bed bugs

[ado121]

i have bed bugs on my 'things to worry about' radar right now.

anyone else?

when travelling how do you prevent them?
can we call the hotel directly and ask them? are they legally required to tell me the truth?

 

[robinb]

i have bed bugs on my 'things to worry about' radar right now.

anyone else?

Nope.

 

[disneygal2007]

That is one of my worst nightmares

 

[disneychrista]

No I don't worry about them. And honestly there is nothing YOU can do to prevent them, since the hotel either has them or they don't. The key would be to try to prevent you bringing them home. My suggestion would be to make sure to wash everything your bring home immediately. Do not put anything on your home bed until it was washed.

 

[ado121]

Nope.

alrighty then!

 

[mom2aidanNpiper]

I don't actively worry about them, however I have looked up hotels on the bed bug registry online that travelers report to. I also read tripadvisors reports for overall reviews on any hotel I plan to stay at (which may or may not mention things like bed bugs).

 

[JH87]

I will admit, during my last DLR visit in October, we stayed at this cheap little place on Ball Rd, so I was thinking about bed bugs. I actually checked the mattress and it was clean! The motel ended up being amazing, great service, clean, good price, etc.
After that, bed bugs don't concern me at all. The idea of bringing them home is scary though! But I don't think there are any places around DLR that have had recent reports of bed bugs.

 

[d1sneymom]

I am super paranoid about bed bugs. Couple of tips I've been using. Check the headboards and the folds of the mattress. I never ever put my luggage on the bed. I store it on the luggage rack in the closet.

Usually when I check in the first think I do is prop open the door with my luggage and check the headboard and mattress. You can even check the chairs. As soon as you get home laundry all the clothes. Do not put your luggage on your bed instead unpack somewhere else and then bag your luggage in plastic. Sounds super paranoid right? But with family who work in the hotel industry they give me tons of tips about everything regarding hotels! LOL

here is this bedbugregistry.com website.

And if you do find the bugs asked to be moved (not next door or the floor above or below that room!)

*Mods if the website is not ok to post, please remove! sorry!

 

[Roythe13th]

I worry about bed bugs. I've never really worried about them but there has been so many stories lately and then one of my best friends found out his apartment was infested a week before my trip last month so they were on my mind when I went to LA. He bought a sofa on craigslist and didn't check it out properly. He has a friend staying with him who sleeps on the sofa and that allowed the little pests to have a feast every night and multiple. My friend has cats so the guest always assumed fleas for the skin irritations and marks. The cats do not have fleas and things got out of hand quickly.

There are many websites and videos out there that offers tips. Many of them I think are a little extreme but they can give you some ideas of how to protect yourself. My suggestions would be to buy those space saver/vacuum bags. Not only do they protect your clothes from bed bugs but they can save you room in your luggage too. I actually bring a few and they came in handy at the end of the trip so I didn't have to mix dirty clothes with the clean ones for the trip back home.

Inspect the room when you arrive especially the mattresses and head board. I stayed at 4 different hotels on my last trip to the LA area and although I never found bed bugs, one hotel in particular I found dead beetles under the sheets and an empty box of condoms in the nightstand! I got a refund but the lesson is to check out the room before unpacking.

Keep your luggage on the luggage racks. Do not put your luggage on the bed or sofas. Bed bugs need to be close to their victims so I try to keep what I bring in (luggage, clothes, laptop) on the luggage rack and/or the closet away from the bed. Now I've always been this kind of person who likes to keep all my stuff in a hotel room consolidated into one area so this isn't something I just started doing. I don't like it strung all over the room. I don't like the idea of housekeeping have to work around all my stuff (or snoop through it) and this way, I don't have this mad dash to gather everything and get ready on check out day.

And I have talked to people at the front desk at every hotel I've checked into about how they deal with the issue of bedbugs. I don't do it in a rude way and explain how I do this at all hotels even if I was staying at a lavish 5 star resort. No hotel wants the bad reputation for bed bugs so most will be happy to tell you how they deal with the issue and so far, I've never experienced anyone who took an attitude with the questions and all seem to understand the concern. Of course, not matter what they do, a bed bug(s) can be brought in at any time into the hotel by other guests but it is reassuring when the hotel is at least proactive about the issue.

And when you get home, wash everything in hot water and dry in high heat if possible. Keep your luggage you bring home away from your bed and sofas until you can inspect them.

So hopefully these tips may help but please don't let it ruin your travel. I don't think there is anything wrong with taking precautions but don't let it get out of hand. I know it's sometimes easier said than done. After my last trip where I was very proactive about protecting myself from bed bugs and not having found evidence of them, my anxiety level has lowered.

 

[robinb]

alrighty then!

Well, you asked!

 

[snikelfrizt]

Anybody else itchy now???

 

[ado121]

thanks for the great advice. thats what i was looking for!

 

[amamax2]

I am not overly concerned, but dealing with bed bugs (or lice) would be a one of my worst nightmares, too.

No matter what hotel we stay at - from luxury to grungy (OK, I don't think I've ever stayed at a truly grungy hotel ) - the first thing I always do is pull up the sheets and check the mattresses. It only takes a few seconds and reassures me. I really don't even think about it any more - it's just become habit, like checking if there are four sets of towels and tp in the bathroom.

 

[NewbieMouse]

I am super paranoid about bed bugs. Couple of tips I've been using. Check the headboards and the folds of the mattress. I never ever put my luggage on the bed. I store it on the luggage rack in the closet.

Usually when I check in the first think I do is prop open the door with my luggage and check the headboard and mattress. You can even check the chairs. As soon as you get home laundry all the clothes. Do not put your luggage on your bed instead unpack somewhere else and then bag your luggage in plastic. Sounds super paranoid right? But with family who work in the hotel industry they give me tons of tips about everything regarding hotels! LOL

here is this bedbugregistry.com website.

And if you do find the bugs asked to be moved (not next door or the floor above or below that room!)

*Mods if the website is not ok to post, please remove! sorry!

I looked at the site - amazing how many hotels around disneyland have reports. Not the one I've booked, but [groan] one more thing to worry about!

 

[DahliaRW]

I looked at the site - amazing how many hotels around disneyland have reports. Not the one I've booked, but [groan] one more thing to worry about!

But, they are just "reports" and not confirmed. Some people might interpret a rash they get from something else to being "bed bugs". You never know.

 

[disneychrista]

But, they are just "reports" and not confirmed. Some people might interpret a rash they get from something else to being "bed bugs". You never know.

There was even one report from someone saying they got bed bug bites from Captian EO.

 

[LisaCat]

There was even one report from someone saying they got bed bug bites from Captian EO.

I saw that too. I would imagine that, like lice, if someone is "carrying" them about, you could get them just about ANYWHERE.

 

[skiingfast]

But, they are just "reports" and not confirmed. Some people might interpret a rash they get from something else to being "bed bugs". You never know.

Good point. Plus people might want to discredit a hotel by posting something like that wether it happened or they stayed there. Like when I had a friend that worked at a hotel several years ago who when it was slow had to look at the other local hotels on tripadvisor and put in negative posts.

 

[NewbieMouse]

But, they are just "reports" and not confirmed. Some people might interpret a rash they get from something else to being "bed bugs". You never know.

Good point. I'll check my mattresses thoroughly before I cart in my luggage.

 

[d1sneymom]

I just take the website I posted for what it is. Informational and I'm just more cautious and will inspect my room before actually settling in. But you can (could) get bed bugs/lice anywhere. Movie theaters are supposedly notorious for lice.
And with websites like TripAdvisor some of the pictures with people with "bed bug bits" could have gotten bitten by something else or be something like scabies. Esp. when the review seems completely horrible while the other 98% the reviews are great.

I understood that it takes sometime for the bite to manifest. I know some people are extremely allergic so it can show within hours. But don't worry about. Just be careful and know what you are looking for!