Keep an Eye Out for Signs of Bed Bugs During Your Thanksgiving Travels

As the holiday season approaches, you likely have a lot of things on your plate. Family and work responsibilities continue and can make the logistics of traveling for the holidays difficult to manage. If you have travel plans for Thanksgiving your main concerns are likely related to nailing down your itinerary, navigating the crowds of people, and enjoying the short time you have with loved ones. Unfortunately, there is another potential concern that you should pay attention to during your travels and that is bed bugs. It is important to keep an eye out for signs of bed bugs during your Thanksgiving travels so you can avoid bringing them back to your home.

Places where bed bugs hang out

The name of this particular pest gives you a clue about one of the places it likes to hang out – bed. But, bed bugs are not found exclusively in beds. These pests are small and often latch onto clothing or luggage and travel with unsuspecting hosts. Because of this, it is possible to find bed bugs in airplanes, on buses, and on other furniture in your hotel room. You will likely encounter one or all of these places as you travel for Thanksgiving which puts you at a heightened risk for bed bugs.

Signs that bed bugs are present  

The most effective way to determine if bed bugs are around when you travel is to actually see them. You can check for bed bugs in your hotel by closely examining the bed and surrounding areas. Bed bugs can often be found along the edges of a mattress and in the stitching throughout. Their coloring can look brown or have a red tone to it which usually contrasts with the white on most mattresses. You can also examine the headboard, electrical outlets, and nightstands for bed bugs because they often travel to these areas as well. If you discover a bed bug in your hotel room it is important that you remove your things right away to keep them from getting into your luggage and following you home.

Tips for preventing bed bugs at home

Sometimes – even after a thorough examination – bed bugs still get into your luggage or onto your clothes and follow you home. You can minimize the chances that bed bugs will enter your house by carefully handling all of the clothing and luggage from your trip. Bed bugs cannot survive extremely high heat. When you get home from your trip immediately wash and dry your clothing on the highest heat it will tolerate. Do the same with your luggage if it will fit in the wash and/or dryer. This step can help you eliminate any bed bugs that managed to follow you home.

Bed bugs may seem like just another thing on your list to worry about during your Thanksgiving travels. The reality is that preventing bed bugs from following you home by taking a few proactive steps is much easier than dealing with them after they infest your home.