keep on the lookout for wildlife: we saw a bear cub, mountain goats, and deer!

2.  Logan Pass: If your kids will get a kick out of seeing snow in the summer, hike from Logan Pass to Hidden Lake. If the 1.5 one-way trail is too strenuous (hiking in snow can be tough!), your kids will still have a blast climbing a few feet up and ‘sledding’ back down!

3.  Boat Cruise: When little feet get tired, try a Swiftcurrent or McDonald Lake Boat Cruise. Some are combined with ranger-led nature walks; we boated across both Swiftcurrent and Josephine Lakes on the east side of the park, then hiked with our guide across wooden bridges and boardwalks to Grinnell Lake, where we spotted moose munching on lake reeds.

What we skipped

1.  Red Bus Tour: You can’t drive far in Glacier without encountering one of the park’s famed historic Red Bus Tours. After speaking with several operators about the length of the tours (shortest offered during our stay was four hours) and noting the median age of bus tour enthusiasts (60+), we decided that this activity, while informative, was probably not the best use of our sightseeing time with kids.

2.  West Glacier: We didn’t linger at this western entrance. While it does offer a visitor’s center, we found the St. Mary Visitor’s Center on the east side to be less crowded and just as comprehensive (perhaps more so now with its newly opened exhibit on Native American history).

Where to stay

If you want to wake up with nothing obstructing your view except granite peaks and crystal clear lake water, stay at the Many Glacier Hotel on the east side of the park. Away from the high traffic West Glacier and Lake McDonald area, The Many Glacier sits practically in the lap of Swiftcurrent Lake and offers families a relaxed atmosphere perfect for canoeing expeditions, hiking, boating, or just sitting on the deck with an ice cream cone.

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When my daughters were 1 and 2 years old, my parents sent me an OBI baby carrier as a gift.  I opened the package to find what looked at first glance like the yellow belt I had worn in my brief stint as a karate student.  But no.  It was a baby carrier.

After looking at the diagrams to see how this contraption worked and watching the online video explanation, I placed my 2-year-old daughter in this carrier on my back with some help from hubby.  She smiled.  I smiled. Love at second sight.

Let me count the ways we love it.

For air travel

The OBI carrier is a lifesaver when traveling by air in that you can simply toss this into your carry on and go rather than paying extra to check a traditional back carrier.

For comfort

The OBI is so lightweight that you essentially have just the child’s weight to carry. The child is wrapped snugly against your back thus creating a very comfortable weight distribution. My kids are both comfortable in this, have fallen asleep when in the OBI, and often prefer to ride in this vs. our traditional carrier when asked.

My kids love variety

When you are traveling with a traditional back carrier and your little angel announces she is ready to walk, you are stuck carrying an often heavy, bulky pack while holding the hand of said angel. The OBI is fantastic because when this moment comes you simply fold it up, stuff it in its carrying case, and continue on your merry way.

Durability and longevity

We have had our OBI for over a year, and have used it hiking trails in the Alps, walking beaches in Spain, and for many quick trips to the zoo. It has been well used and has held up great. It is not recommended for a child above 44 pounds, however.  I find it much more comfortable to use with my 30-pound daughter vs. my 41-pound daughter.

Limitations to my love

As with any new item you purchase, the safety warnings need to be reviewed before use. It is not recommended that you carry your child in this for more than 30 minutes, which can be inconvenient for longer walks or if they fall asleep as it’s difficult to remove them without waking. If you use the sunshade or extra storage pockets often with your traditional carrier you should be aware that the OBI is lacking these.

You can learn more about the OBI or order one online at www.obi-baby-carrier.com. Current price is £29.99, with an additional £13 shipping fee for delivery to the U.S. from the UK.

Consult the World Cup Oracle with your kids, or just see some fish
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side·track (sīd´trăk): n. 1. A diversion from the main course. 2. A detour taken with children that you would never, ever take without them.
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Who and What:
Sure, I know the World Cup is over.  But the fever remains.  Part of that continued obsession involves Paul the Octopus, the so-called World Cup Oracle, who resides in the Oberhausen SeaLife Aquarium, about 20 minutes outside the city of Duesseldorf in the Ruhr region of Germany.

Why:
With our time in Germany rapidly coming to a close (and the lifespan of your average cephalopod being only a couple years), how could Chet and I not make our pilgrimage to make homage to this modern day Delphi?  It felt almost required.  Plus, you know how I am about aquariums – it’s true I’m a bit obsessed.

The Low Point:
We’re not the only ones who wanted a look at this octopus.  Apparently, Paul is a huge draw – lines to enter the aquarium have been consistently 30-50 minutes long since the little guy predicted Spain’s win.  Luckily, we got there early and got in quick.  But if you want to see Paul for yourself, it pays to get there about half an hour before opening.

And you know, SeaLife Oberhausen isn’t a very large aquarium.  But given that it’s in a landlocked city (near Duesseldorf), I guess most folks would assume that would be the case.

The High Points:
Well, I have to say seeing Paul was a thrill.  Truth be told, he looked a little tired.  But can you blame him?  He’s been followed by the paparazzi as much as Lindsay Lohan lately.

The aquarium was also great fun.  It was on the small side but it made up for it with a big sea tank, fun play pools, very precocious otters and a glass bottom boat ride.

It also had a fantastic pirate-themed play area complete with climbing walls, air guns and a huge indoor play complex.  And did I mention that play complex also had massage chairs for the waiting adults?  Chet played himself silly and I worked a few kinks out of my shoulders.  Total brilliance.

And you know?  Seeing all the crazy people in their octopus gear also tickled my fancy.  I do love a good floor show.

The Kids’ Take:
“Paul, Paul, we love you!”  (Uh, maybe I shouldn’t have showed Chet that Parry Gripp song before we left?)  But honestly, Chet loved it.  It was a great day despite the two-hour drive to get there.

The Adults’ Take:
It was campy, aquarium-tastic fun.  Plus, I got to see myself a real life cephalopod celebrity.  It’s not every day you can make that claim.

The Bottom Line:
If you’re a huge soccer fan – or just happen to be in the Dusseldorf area – it’s definitely worth a stop.  You can pay your respects to Paul, see some fish and enjoy the massage chairs while your kids play the afternoon away.  A total win for the family.

Note: To celebrate Paul fever – and Chet and my impending departure from Germany – we’re giving away an official Paul stuffed toy and a refrigerator magnet.  To enter to win, simply leave a comment with a question you’d like to ask Paul if you had the chance.  Winners will be drawn at random.

Much as it pains us to admit it, we at Travel Savvy Mom can’t personally go everywhere, do everything, and then report back to our readers.  Not a week goes by in fact that we don’t get an email asking for family travel advice that we aren’t qualified to give.

Fortunately a new site has launched that takes up the slack.  Even more fortunately, we’re part of it.

A group of the web’s most prominent family travel bloggers have pooled their collective wisdom to field all kinds of family travel questions on the recently launched website Best Family Travel Advice.  And the really cool part?  Each question can be answered by multiple experts.

Got a burning family travel question?  Head on over.  Our operators are standing by.