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The last thing a person wants to do when they first check into their hotel room, is spend the next 15 minutes inspecting it to make sure there are no bedbugs present. Unfortunately, the bedbug problem is on the rise in the United States and checking for bedbugs, while a hassle, is one of the savvy traveler’s go to tricks.

So what do I have to do? And will it take a ton of time and lugging around of heavy furniture?

The following are a few quick tips that any traveler can do to help ensure the cleanliness of their stay and lessen the likelihood that they will be bringing home more souvenirs than just shot glasses and snow globes.

Handy bits of knowledge:

  • Using a flashlight or a flashlight app or your phone helps wonders to reach into those dark corners that bedbugs are so fond of.
  • Bedbugs range in size, shape and color, but the general rule of thumb is to keep an eye out for apple seed sized pests who can range in color from red to brown. Easiest way to remember? Bugs are just bad, okay? No Bueno. Do not pass go. Do not collect a hundred dollars. Check please! BUH-bye!

Keep your clean bags – clean.

Though it might seem counterintuitive, a good place to first park your luggage (not the bed or luggage rack as most of us are accustomed to) is none other than the bathtub. This prevents any bedbugs who might be hiding out in the furniture, floor and curtains to launch themselves into your travel-sized world goods while you begin you examination of the room.

Inspect before you rest your weary head.

Headboards and bed mountings are an often overlooked place that bedbugs like to hang out. What better place to rest after feasting on the flesh of recent passersby? Nothing like a little night out to eat that isn’t too far from home, never straying much further than 20 feet from their unsuspecting hosts bedbugs love a nice dine and dash before fleeing to the safety of the headboard.  Be sure to thoroughly check the edges and rims of the bed board for any stowaways.

One Night Stand?

Lastly, after the luggage rack and the intimacies of the bed, it is important not to forget our lovely holders of our valuables and whatever else we can quickly pitch onto them – the night stands. Make sure to pull out drawers and check the inside compartments in the inner edges as well as the underside, and side ledges where the drawers are pushed and pulled into place.

Final Words of Advice

If you have any doubt about the cleanliness of a hotel room or you do, in fact, find evidence of the creepy crawlies, make sure to take your clean luggage and report to the main desk immediately. They should be able to prepare another room for you or, if policy allows, refund your money.

And even if you can’t get your money back, it is better to leave the hotel immediately if you have found that bedbugs are present. Even if you lost money for the night or two, it will save you money in the long run by not having to treat your own, soon to be infested, home.

So have fun! Travel safe!

And don’t let the bedbugs bite!