The Trtl Pillow
Alright, so confession: This pillow is 99% of the reason this post is being written. YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT. (But then I realized that a Travel Essentials post sounds like a better idea than a You Need To Know About This Pillow post, hence the four other truly phenomenal items listed down there.)
Let’s get to it.
You need to know about this pillow.
I was extremely stressed-out about the idea of flying for what amounted to two entire days on our way to Jakarta last month, because a) I have never been one of those people who can just, like, tilt their head back and pass out on a plane, and b) I am a nightmare when I am underslept. I bought these pillows for Dad and myself based on some Buzzfeed recommendation or another, and YOU GUYS. It looks ridiculous. But it lets you sleep. I swear to you, I was out for a solid 8 hours with this thing wrapped around my neck.
I literally cannot understand why all those ridiculous U-shaped pillows that excuse me, do not work, haven’t been stampeded out of the airport gift shops by Trtl Pillow-demanding hordes. If you fly ever, this pillow is the single best investment you can make.
A close runner-up in the You Need To Own This If You Travel category: these socks, which are both cute (IMO) and crazy comfortable, thanks to the compression effect created by the honeycomb-style weaving across the midfoot.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that I actually crave the feeling of Bombas, and wear them on most days, even when I’m not traveling. They’re just so good.
Whenever I’m getting dressed to travel, I consider my various options, and nearly always end up in this blouse. It’s super-lightweight and breathable, refuses to wrinkle even after six hours on an airplane, and makes me feel something approximating polished on both sides of the journey.
Cashmere (or similar) Sweatpants
The particular cashmere sweatpants shown in that photo above – in which I argued for the purchasing and subsequent wearing of cashmere sweatpants in public as a valid life choice – have disintegrated, because I can’t have nice things (because I put the nice things in the dryer by accident). But I have since replaced them with a great many takes on the Fancy Sweatpants look.
I like them for traveling for obvious reasons, but extra-like them for traveling because once you get to your destination you can just throw on a pair of heels and keep on being cozy.
I’m constantly searching for the perfect travel shoe. Here are the shoes I have tried in the past, and why they are no bueno for flying:
- OTK black leather Stuart Weitzman 5050 boots. I frequently wear these on planes because a) they look great and make leggings feel more polished and b) I want to bring them with me wherever I go, but I do not want them to take up tons of room in my suitcase. I do actually insist you own them. But I also insist you make room in your suitcase for them, because you know what makes for a truly miserable security experience? OTK black leather Stuart Weitzman 5050 boots.
- Adorable little slip-on ballet flats. The problem with these: If my destination is anywhere even the slightest bit wintry, my feet immediately freeze to death and fall off once I step outside.
- Sheepskin boots. These seem like such an obvious pick for flying, but I actually find them a bit stifling on the plane itself – they’re just so warm.
Enter my new Emu Australia wool sneakers, which barely leave my feet these days (and which I will be wearing on Tuesday’s flight to NYC – I’m heading there to shoot for a couple of days). They’re so lightweight they’re barely there, but are comfortable and supportive. And they’re stretchy, so even though they have laces, they’re easy to slip on and off. And they’re great city walking shoes. And they’re cute! Winning all around. [Note: I received a pair of these in advance of their release, but will update the post with a direct link as soon as I have it.]
If you have any phenomenal travel products that I need to know about, please share, because I’ve got a bunch of flying coming up this spring and summer…and if the Trtl has bettered my life to this extent, I have a feeling there are more game-changers out there just waiting to make transcontinental travel that much less of a horror show.
