For professionals who travel frequently, maintaining health, comfort, and focus on the road is essential. One hidden disruptor that can impact both your well-being and productivity is the dreaded bed bug. These tiny pests are more than just an inconvenience — they can affect your physical health, mental well-being, and even your business performance. Importantly, no hotel is immune to bed bugs. Whether you’re staying in a budget motel or a five-star luxury property, these pests can appear anywhere because they hitchhike easily and spread quickly.
What a bed bug looks like
Understanding Bed Bugs and Their Impact
Bed bugs are small, parasitic insects that feed on human blood, often at night. While they don’t spread diseases, they can cause itchy bites, allergic reactions, and even secondary infections from scratching. Beyond the physical discomfort, many travelers experience heightened stress, anxiety, and sleep disruption after discovering an infestation. Add to that the cost and inconvenience of extermination and replacing personal items, and it’s easy to see how these pests can derail both your trip and productivity.
Where You Might Encounter Bed Bugs
Bed bugs can cross your path at many points in a trip. They may hitch a ride in airport seating areas or luggage storage compartments on planes. While less common, they can also be found in rideshares or taxis if an infested passenger was there before you. Hotels, however, remain the biggest source of exposure due to high guest turnover. Even shared workspaces or meeting venues with upholstered furniture can occasionally harbor these pests.
Checking Your Hotel Room
Before unpacking, take a few minutes to inspect your room. Pull back the sheets and look along mattress seams, headboards, and pillows for dark spots or live insects. Check upholstered chairs, couches, and even under desks. Store your luggage in the bathroom, where hard, smooth surfaces make it harder for bed bugs to hide. Avoid using the luggage rack — they’ve become a surprisingly common exposure site because so many travelers now use them.
Reducing Your Risk of Bites
Although there’s no guaranteed way to avoid bed bugs, a few habits can help minimize your risk. Storing your clothes in resealable bags inside your suitcase keeps them protected. Wearing light-colored sleepwear makes it easier to spot unwanted visitors early. And while it’s never recommended to use repellents or essential oils if you have an infestation at home, applying them in a hotel setting may help reduce the number of bites during your stay.
Itchy rash caused by bed bugs
If You Suspect Bed Bugs
If you wake up with unexplained bites or notice signs of bed bugs, act quickly. Report the issue to hotel management and request a new room far from the original one. However, do not move your luggage to the new room until your belongings have been thoroughly inspected and either washed at high temperatures or heat-treated. Some hotels even offer unusual but effective solutions, such as using their sauna to heat-treat suitcases — an unexpected yet surprisingly practical approach.
Keeping Them Out of Your Home
Once your trip ends, take extra precautions before bringing anything indoors. Wash and dry all clothing at high temperatures immediately. Inspect your suitcase thoroughly, paying close attention to seams and compartments. For items that can’t be laundered, consider professional cleaning to ensure they’re bug-free. There are also specialty companies that offer freezing services for luggage and belongings, eliminating bed bugs before you even bring your items back inside.
Handling a Home Infestation of Bed Bugs
If bed bugs make it into your home, don’t waste time with DIY methods. Call a professional pest control service — it’s the fastest and most reliable way to eliminate an infestation. Isolate and treat affected belongings with heat when possible, and use bed bug-proof covers to protect your mattress and pillows. Regular follow-up inspections can help ensure the problem doesn’t return.
Mattress infested by bed bugs
Follow The Bed Bug Queen’s Golden Rules:
- Do not use any over-the-counter sprays, fogger bombs, or repellents. These can cause bed bugs to both hide deeper and to disperse to new areas, making an infestation harder to resolve
- Do not move any infested items unless thoroughly sealed with several layers of pallet wrap or strong rubbish bags taped shut. If you use rubbish bags, twist the top and tie one strong knot — not “bunny ears,” which don’t create a full seal.
- Do not relocate to other rooms. Bed bugs are skilled at tracking us by detecting CO₂ from our exhaled breath. They can, and will, move to other rooms to find a food source.
About the Author
This guide was written by Sarah Spratt, Director at The Bed Bug Queen Ltd. With nearly a decade of experience in the identification and treatment of bed bugs, Sarah has worked with families, travelers, and businesses across the UK, helping them tackle infestations with confidence and clarity. Known for her practical advice and calm approach, she’s passionate about removing the stigma around bed bugs and empowering people to handle situations effectively.
When she’s not inspecting rooms or advising clients, Sarah shares her expertise online to help others spot and solve problems early.
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