Rest Assured: Essentials for Getting Your Sleep On the Go

As travel itself is an investment, many travelers are willing to spend a little extra on upgrades on airline seats, neck pillows, baby amenities, hotel rooms and even travel kits with sprays, essential oils and lip balm in the hopes of drifting off into that sweet goodnight. However, in less than ideal circumstances — even when you have a premium-economy seat and a deal on a 4- or 5-star hotel, you may need a little assist.

This is where travel with quality bedding comes in. It’s an indulgence that can soften the landing beyond u-shaped neck pillows and the cashmere shawls turning up in many traveler’s kits. And as we are in the season of road trips, why not consider those extra things that will make car seats, campers and chain hotel stays a little more relaxing?

Even with luggage weight consideration, trading in a sweater, a few pairs of shoes or that extra jacket for good bedding may be a smart swap that will enhance your waking hours, according to Andy Au of Crown Goose, a boutique bedding company known for its home and hotel bed linens which is expanding its collection to include travel gear such as the Mellow Goose Down Indoor Boots. Hotel companies outfitting their beds with Crown Goose include the InterContinental Group, Marriott Group, Hilton Group and Accor Group.

Daphness Collection. Photo: Crown Goose USA

“We spend about seven hours on average everyday in our bedding, so our bodies are subconsciously used to our bedding at home,” Au explains. “This is particularly true for kids, who spend more time sleeping than adults and are more partial to their own bedding. While the beddings provided by luxury hotels are of high quality, they can never be better than the ones that are personally and uniquely chosen by the families themselves, with their own sleeping environment and sleeping patterns taken into account. A sudden change in the environment like travel can bring about physical and mental discomfort, which tends to have greater impact upon kids. Luckily, we can be effectively alleviated by parents finding a way to bring a piece of home.”

Beyond basic comfort for kids, it’s important to take into account the media coverage of germs found aboard airplanes and in hotel rooms, even when no expense is spared on amenities. Aspergillus niger, which may cause pneumonia and gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and Pseudomonas paucimobilis, which may cause infection of lungs and eyes have been spotted on pillows and blankets in the aircraft cabin. The blankets and pillows provided in flight on most airlines are only washed every five to 30 days at maximum. Furthermore, the bed throws that add an extra dimension of chic to fine hotel rooms are not regularly washed.

“The best thing to do is to bring your own pillow and blanket whether your are traveling by car or by plane,” affirms Au. “Those made from natural fabrics, such as alpaca or wool, greatly help you adopt to the in-flight temperature. Our Dia Noche Throw/Blanket contains 50 percent of alpaca and has a silky smooth touch and warmth. A road trip, meanwhile, is a series of unpredictable situations. For parents who have to drive a long way and for kids who are stuck in a restricted area for a long time, a relaxed sleeping environment is essential. The more prepared you are, the better the experience. Our Queen size goose down comforter, which can cover two adults and one kid, weighs only about 2 pounds and can take up a minimum of space when packed in a vacuum bag and compressed.”

Brise Collection, Indi Pink. Photo: Crown Goose USA

One of the problems with in-flight temperature is you cannot directly control it and there is no one temperature that would make everyone on the flight happy. When you are sitting in your seat for hours, sometimes it gets unbearably cold. In-flight blanks provided by the airlines lack warmth, and are rarely long enough to cover the entire adult body and often carry germs. One way to stave off excessive air conditioning on the plan is by adding the aforementioned Mellow Goose Down Indoor boots, which also prevent legs from swelling by boosting blood circulation.

“The variety of new experiences during travels will be more positively remembered in the minds of your families if they are in a stable and comfortable state of mind,” concluded Au.