Bed Bug Prevention While Traveling

It is an unfortunate side effect to traveling in big, popular cities like New York that you can bring bed bugs home with you if the hotel is infested (even an upscale hotel). Increased global travel has made the bed bug the number one pest problem in the western hemisphere today. There are preventive measures you can take that will not ruin your vacation.

Some of these tips may be inconvenient but if they can ward off bed bugs from "hitching" a ride back to your dwelling, then they are well worth implementing. Of course, this goes both ways, so if you have or suspect you have bed bugs in your own dwelling, call a professional exterminator as soon as possible. Preventing the spread of bed bugs is everyone's business.

For comprehensive information on what a bed bug is, identifying them, and managing them, read this article from the Harvard School of Public Health. Better yet, watch an informative and eye-opening 15-minute video on bed bugs in homes and hotels (courtesy of the Bed Bug Blog). Below are tips to help prevent bed bugs from coming home with you from your travels:

Hotel booking.

1. Customer reviews are a goldmine of information on hotels, especially the ones in New York (it's unfortunate, but true). Read hotel customer reviews before booking your hotel.
   
   
2. Call the hotel to inquire about bed bug issues. They may or may not be honest, but you should ask anyway.
   
   
3. Check out the Bed Bug Registry to see if the hotel you are interested in is listed. Take note, however, that some listed hotels may have taken care of the problem since the issue occurred.
   
   

Packing.

1. Travel light! You will see why...
   
   
2. Although the above-mentioned sources give wonderful information on bed bugs, and my post is mostly about prevention of bringing them home, I will stress here that bed bugs hibernate for months at a time, and a suitcase is a prime hiding spot. While you may or may not have or have had a bed bug problem in your dwelling, following precautions help everyone contain the problem or potential problem. Try to get non-fabric, hardshell luggage. Otherwise, thoroughly wash the suitcase before packing, using a scrub brush against the fabric. Wash it with warm water and soap. Towel dry, use a blowdryer, or let air dry (but keep it off the floor, away from the bed, and wall). Try to wash it during the day. Then, once dry, seal the suitcase in an air-tight luggage encasement or container until you are ready to pack.
   
   
3. It is good practice to not place your suitcase on the floor while packing. Also, do not place it near your bed or the wall.
   
   
4. Place your belongings in air-tight bags (toiletries, underwear, socks, electronics, computer, clothing, jacket) and seal tight. This will either isolate the bed bugs lurking in these items or prevent them from getting in.
   
   
5. Try to bring clothes that are machine washable at high temperatures for when you return home. Better yet, locate an offsite laundromat to wash your clothes before bringing them inside your home after your trip. Try a dissolvable laundry bag.
   
   
6. Bring plastic packing bags for clothing storage during the trip as well as dirty clothes (pre-sort clothes so they are ready to throw in the wash or bring to the dry cleaners immediately when you return home). If bringing to the dry cleaners, alert them to the bed bug concern so they can take precautionary measures for their own sake. These bags are wonderful space savers, as they are air-tight.
   
   

Upon hotel room arrival.

1. Place the luggage on a rack (bring a small flashlight with you to inspect the rack) or desk away from the bed and wall. Never place it on the floor.
   
   
2. Keep belongings in the sealed ziploc bags at all times, especially overnight, only opening them when you need to use the contents inside. Keep clothes in sealed plastic bags, not drawers or closets. Keep the suitcase closed, preferably in a luggage encasement for optimum protection. Don't put anything on or near the bed or any upholstered items, like chairs.
   
   
3. Inspect the bed as best as you can by pulling back the sheets and checking under the mattress. If you see signs of the bed bugs, alert hotel management and request another room on the other side of the hotel and perform the same inspection there. You can check the headboard as well, though this may be difficult to do by yourself or otherwise.
   
   
4. Here's an off the wall tip but it may help: "Take a roll of clear packing tape with you while you travel. Wrap the legs of the bed sticky side out to trap the bed bugs trying to get to you." (Courtesy: Ezine Articles)
   
   

Packing upon departure and returning home.

1. Hopefully, you will have kept your ziploc bags sealed throughout your stay. Pack these and pre-sorted dirty (or clean) clothing (sealed in the plastic packing bags).
   
   
2. Upon returning home. Refrain from unpacking inside your home. Unpack in the garage, in the car, or outside of the door. If you have no other alternative, unpack in the bathtub. You should be ok if you encased your luggage all throughout the trip.
   
   
3. Immediately or as soon as possible, throw the pre-sorted clothes in the wash and launder at the highest temperature. Wash unworn, clean clothing as well. If it is not possible to wash clothes right away, consider placing them in the freezer (while still in the plastic bags and room permitting) until you can wash them (in hot water temperature).
   
   
4. In the bathtub, wash the suitcase (if fabric) after unpacking. You could skip this step if you encased your luggage all throughout the trip. Simply wash it with warm water and soap. Use a scrub brush on the fabric. Towel dry, use a blowdryer, or let air dry (but keep it off the floor, away from the bed, and wall). Another alternative is to keep the luggage outside overnight, if it is freezing weather. I would personally still wash it as well.
   
   
5. Once dry, close all compartments of the suitcase and store in an airtight, heavy duty plastic bag for future use.
   

Protect yourself. Get mattress encasements, and more to prevent bed bugs from biting you. Got any tips? Please let us know, leave a comment!! The more educated we are on this topic, the cleaner we can keep our homes and the hotels we stay in. Above all, it's important to not freak out! Get out there and explore the world. Bed bugs are a nuisance but they are not dangerous. By taking precautionary measures, you can help to safeguard against these creatures.

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I am working on an article for preventing bed bugs in the home on my homegoods and housewares blog. Stay tuned.

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Sources: ArticleBase, RestAssuredMC, BedBugger, U. of Minnesota, Harvard U., Suite 101, Get Rid of Bed Bugs at Home, Buzzle, Ezine Articles