Bed Bug Vacation Tips

1. Protect your baggage and clothing. This is the most important tip of all. Pack all of your clothing in bed bug sealed luggage lining and individual sealed clothing bags. When in the hotel, keep all your clothing inside your original suitcase. Don’t put your clothes in the dressers or leave them lying around the room. Also, consider purchasing new luggage with a hard outer shell such as this one or this one. Furthermore, keep all your dirty laundry in a bed bug proof canvas laundry bag. The beauty of these babies is you take your laundry home (possibly containing bed bugs, and you toss the entire bag into the wash and just let it get cleaned along with everything else. No chance for bugs to escape!

2. Burn Em Out. As I’ve mentioned before, Bed Bugs can’t take the heat. In fact, they pretty much just die from it. The best way to protect yourself on vacation is to bring a portable heating unit. These devices can be used to lock up anything you have in the room, from clothing to electronics to your wallet/purse and will warm up to a temperature that nukes bed bugs. A portable heating unit can keep everything you have bed bug free, and keep your mind at ease while you’re out enjoying yourself. It can even be used to treat your actual luggage (it’s very large).

3. Use Lures and Traps. Bed bugs are so small, they are difficult to see. A simple bed bug trap that not only lures bed bugs away from you but also traps them and nukes them is a powerful alley to have in an unfamiliar sleep situation. Simply setup a trap in your hotel room, and let it keep the bed bugs away from you. Also, consider bringing your own protection for the mattress and pillows to trap existing bed bugs inside the mattress through the duration of your stay.

4. Use Common Sense. Once entering your hotel room, immediately check for bed bug detection signs. Look for dark stains on sheets, pillows, and mattresses, and examine the folds and edges of your mattress for bed bugs. Bed bugs also leave a sweet smell that is readily distinguished, so ensure your room has no strange odors. Keep your luggage up off the ground at all times using a luggage stand and if you suspect bed bugs, don’t be embarrassed to ask the management if they have a history of bugs or for a new room that has been recently treated for infestation.