Your Guide To Bed Bug Free Holiday Travel

The holiday season is just around the corner and for many people that means traveling in order to spend time with their families and friends. However, it is important to remember that people are not the only ones traveling, bed bugs are also traveling this holiday season, making their way into hotels, taxis, airports, airplanes, and buses. Taking the time to understand bed bugs and employing necessary precautions will help to make sure that your home does not become a bed bug's next home after holiday travel.

Bed bugs are very prolific breeders, so just bringing even one pregnant female into your home from your holiday travels could lead to a serious bed bug infestation in a relatively short period of time. Bed bugs are parasitic breeders that feed on the blood of mammals, particularly liking human blood. They remain hidden during the day under mattresses and box springs, and in the cracks and crevices of walls, floors, and wooden furniture; they then come out at night to feed.

Adult bed bugs are visible to the human eye, and appear very similar to an apple seed with legs. The key to protecting yourself against bed bugs is vigilance, checking your surroundings, and taking the proper precautions. The experts at American Pest want your holiday season to be bed bug free so we are offering you some easy travel tips!

During travel

• Inspect your seating and surrounding areas while waiting for your plane, bus or rental car. Once again, check inside the plane, bus or car. Look for shed bed bug skins, reddish brown spots, and adult bed bugs.

• If possible, do not use provided travel pillows.

• When claiming your bags from the carousel, inspect them for not only signs of damage but for bed bugs as well.

While at your travel destination

• Inspect your room before bringing your luggage inside of it. Use a flashlight to examine all the nooks and crannies of your hotel room. Look under mattresses, box springs, upholstered chairs, drawers, headboards, wall sockets, carpets, closets, and behind pictures.

• If possible, use a plastic luggage liner in your suitcases.

• Don’t leave your suitcase on the floor; instead keep it up off of the ground, using the luggage rack.

• Keep clothing and other items that aren’t being used in sealed plastic bags.

• Place dirty clothing into sealed plastic laundry bags to take back home with you.

When returning home from your holiday travels

• If possible, unpack your bags outside.

• Vacuum the inside and outside of your luggage and wipe it down before bringing it inside.

• Wash all clothing in hot water and then place in the dryer.

• If some clothing items can’t be washed or dried on high heat, have those items dry-cleaned instead.

Hopefully, these tips will help to ensure that your holiday travel season goes smoothly and that you avoid interactions with bed bugs. However, if bed bugs do end up hitchhiking their way into your home, don't despair! American Pest has very effective treatment methods, including heat treatments, that can quickly and completely eradicate bed bugs from your home!

For more information about bed bugs or bed bug treatments, contact the pros at American Pest today!