Want to learn how to avoid bed bugs when traveling? Trying to make sure your trip is pest-free?
The last thing that you want to deal with on vacation are pests such as bed bugs. Bed bugs can be found just about anywhere and can make you and your family have a very uncomfortable experience while traveling. They can even follow your home if you’re not careful and they can be very hard to get rid of.
Luckily, we’re here to help. Below we’ll tell you our top tips for avoiding bed bugs when traveling.
1. Choose Your Hotel Wisely
One of the first things you should do when trying to avoid bed bugs is to ensure you’re being picky enough when choosing which hotel to stay. You should make sure that you’re checking online reviews on a hotel beforehand and should avoid staying at the low budget options.
You’ll never know what you’ll get with an individual hotel, so it’s important to do your research. Some hotels will have problems with bed bugs and small pests. Others may even have issues with rodent control.
Oftentimes if you read reviews online on TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Google you’ll see reviews that specifically mention whether the reviewer experienced bed bugs during their stay. It can pay to check for these types of reviews before you book a hotel.
2. Check For Signs In Your Room
It’s also important to check your room itself for signs of bed bugs as soon as you arrive at the hotel.
You should inspect your bed carefully to look for any signs of the pests. Bed bugs will look like little black spots that you see on your bedsheets, on pillows, and nearby your bed. There may also be stains and spots.
If you do discover any bed bugs in your room you may want to consider changing hotels, or at the very least, you should ask the front desk for a different room instead.
3. Ask to Switch Rooms
If you find that a room you’ve booked has bed bugs and you’ve decided to change rooms you’re not out of the woods yet. You’ll still want to ensure the new room is also free and clear from bed bugs and pests.
As a general rule, it’s usually not a good idea to choose another room that is nearby the one with an infestation. Bed bugs often go through the vents to get to nearby rooms.
Instead, you should try to get a new room far from your original room if you want to have the best chance of remaining pest-free throughout the length of your stay.
4. Buy Luggage Liners
One of the biggest problems with bed bugs is that they will often get into your luggage and will end up following you home. Using a luggage lining of some kind can be a great help for dealing with this issue.
Keeping your luggage as sealed up as possible when at your hotel will be helpful for avoiding bed bug problems even if your hotel room turns out to have them. You should consider buying some luggage liners that you can use to protect your luggage during your stay.
As an alternative, sealing your luggage up in garbage bags can be a great help for keeping bed bugs out of your luggage as well.
5. Keep Your Luggage in the Bathtub
In addition to using luggage liners or garbage bags, another way you can keep bed bugs out of your stuff is to store your luggage in the bathtub during your stay.
Bed bugs usually don’t visit bathrooms as much and they have a hard time getting up smooth surfaces such as the sides of a bathtub. Because of this, you’ll have a better chance of keeping them out of your luggage if you put your stuff in the bath during your stay.
6. Buy a Bug Deterrent Spray
Another way to minimize your encounters with bed bugs is to use some products that are specifically designed for that purpose. It can be a great idea is to buy a bug deterrent spray. Certain bug sprays can work great for keeping bed bugs away if you spray your bag with it before you go into your room.
By using these products, you’ll still have a good chance of keeping bed bugs away if you happen to miss them during your initial inspection.
7. Check Luggage Before Returning Home
When you get home it’s important that you don’t bring all of your luggage inside immediately. Bed bugs can hitch a ride on your stuff and in your clothes and will be more than happy to come inside with you. It’s best to check your luggage thoroughly before you go inside your home after a vacation.
Bed bugs don’t like heat, so putting your luggage in a sealed trash bag and letting it set in the sun for a few hours can help eliminate bed bugs. As an alternative, you can also take your luggage directly to your washing machine and put it on the highest heat setting to eliminate any bed bugs that may be present.
Understanding How to Avoid Bed Bugs When Traveling
If you’re wondering how to avoid bed bugs when traveling you need to consider the above tips very carefully. By being prepared and knowing the right steps to take to avoid problems you’ll have a great time on your vacation and will make it one to remember.
Looking for more travel tips? Explore our blog now to find more vacation and travel advice for you and your family.
