There are many things you can do to reduce your chances of picking up bed bugs while you travel:
- Treat the outside of your luggage with appropriately labeled insect repellant to deter bed bugs from hitching a ride home.
- Avoid bringing personal items like pillows, blannkets and etcetera to the lodging facility.
- Bring a small, bright flashlight to assist with your inspection. LED lights work best.
- Place your luggage on a luggage rack (after inspecting it), or against the farthest wall from the bed and nightstands. Do not place it on the bed at any time.
- Remove the headboard (if you can) and carefully look for bedbugs, reddish blood spots or dark fecal spots from bedbugs.
- Before placing items in or on them, look inside and underneath drawers in the bedside tables for signs of an infestation.
If you find signs of bed bugs or think you’ve found an actuall bedbug, collect the evidence and present it to hotel management as proof of your claim. If your room does have a problem, have hotel management move you to a different room. Make sure it is not immediately adjacent on any side or corner to the infested room you are departing.
After traveling, if bed bugs are suspected of being in your luggage, do not bring it into your bedroom at home. Unpack on a table or surface where bedbugs can be more easily seen. Be sure to wash and dry all suspect clothing in the warmest temperature that is safe according to the clothing care directions on the tag.
Despite the increasing incidence of bed bugs, the odds of encountering these insects are small. Be vigilant…but don’t stop traveling and enjoying life!
With that in mind, what kind of steps do you take to avoid bedbugs when traveling?