It occurred to me that as much as I have written about how to kill these bugs I’ve not written much about how to check for bed bugs when traveling.

Whether at home or traveling the process for checking for the bugs would be about the same.   But when you are staying in a hotel or motel away from home your focus is on avoiding these bugs.  When you are at home you are trying to exterminate bedbugs.

Finding Bed Bugs When You Travel

Traveling for pleasure or business means there is a good chance that you are going to run across some bedbugs.  There have been reported cases of infestations showing up in Hotels and Motels across the country.

And it doesn’t happen only in run down or dirty motels.  It can happen in the cleanest and best known of brand names.  So wherever you go you should alway do a check for bed bugs when you are traveling.

Bed Bugs are great hitchhikers that travel around the globe hitching rides in bags and boxes.  Whether you do run into bed bugs or not you should always make sure to check for them in your room.  You want to make sure that you don’t bring any of these nasty bugs home with you.

When I check into a new hotel/motel and go to my room I check for Bed Bugs.  I always take the same simple steps to make sure the room is free of bugs.

The First Step In Avoiding Bed Bugs When You Travel

There is one important step that you should always take to avoid bed bugs when you travel.  You should search on-line for any comments from people that have stayed in the hotels/motels where you are going.

These reviews can be somewhat dated but still give you a heads up on potential problems.  If there are reports of bedbugs at any place that you were planning on staying at you should probably change your plans.

It’s just not worth the potential risk of getting a bed bug infestation so step one – check online.

Checking Your Room

Once I arrive at the hotel/motel I’ll always start by blocking the door open with my bag without bringing it into the room.   This lets me check the room first.  

You can also put your bags in the bathtub  since this is a place where the bugs can’t get into.  This way, in case there are bugs in the room they won’t get into your suitcase.

In Case Your Suitcase Gets Infested

Then I head straight for the bed.  This is where you are going to find bugs if there is any infestation.   You’ll find any signs of an infestation here first.

I will always start looking around the bed.  Studies have shown that more than 90% of infestations are found around the bed.  This is simply because that is where we sleep.

During the night when we are nice and quiet the bedbugs like to come out.  They can safely feed on us while we aren’t moving. 

They also want to hide close to where we sleep during the day.  This will make it easier for them to get to us during the night.

Bed Bugs Are Small

These nasty bugs are small, usually less than 1/4″.  They crawl rather than fly so the closer to their food source they are the easier it is for them.  So you always need to start looking for them around the bed.  This is where they are waiting for their next meal.

If you are traveling you are going to want to leave your luggage off the floor.  Do this until you are satisfied that there are no bugs in your room.  Leave it on the luggage rack, in a clean tub, blocking open the door, or in your car.   

Then I make sure that after I’m done checking the room I store the suitcase on the luggage rack so it’s not on the floor.

Inspect The Bed

I personally always have a pair of medical plastic gloves that I take with me.  While you are looking you may see bed bugs or other grungy stuff.  I prefer to keep my hands clean, but that’s just me.

I also keep a small flashlight handy with me when I travel.  When I’m at home I always keep one next to my bed in case of power problems.  But in this case it helps to check the bed and sheets closely.  You also will need the extra light to check around the bed for these small bugs.

Check The Mattress

You should start by pulling out the sheets on the corners of the bed.  This lets you see the mattress and box springs.

Yeah I know, you may have to make the bed again.  But we’re looking for bed bugs here.  Looking for them on and around the mattress where they like to hide is the place where we are going to start.

Using Your Flashlight

Using your light take time to carefully check around the mattress.  Especially around the seams and along the box springs for signs of the bugs.

These signs will include finding the actual bugs ordiscarded shells that they leave behind as they molt.  You might also find blood smears from crushed bugs, and fecal droppings.

Signs May Be Hard To Find

All of these signs will be small since the bed bug is so small.  That’s why you need a light to examine these areas.

By the way, when you are traveling if you find any bugs on the sheets or mattress as you strip the sheets away.   I would run, not walk, out of the room!

Examine the mattress closely.  You might see the actual bugs when you pull the sheets back  if you look fast enough.  Or you might see the signs of them. 

Check Carefully!

Look carefully along the seams for the bugs, blood smears, discarded shells, or brown fecal droppings.  See, I wear the gloves for a reason.

You can also pull the mattress up and examine the underside if you want for the same things. 

Then check the box springs as well for signs of the bugs.  If you want to be thorough you can pull up the box springs and mattress.  This lets you check around the bed frame and the head of the bed more carefully.

Check The Area Around The Bed

You should also take a few minutes to check any dresser drawers and other furniture that are located close to the bed.

If you find nothing you are probably safe since it’s rare to have an infestation that isn’t around the bed. 

But you might also want to check around and under any seat and sofa cushions just to be extra safe.  If the couch is a fold out bed make sure to pull it out and check that mattress and frame carefully.

If you do find bugs, blood smear, discarded shells, or fecal matter you should leave and ask for another room.   If they don’t offer you another room I’d find another hotel.

New Infestations

Now, the instructions above describe the way that you can look for a old infestation.  But you may be wondering – what if the room is just newly infested.  What if the last resident of the room left just a couple of bugs.  That is a really good question.

It’s also a very real possibility.  To counter this possibility I never put clothes in the dresser drawers. 

This is where bugs from a previous renter might have been dropped.  I’ll also hang any clean clothes that I take out of my bags.  This is because bed bugs are unlikely to bother hung up clothes.

Keep Your Suitcase Of The Floor

Then you should make sure that you keep your bag off the floor and on a luggage rack.  On top of the dressers or on a chair also helps avoid any bugs that might be crawling around from another room or resident.

Always check the areas around where you put your luggage first to make sure that it is clean of bugs.

I always take a clean trash bag to put dirty laundry in and set it on the dresser or on top of the suitcase on the luggage rack.  This helps to keep bugs from getting in there and coming home with me.

If you are sleeping and get bit during the night you should repeat the search.  Look around the mattress to see if there are new signs of bugs.  If you do get bit I’d ask for another room right away.

Your best strategy when you are traveling is to make sure that you don’t bring any of these bed bugs home with you.   They can start an infestation that you have to deal with in your home.

What To Do When You Get Home

Just like when I have tips to avoid bed bugs when I travel.  I also have a set of methods that I use to avoid these nasty bugs when I get home.  Especially if I think that I may have been infested.

Wash All Your Clothes

First off, the clothes that you take with you on your trip should go directly from the suitcase into your clothes washer.  

You should wash your clothes in hot water  Then dry on high heat to kill any possible hitchhiking bugs.

Also, store your bags away from your bedroom.  Avoid storing them under your bed or in a closet close to your bed.

Use The Sun

Here is also an inexpensive trick that you can use to make sure that your bags are free of any bugs.  At the airport, when you come home and get into your car.  Put them in a large black trash bag.  Seal the bag and leave it in the back seat where it will be in the sun.

Then you leave the bags sitting in the sun in your car for a couple of days before you bring them into your home.

This heat from the sun will kill any potential bugs that you may have brought home with you.  It also makes sure that any bugs that might be in your suitcase are also killed.  

There are also special heaters that you can purchase if you travel a lot.  You put your bags directly into them as soon as you get home.  This will kill any unwanted hitchhikers.

Conclusion To How To Check For Bed Bugs When Traveling

We all like to travel.  But the last thing that we want to do is to bring bed bugs home with you and start an infestation.

When you travel you want to avoid bed bugs.  But if you bring them home with you then it becomes a whole other problem.  Because then you need to kill them there.  Killing Bed Bugs

Avoid These Bugs

So follow the steps above and check your room carefully to make sure that you avoid bedbugs while traveling.  

Then take the steps I’ve outlined above.  This will make sure you haven’t accidentally brought any home with you.  These bugs are great hitchhikers if they get in your bags.

Bottom Line

The bottom line is that if you’re at home and find an infestation you are going to have to treat it.  Bed Bug Treatment

Taking a trip for vacation or business can be stressful enough without having to worry about bringing potential bed bugs home with you.

If you suspect that you might have brought any bugs home with you.  Then you need to start treating as soon as possible.  The longer that you wait the larger an infestation becomes.

These steps will also work if you have a visitor that you think might have brought some bed bugs with them.  Make sure that you check your guest room mattress or sofa for signs of an early infestation and treat right away.

Even if you didn’t get bedbugs while you were traveling there have been some reported cases of the bugs showing up in taxi cabs.  So use the steps outlined above to get rid of any possible bugs.   If you have picked up any it can save you a lot of trouble and the expense of treating your home.

For the exact steps that you need to take to treat your home I’d suggest getting my new book here.