Whether you’re on the road for a business trip or family vacation, it’s always important to check for bed bugs while traveling. Why? For one, these parasitic insects are found in just about every corner of the world — and if you wind up with an infestation in your hotel room, rental, or even your mode of transportation, you can expect an unpleasant trip. What’s more, a bed bug infestation encountered on your travels can easily spell a future infestation in your own home. This is because bed bugs are notoriously adept hitchhikers. They’ll find a way to attach themselves onto any of your belongings — from clothes and shoes to luggage and more. From there, they can travel back with you virtually undetected and set up shop wherever you set your stuff down. To prevent such a situation from occurring, it’s important to always check for bed bugs while traveling. In this guide, our bed bug extermination and prevention professionals at PrevSol Bed Bug Heat Doctor will show you how. Read on to learn more, and shop bed bug extermination and prevention products with us today!
Checking Your Transportation
Bed bugs themselves travel by hitching a ride onto human belongings. Thus, bed bugs that have made their way into the clothing or luggage of travelers can easily make their way onto the seats and platforms of any mode of transportation. Taxis, buses, and even airplanes are all sites of potential bed bug infestations. To ensure that your space is safe while you travel, it’s always important to check meticulously around your seat. Look in seams and cracks for small, oval-shaped insects with a reddish-brown color. Also, keep an eye out for rusty colored or reddish stains on your seat. These may be a sign of crushed bed bugs.
In a crowded airplane or a fast-moving shuttle service, you probably won’t have time to check your surroundings as thoroughly as you wish. Knowing bed bugs are only several millimeters in length, it’s a good idea to pack for protection. Bring a garbage bag or sheet of plastic to sit on, and try to avoid using the airline’s complimentary blankets and pillows if possible.
Checking Your Lodging
Wherever you end up staying on your travels, you want to be sure to that your space is bed-bug free. To do this, it’s always important to perform a thorough examination of your quarters before settling in. Before starting your examination, place your luggage in the bathtub or shower. (Bed bugs are rarely found in there — and if they are present, you’ll be able to spot them right away.) Begin your examination with a thorough check of the bed. Look for signs of bed bugs while traveling in the folds and seams of your sheets, comforters, pillows, and mattress pads. Use the EPA’s wallet-sized bed bug ID printout to help you identify signs of bed bugs and their eggs during your inspection. Check underneath your bed with a flashlight, and look around every corner of your box spring and headboard.
Bed bugs love low-light, compact crevices where they can hide. If you see any cracks in the walls or floors of your room, check there. Look behind picture frames and other wall decorations, and check inside all drawers (especially if you plan on using them to store your clothes and other belongings). Also, be sure to inspect any upholstered furniture just as you inspected your bed. Perform a thorough examination of every surface, and look closely at all seams for signs of bed bugs and their eggs.
Protecting Your Space: Preventative Travel Gear From PrevSol Bed Bug Heat Doctor
While inspecting for bed bugs while traveling is important, inspections themselves can sometimes miss signs of these tiny parasitic insects in any given space. The best way to ensure that you and your belongings stay safe from bed bugs is to invest in preventative travel gear to take with you wherever you go. Here at PrevSol Bed Bug Heat Doctor, we carry a selection of travel items specially-designed to ward off and bed bugs and keep you safe on your travels. Shop our inventory for travel sprays and hand sanitizers to protect yourself while you’re on the road. No matter where you’re going, ensure that you stay safe and protected from bed bugs with PrevSol Bed Bug Heat Doctor travel gear.
Want to learn more about how to check for bedbugs while traveling? Our bed bug experts are here to answer any of your questions. Contact us today!
