Travelling is always meant to be a fun and exciting experience as you see new places and meet new people. Sometimes, however, travelling may present some problems, one of them being a higher exposure to bed bugs.
While you’re travelling, chances are that you will be staying in Hotels, Hostels or other short term shared accommodations. With so many people visiting these dwellings every year, they can easily become infested with bed bugs who are just waiting to attach themselves to a new host and be taken in your luggage to their new home.
This article will go over some tips on how to minimize your exposure to bed bugs and eliminate the risk of bringing them back home with you.
Tips to avoid bed bugs while travelling
You can never be 100% sure that the place you will be staying at is bed bug free. The best that you can do is follow these tips that should help you determining the cleanliness of a place and help you to pack your belongings in a way that bed bugs will have trouble penetrating.
- Call the hotel that you plan on staying in and inquire if they have ever had a bed bug problem. Go one step further and research the place online to see if there have been any bed bug complaints with previous guests.
- Inspect your room once you arrive. Look in places where bed bugs tend to hide such as in the seam of your mattress and between the baseboards, and also look for bed bug droppings; a clear sign that the pests are nearby.
- Do not leave your clothes on the floor or your bed. Instead what you should do is pack your clothes in sealable plastic bags or hang them up in the closet. This will make it difficult for bed bugs to hide in your clothing.
- Bed bugs tend to hide in cracks and in fabrics such as carpets, sofas and beds. Knowing this, you should leave your luggage in the bathroom where it is very unlikely to find bed bugs.
- If you find bed bugs in your room, leave that room right away. Notify the hotel staff and let them know you want a new room but make sure to also inspect the new room. Since bed bugs spread so easily from one room to another it may even be a good idea to ask for a refund and find a new hotel.
Tips to avoid bringing bed bugs back home
To the untrained eye it can be difficult to detect bed bugs in a room. Take these tips into consideration before going back home to ensure you don’t bring these critters back with you.
- Before you leave your hotel room check all your luggage for any signs of bed bugs, regardless of the outcome with the room inspection that you did at check in.
- If you believe that you may have come in contact with bed bugs during your stay, wash your luggage and everything in it thoroughly before going to your house. Use the highest heat possible when washing and drying your clothes to kill off all bed bugs and their eggs.
