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The Travel Souvenir You Don't Want to Bring Home

Bedbugs are small, wingless and reddish-brown. They are also fans of suitcases, so here are tips to keep them out of yours.

By Amy McVay Abbott

Travelers love to pick up a tchotchke on vacation, a scarf from the Straw Market in Florence, or a jacket at Yosemite. Yet, there's one gift that may not stop giving that no one wants to bring home: the bedbug.

An exterminator working inside a home and spraying for bed bugs. Next Avenue
The EPA advises hiring a Pest Management Professional "as soon as possible" to avoid serious bed bug infestation.   |  Credit: Getty

A May 2024 article in "Consumer Affairs" rated the top 50 American cities for bedbugs, with New York and Los Angeles being the top two hotspots. Still, Houston is surprising at number three. As we move into the heart of vacation season, travelers must be vigilant, as bedbugs are as ubiquitous as "I Heart New York" shirts at Times Square.

Bedbugs Make Poor Houseguests

A clinical literature review about the evil critters shows the layperson why bedbugs make poor houseguests. Bedbugs are popular in the same vacation destinations humans like and love to hitch a ride home with you. While bedbugs tend to like settings with groups of people, like hotels, apartment buildings, dormitories and multi-family homes, they can also appear in entertainment venues like theaters or public transportation. Some of their favorite means of transportation are furniture, seats and luggage.

A May 2024 article in "Consumer Affairs" rated the top 50 American cities for bedbugs, with New York and Los Angeles being the top two hotspots.

Bedbugs feed on human and animal blood, and their favorite feasting time is when a victim is asleep or still. If you don't already have trouble sleeping away from home, that should help. Mattresses and curtains are among their favorite hiding places.

Live Science notes, "The ones that typically plague humans are the common bedbug Cimex lectularius and the tropical bedbug Cimex hemipterus."

The bugs are small and wingless (they don't fly) and are reddish-brown. During their lifetimes, they will shed their skin several times. The adults are about 0.25 inches. The bedbug's ultimate goal is a meal, and they will bite you in any exposed area.

Not all individuals will react to a bedbug bite, though others may find a bite itchy and look like hives. Bites can be treated with over-the-counter itch medication and will disappear as long as no other skin conditions exacerbate the situation.

A bedbug infestation can cause many headaches, as most fabric surfaces in the home will need to be cleaned or replaced.

A bedbug infestation can cause many headaches, as most fabric surfaces in the home will need to be cleaned or replaced. The Environmental Protection Agency advises hiring a Pest Management Professional (PMP) "as soon as possible" to avoid serious infestation. Because these professionals may be expensive and require multiple visits, the EPA suggests researching the organization before hiring them.

Prevent the Nasty Hitchhikers Before You Leave Home

Thinking you can check into a five-star hotel and still encounter the problem is horrifying. Yet "The Bedbug Registry" reports that bedbugs don't care about cleanliness but about finding a hiding place. Being informed about bedbugs is the place to start your vigilance. If you don't want your home to be welcoming to bedbugs, always make it inhospitable.

  • When you buy a new mattress, spend extra money for an encasement that will keep your mattress clean and bedbug-free. (This will give you double protection against mites.)
  • If you have extensive carpet and rugs, heavy curtains and other fabrics in your home, vacuum frequently.
  • Live in a building that houses multiple people? Install strips on the bottom of outside-facing doors. Seal any cracks on baseboards, especially outside walls.
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Before you unpack, check the mattress, headboard, curtains, and other places the enemy may hide. If necessary, ask for a room change.

Keep Your Guard Up When Traveling

No one wants a buzz kill along on vacation, but a few steps can reduce your chances of bringing home bedbugs.

  • When choosing a hotel, check the property out before booking on one of the many bedbug sites that take reports. In the last two months, I’ve traveled to Washington, D.C. and Indianapolis and checked our hotels on a site. Both, owned by Marriott and Hilton, respectively, were fine. However, this means that no one has reported these properties. It doesn’t guarantee there won’t be a problem.
  • If you have soft-sided luggage, consider keeping it in the bathroom with a tile floor. If you need to replace your luggage, consider hard-sided, which is much easier to clean and, in some cases, lighter weight. If you don’t want to use the bathroom, use the provided luggage stand and keep it away from fabric. While some recommend using the bathtub to store your luggage, think about it. Do you want your luggage wheels in the same place where you will bathe? I don’t think so.
  • Before you unpack, check the mattress, headboard, curtains and other places the enemy may hide. If necessary, ask for a room change. Do fellow travelers a favor by reporting on one of the bedbug sites.
  • Bedbugs don’t like extreme heat. You can purchase a product called Packtite, a portable heating unit for your luggage that will kill the pests. At more than $300, it’s a bit pricey, but for the frequent traveler, it may be a bargain.

Bedbugs have existed for centuries, yet their media profile rose last fall when Parisians had a bedbug infestation and worried it would affect the Summer 2024 Olympics, starting at the end of July. Thousands of beds made from recyclable material are washable, and Olympic officials report bedbugs will be among the least of their worries.

The Olympics will pass, but your home will still be your castle, and needs your vigilance against the havoc and harm these tiny beasts can cause, whether in itching, allergies, or damage to your possessions.

For more information, check out the EPA site on bedbugs, Bed Bug Registry and TripAdvisor.

Contributor Amy Abbott
Amy McVay Abbott is a retired health care executive who writes about health and aging, caregiving, disability, and occasionally the arts and history. She formerly wrote “A Healthy Way,” syndicated by Senior Wire News Service. Read More
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