Avoiding bed bugs while travelling
While you sleep, this little critter is feasting on your blood. Scarier than a vampire, the bed bug is marching to a hotel room or holiday apartment near you. Some travellers have even been bitten on their long-haul flights and cruise ships too. Why are bed bugs back? Some experts think it's because we're travelling more, temperatures, in general, are higher and the harsh chemicals that kept bed bugs at bay have now been banned. Follow Cheapflights.com.au's advice to avoiding the little biters.
Before you travel, read up on your accommodation on hotel ratings websites. Smaller, cheaper hotels are more likely to host bedbugs it's true, but guests at four and five-star establishments have woken up with itchy, red bumps too.
Buy the right luggage. Bed bugs love to burrow down among the crevices, creases and folds. Choose a hard-sided piece of luggage as the smooth surfaces mean fewer opportunities for bed bugs to lurk.
Once you arrive at your room or apartment, store your luggage in the bath and have a good look around. You're looking for tiny black dots (the bed bug's faeces) and their cast-off skins. Pay closest attention to the mattress and headboard of your bed and to the sofa if there is one. Seasoned bed-bug hunters catch a smell, described as sickly-sweet, when they walk in the room. If you find bed bugs, tell the concierge at once and find an alternative hotel pronto. But before you leave, make sure you get all the details (take pictures if you can) so you can get a refund on your accommodation.
If you're flying long haul and worried about bed bugs, you could buy your own seat covers or use a travel sheet. Another good idea is to have your luggage wrapped in plastic (lots of airports offer this service). Bring your own pillow and blanket and have a sealable bag to put them in at the end of the flight because you'll be loading them straight into your washing machine when you return home. Try not to put your clothes in the overhead bin where they will lie close to fellow passengers' coats and jackets. Stuffing them into your hard-sided piece of cabin luggage is a much better idea.
If you have come into contact with bedbugs on your stay, don't bring your suitcase back into your home. If bed bugs are hiding in the seams and folds of your luggage, you'll have an expensive time getting rid of them. Store the bag in a large bin liner until you can get it and its contents dry cleaned or washed and dried at very hot temperatures.
If you haven't come into contact with the bugs, or think you haven't, it's still a good idea to unpack straight into a washing machine. Forget about low temperature washing, only a hot wash will do to kill off the bugs.
Updated January 2012