Avoiding Bed Bugs When Traveling

It’s time to forget the idea that the only place that you are going to be exposed to bedbugs while traveling is at filthy budget hotels.  The truth is that these bugs are showing up at luxury five-star hotels, on cruise ships, and even in the cleanest homes and avoiding bed bugs when traveling is becoming more important than ever.

You see, a common misconception is that these bugs are attracted to filth.  But they actually just don’t care whether a home is clean or dirty, cluttered or neat as a pin.  What they are looking for is you, or rather your blood.  That’s all they want. So avoiding bed bugs when traveling is very important.

And the last thing that you want to do is bring these nasty bugs home with you when you travel.  The fact is that these bugs are extremely adept at hitchhiking around the world in suitcases, on your clothes, in vehicles, on furniture, and even in boxes that get delivered to your front door. So they will follow you home.

So here are tips on:

 Avoiding Bed Bugs When Traveling

Avoiding bed bugs when traveling takes just a few simple steps.  Here are 7 tips that will help make sure you don’t bring any of these pests home with you!

1. Bed Bug Prevention In Hotels –

Before you even leave home make sure to Google the name of the hotel.  Add with the words “bed bug(s).  If any hits come back where people are complaining of the bugs you might want to reconsider where you are staying. 

Always be ready to change where you are staying.  To avoid bed bugs when traveling be ready to ask for another room.  If you find bugs when you check your room ask for another room.  Just make sure that you take photos if there is evidence of the bugs.  If the hotel tries to charge you there are grounds to challenge them.

2. Use a Bug Deterrent Spray –

Before you get to your room always spray your bags with a bug deterrent spray such as Bedlam Bed Bug Insecticide Spray Aerosol.  This spray kills on contact and leaves a residual that will help to keep the bugs away from your bags.  You can also use this on the mattress and around your bed in your room.

3. Check Your Room –

Next, make sure that you carefully check any room that you rent carefully.  Pull back the sheets and look along the mattress seams for blood spots, bugs, discarded shells, and fecal markings. For a more detailed description check here.

 4. Ask For A New Room –

If you find evidence of bugs request a new room.  If the management refuses to allow you to move look for another hotel!  Make sure that you take pictures of the evidence that makes you want another room just in case the hotel tries to charge you regardless. Also, remember to post about your experience so others can make sure they are avoiding bed bugs.

 4. Keep Your Clothes Safe –

When you take a room make sure that you keep your luggage off the floor until you have checked your room.   Always keep your clothes in your bags and avoid using drawers or closets where unseen bugs might hide.   A room might just have been infested by the last person staying there so you still have to be careful.

5.  Use Trash Bags –

I always make sure to pack a couple large trash bags when I travel.  I put any dirty clothes in one bag and tie it shut when I leave for home.  That way anything that gets in the clothes is sealed in until I can wash the clothes at home.  If I have any concern or see bugs picked up on my bag I’ll put the whole bag outside.  It can stay there until I can treat it.

6. Be Careful When Using Chemicals –

I always try to avoid chemical treatments whenever I can.  Or I mix up my own organic spray that I use because I am allergic to so many things.

Check out my page on Natural Treatments for Bed Bugs Here

7. Don’t Bring Luggage Inside –

When I get home I always treat my bags before I take them inside.  One quick easy way to treat a suitcase, or for that matter any bags or packages that come into your home is using heat.  Place the suspect item(s) into a sealed black trash bag.  Then set it in the sun for a few hours.  For an extra boost to the heat put the sealed trash bag inside your car in the sun.  This will cause the bags interior to heat up even faster and kill any bugs and eggs.

There are also commercial heaters such as the one below.  It is available at PackTite that lets you place your bag inside a electrically heated container to kill the bugs.

I hope that you will find these 7 tips for avoiding bed bugs when traveling useful!

PackTite Portable Bed Bug Killing Heater Unit
from: Bed Bug Supply

Avoiding Bed Bugs When Traveling

The trick to avoiding bed bugs when traveling is to make sure that you are aware and prepared.

If you have tips and ideas that you have used for avoiding bed bugs when traveling or any other subject please share them below. Or if you have any questions let me know, I try to cover a lot of ground with my posts here but would love to answer any questions that you have.