When you first arrive at your hotel room after a long day of travel, it’s tempting to want to drop your suitcase and immediately flop onto the bed.
But experts say this is one of the cruicial mistakes travellers make, as it could leave you with an infestation that can be difficult to get rid of. Travellers staying in any hotel ― basic or fancy ― should avoid getting in or on the bed before performing a quick bed bug check. This involves getting under that mattress and taking thirty seconds or so to sweep the area.
Instead, the critters crave “warmth, blood and carbon dioxide,” according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and enjoy feasting on the blood of sleeping humans. The NHS says bed bug bites can be itchy, but they do not usually cause other health problems.
Bed bugs can hide anywhere, including on bed frames, mattresses, clothing, furniture, behind pictures and under loose wallpaper. They often leave signs of their presence in the form of blood spots (often found on mattresses), small brown spots on bedding or furniture (bedbug poo) and bites on your skin.
In October last year, an epidemic of bedbugs saw the streets of Paris littered with piles of abandoned mattresses amid concerns the UK could be next in line for an infestation.
All holidaymakers are being warned to stay on the lookout, as bed bugs don’t discriminate and can be found in good or bad hotels around the world.
Bologna added: “They like upholstery — just look at the sheets. Just peel back one of the corners of the bed, look at the seams of the mattress… just check. Check anything upholstered. Look at the headboard. Look at the chairs. If you don’t see anything, you’re probably totally fine.”
“People who are really cautious — like my friends who have had bed bugs — put their suitcase in the bathtub… just not on upholstery,” Bologna said. “Most hotel rooms are carpeted, so just don’t have your bag on carpeting.”
If you find bed bugs in your hotel or place of accommodation, you should report it to management immediately, or you may increase your risk of bringing the critters home.
Bologna also warned travellers to distance themselves from the problem adequately. She added: “If you decide you don’t want to leave the hotel but you want to switch rooms, don’t move to an adjacent room because that would be likely to have the same problem,” she warned.
According to the NHS, bed bug bites usually clear up on their own in a week or so, but in the meantime, you can put something cool on them, like a clean, damp cloth, to help with the itching and any swelling. If you’ve been bitten, it is also advised to keep the affected area clean and avoid scratching the bites as it could leas to an infection.
Koku Anyidoho graduates from Galilee International Management Institute