We all know the middle seat has always been a nightmare --for me, you, just everyone! It’s the spot nobody volunteers for, the one that feels like punishment when boarding passes are assigned. The middle seat is where your shoulders become bargaining chips between two strangers. Where you sit stiff, half-asleep, wondering why airlines haven’t figured out how to make this more humane.
For years, I accepted the middle seat as part of economy class survival. I told myself, “Just endure it. You’ll get through.” But deep down, I knew there was nothing I could do about it. I wasn’t sleeping. I wasn’t even comfortable. I was just… counting down the minutes. Even my elbow & knee pad hack can't help me with this.
The Unexpected Possibilities of Bolstie
I have been sleeping on my sides with Bolstie for quite some on all of my flights and I’ve been happy as a clam. Well, that was until one flight home, middle seat, stuck between 2 broad-shoulders individuals. It’s was quite uncomfortable being squeeze… not to mention the heat. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. Then came the moment that changed everything —you know that idea that suddenly popped in your head when it was in front of your face all of those times.
What if I did this?
Finding Rest in the Lean Forward Position
The first breakthrough came when I put the tray table down, placing Bolstie between me and the tray table.
I bent Bolstie top edge and let it rest against the monitor. I hugged it while resting my forearms on the tray table and leaned forward—face resting on Bolstie’s soft luxurious velvet. OMG….this feels amazing!
It mimicked the comfort of stomach sleeping at home. I closed my eyes, and just rivaled in the joy of escaping the shoulder squeeze. Again, I wasn’t fighting gravity. I was still able to rest my body weight onto Bolstie. I was supported. My body exhaled.
That lean-forward position became my secret weapon against the squeeze of the middle seat. Instead of being wedged between strangers, I created my own personal oasis.
And because Bolstie takes up so little space, I wasn’t shoving elbows or stacking pillows. It was simple, subtle, and so effective.
The more I tested, the clearer it became: this wasn’t just about comfort. This was about reclaiming rest. About giving myself options in the most limited space of all — economy class and something that no other travel pillow can even come close to doing. Every brand claimed to be the best travel pillow for long flights. Every one promised comfort, support, neck relief. But none of them worked in any seat—making the middle seat even worse.
Why Bolstie Is Different
Other pillows want to control you. They squeeze your neck, force you into positions, and pretend that “cooling fabric” will solve the problem.
Bolstie is different. It works with your body, not against it.
• It supports without suffocating
• It adapts whether you lean forward, curl to the side, or hug it across your chest
• It doubles as storage, saving space in your personal item
• It’s use is as endless as our imaginations
Ending Years of Misery
For years, I believed middle seat misery was inevitable. I thought real rest in economy class was impossible. But I was wrong.
That unforgettable misery sparked the creation of Bolstie. Its limitless usage is quite profound yet so simple.
You know I never leave my house, drive, and every time I fly, I carry Bolstie with me with confidence and a promise. A promise to myself that I don’t have to endure the nonsense. That I can create my own comfort, even in the tightest squeeze. That rest is possible — anywhere, in any position, with the right support.
If you’ve ever sat in the middle seat and thought, “There has to be a better way,” I built Bolstie for you, for me, for us!
Because we deserve more than survival. We deserve to thrive with joy— even in the middle seat.
