5 Reasons You Have to Worry About Bed Bugs When You Travel

Any time you travel there are a number of things to worry about: your flight or drive time, your hotel or other accommodations, activities to keep you busy, safety in the city you’re traveling to, etc. Something that should be relaxing and fun can unfortunately end up being quite stressful. Not to add to the anxiety, but one thing you may not worry about that you probably should is bed bugs. Take a look below at the five reasons you should be worrying about bed bugs when you travel.

1. They Could Be Anywhere

Bed bugs don’t discriminate. They could set up camp pretty much anywhere. From the nicest luxury hotel to the smallest motel room, no place is technically safe from a bed bug infestation.

Before you travel, do some research to see if your accommodations have been rumored to have bed bug issues. Once you arrive, do a very thorough inspection of your room. Check under the mattress, within the cracks of the headboard, the nightstands and bedside tables, sheets, pillows, and carpets and wallpaper nearby. If you see even the tiniest hint of a bed bug, such as a small blood or fecal stain on sheets, or the dead shell of a bug, contact the front desk and request to be moved at least two floors away.

2. They Bite

Bed bugs aren’t innocent. They will wait until the darkest hours just before dawn, when they will come out from their hiding spots to literally suck your blood. These bites typically aren’t painful, and you won’t even realize they are happening, but afterward you may feel some itching or notice some redness or slight swelling. Bed bug bites aren’t harmful in most cases and they aren’t known to spread diseases. To be honest, they are more annoying than anything else. However….

3. You May Be Allergic

In rare cases, you could have an allergic reaction to a bed bug bite. In this instance, you could potentially experience enlarged bite marks, painful swellings at the bite site, and in very rare cases, anaphylaxis. It is much more likely that you will have no reaction to the bites at all than to experience something this extreme, however, it’s important to be aware of the possibility.

4. They Could Hitch a Ride

The number one way that bed bugs spread from place to place is by hitching a ride as people travel. They could hop into the seams or folds in your luggage, snuggle up in your folded clothes, or even camp out somewhere on the clothing that you’re wearing. Once this happens, they could go anywhere you take them.

It’s important to keep your luggage off the floor of your hotel room, and to never lay your clothing out on your bed. Keep everything sealed inside your suitcase as best as you can, and continually look for signs of bed bug activity throughout your stay.

5. They Could Infest Your Home

If you aren’t careful to ensure that bed bugs didn’t hop a ride home with you, they could easily infest your home this way. All it takes is a couple of bed bugs jumping from your luggage that you brought home onto your bed or nightstand, and you may have a full-fledged infestation on your hands before you know it. That is why it is absolutely essential to wipe down your suitcase, looking for bed bug stragglers, and wash and dry your clothing on the hottest setting the minute you return home. A bed bug infestation is extremely difficult to gain control of, so there’s no room for error here.

Bed bugs are an unfortunate fact of life, and one that you may encounter more frequently when traveling. As long as you are aware of the risks and take every precaution possible, you should be able to prevent bringing an infestation home with you as a souvenir.