I’m gonna go out on a limb here and assume that if you’re reading this, you’ve stayed in a hotel or Airbnb before.
And if my Instagram is anything to go by, right now feels like the absolute peak time to travel — whether it’s on a jaunt to Europe or just a weekend in a new city.
However, there is one word that can ruin any vacation in a matter of seconds: BEDBUGS.
If you’re lucky enough to have never dealt with bedbugs, that’s great! But no matter how clean your hotel or Airbnb claims to be, you can never be 100,000% sure that no creepy crawlies are lurking on the mattress, ready to cling to you and your clothing forever. And that's why every traveler should really know how to spot the telltale signs of bedbugs.
Your first step is to keep your luggage off the floor before you confirm there’s no bedbug infestation. Place your bags on a rack if there is one — if not, just keep your belongings as far from the bed as possible.
Now it’s time to start your sweep, and you’re gonna need to make sure your room is as dark as possible. Turn off all the lights and close the shades to block out as much light as you can. Pull out your phone’s flashlight and thoroughly do a sweep of the bed.
Make sure you’re peeling back the blanket and pulling up the corners of the sheets — bedbugs love to hang out in the creases of fabric and of the mattress. If you see a mattress pad, be sure to check that out as well. If there is a bed skirt, look along the creases of it, too.
To the naked eye, bedbugs basically look like a tiny version of the normal cockroaches we get in cities. They’re small but visible to the naked eye, and the more blood they’ve feasted on, the fatter they are.
Even if you don’t see anything that’s visibly a bug, keep an eye out for anything else out of the ordinary. Tiny black or dark red spots are often a key sign: That’s actually the bugs’ blood-filled poo.
Once you’ve checked the mattress and box spring, make sure to also sweep the headboard and frame, especially where they come in contact with the box spring. Not to scare you, but any item with edges could contain bedbugs, including nightstands, alarm clocks, and chairs. It’s VERY UNLIKELY that they’ll be there, but if you’re worried, it’s worth a check.
It’s important to note that bedbugs don’t necessarily mean a place is dirty. Most of the time, the bugs are brought in by people, rather than being attracted to hovels. You could stay in a $2,000-a-night hotel and sleep in a bed with bedbugs because of the person who stayed there before you.
And if — god forbid — you find a bed bug? Take photos to show your Airbnb host or hotel front desk, and request to be moved. In a hotel, see if you can relocate to the other side of the building in case the bugs have jumped to nearby rooms.
