No matter how clean or upmarket you think your hotel room is, there could be a hidden menace lurking between the sheets, upon the mattress, even in small cracks in the walls. Encountering bed bugs is one of the less enjoyable parts of travelling, and for those with an allergic reaction a trip to the local pharmacy is on the cards.
Here are some useful tips for dealing with bed bugs when on holiday.
How to Identify Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are small insects that feed on human blood at night, and their bites can give some people a nasty allergic reaction. Hostels and hotels with old mattresses and suspect housekeeping are where you’re most likely to encounter bed bugs. But even if you stay in a 5 star hotel there’s no guarantee you’ll be safe from bed bugs.
If you suspect you’ve been bitten check the bedding and mattress for signs of live bed bugs, their old skins, dark spots (droppings or blood). Live bed bugs are not that easy to spot since they range from 1 mm to 7 mm in size. They are cream in colour and change to a red or black colour after a blood feast. As well as lurking in mattresses, other common hideouts are in picture frames, behind skirting boards, between floorboards and carpet edges.
What Does the Bite Look Like?
One in five people are not affected by bed bug bites but if you’re one of the unlucky four you will see the marks on your skin within a day or two. Bites tend to be grouped in a cluster or in a line of three to five where the bed bug has had ‘breakfast, lunch and dinner’. The face, feet, neck, arms and abdomen are often targets. Bites may swell up like a blister and have a dark red centre. They can be painful to the touch and/or itchy.
Treating Bed Bug Bites
Getting bitten by bed bugs on holiday isn’t pleasant if you have an allergic reaction. Keep the bites clean to prevent infection and head to the nearest pharmacy for 1% hydrocortisone cream. This is the best thing for alleviating the swelling and itching, try not scratch the bites as it will make them worse. Pain relief tablets can also be helpful if you’re suffering. Bed bugs normally take around a week to clear up as long as you can remove yourself from the room where you’ve been bitten.
Preventing Further Encounters
Even though you’ve managed to treat your bites you’ll need to swap hotels. Changing to another room may not solve the problem as bed bugs are notorious for hitching a ride in luggage and clothing, so if one room is infected it’s likely many more rooms are infected.
If you’re lucky, the bed bugs from the previous hotel haven’t travelled with you but to make sure don’t place your luggage on the bed. Use a luggage rack or put all your luggage in the bathroom, including camera bags and purses, for a day or two. You may want to give the outside of your luggage a going over with insect spray and keep the door shut. Inspect the new bed thoroughly for signs of bed bugs, including the seams and sides of the mattress and behind the headboard. Night stands and bedside lamps are also a favoured hiding places.
When you get home even if you’ve not had any further bites it’s a good idea to vacuum thoroughly or steam clean your bags before storing. Put all your travel clothes on a hot wash to kill any lingering blood suckers.