Oh, for a Pillow!

By on in Tips |

Many years ago, I began taking a pillow with me when traveling. I’ve always liked soft downy pillows and all too often, the ones I find in accommodations are otherwise.

In Cairo at the Garden Hotel in 1983, there was what felt like a sack of hardened cement at the top of the bed. Who could possibly rest their head on such a forbidding surface? Having no alternative, I did so and awakened in the morning with a terrible crick in my neck. Now I realize there are cultural differences in sleeping customs but I felt sure I could not adjust to this one. So I started bringing my own.

In 2002, I stayed at a tent camp on the beach in Corcovado, Costa Rica. It was humid and hot. Sadly, by the end of my four-night stay, my dear cozy pillow was so sweat-soaked that I left it there, irredeemable as it was.

After that, I bought a small travel size down pillow. I thought that would be more practical. But when I scrunched it up to go to sleep, it almost disappeared and it was as though I had no pillow at all. So I went back to a standard size one and found that it could be easily packed in duffel or suitcase smushed down, folded, or rolled up. Happily on occasion, I find a hotel pillow that is just right. Sometimes I forget to bring my pillow with me and have regrets. But mostly when it’s with me, I sleep more comfortably and feeling well-rested, I am all set for the day’s adventures.