Vacation season is here! Whether you’re traveling across the state, country, or even world, it’s important to be mindful of one particular hitchhiking pest you may unknowingly pick up during your travels—the bed bug. We’re breaking down how to avoid bed bugs during to make sure you don’t end up with an unwanted bed bug infestation in your home once you’re back.
How Do You Get Bed Bugs While Traveling?
Think of all of the new places and modes of transportation you take on an average trip, whether that’s staying in a hotel, using rideshare services, or riding on public transportation. Despite their name, which might lead you to believe bed bugs are only found in beds, they can actually be found in all of the places we mentioned…and more.
Bed bugs congregate in areas where humans congregate, and some of the most common places you’ll encounter them are in hotel rooms and on public transportation. This is because bedbugs, as mentioned, are hitchhikers; essentially, they’ll latch on to clothes, shoes, suitcases, or other bags, then make their way into whatever place those items land. So, if you’re taking a bus while traveling, for example, and there happen to be bed bugs in the empty seat where you sit your luggage, the bed bug, hypothetically could latch onto your bag which you unknowingly introduce back into your home. Before you know it, you could be dealing with a bed bug infestation, seemingly out of nowhere.
Where Do Bed Bugs Hide?
Bed bugs are experts at hiding, which is part of the reason they spread so quickly…they’re often undetected until it’s too late. Some of the most common areas where you might see bed bugs are inside box springs, mattress seams, behind baseboards, inside electrical switch plates, in photo frames, in the cracks and crevices of walls, headboards, and couches.
How to Prevent a Bed Bug Infestation While Traveling 
It’s important to note that bed bugs can end up anywhere humans introduce them, so just because a hotel room looks nice or is an expensive night’s stay, doesn’t mean bed bugs might not end up inside. The most important item on your bed bug prevention travel checklist is to thoroughly check your hotel room’s bed before placing any of your belongings, such as your luggage, onto the bed. Check the hiding places mentioned above, including along the mattress seams, in and around the headboard, and throughout the beddings for complete peace of mind from bed bugs in your hotel room. Keep in mind that bed bugs aren’t limited to beds; if there’s additional furniture in your hotel room, you’ll want to check that, as well.
Here are a few more tips for making your spring break a bed bug-free celebration:
- Opt for hard-shelled luggage to give fewer hiding places in the seams and folds
- Look for small blood stains or spots on your hotel room’s sheets; because bed bugs feed on human blood, this is often an indicator of activity
- If you do end up changing hotel rooms because you find bed bug activity in yours, keep in mind that rooms beside, above, or below your first room may likely have a bed bug issue, too
- Always thoroughly inspect your luggage after a trip BEFORE bringing those bags back into your own home
Dealing with Bed Bugs? Call Suburban Exterminating
Even with the most thorough detective work you can do while still enjoying your spring break, sometimes bed bugs can still slip through the cracks and end up in your home after a trip. If you think you may have a bed bug infestation, our team of trained technicians is here to help—give our team a call at (631/516) 864-6900 for a bed bug inspection.
