You’ve spent months planning your perfect vacation at a five-star hotel in a tropical paradise. You’ll rest, relax, eat and shop for treasures. Souvenirs can be marvelous reminders of your dream vacation, if you’re careful about what you’re bringing back.

If travelers knew that there is a ninety percent chance that popular hotel chains, even presidential suites in five-star hotels are prone to bed bugs, there would be far fewer bodies lining the beaches. Your favorite hotel may have hosted a bed bug infestation, while patrons slept completely unaware.

How would you know if your hotel had bed bugs? What would you do about it? You should have the answers before you take your next trip. Knowing the signs and symptoms of bed bug infestation is your best way to keep these pests from following you home.

That Telltale Itch

You will likely feel this sign before you see it. The itch of a bed bug bite is prevalent before the rash is even visible. Bed bug bites tend to be itchier than mosquito bites. When a mosquito bites, you are able to feel the sting of the bite and the sucking of blood. With bed bugs, it’s quite different. First of all, the bugs only feed while their victims are fast asleep. Further, there are anesthetics in bed bug’s saliva to dull the pain, and anticoagulants to prevent the blood from clotting. They are able to bite you without detection, and then leisurely feed until they can take no more.

In most cases, a bed bug bite will show as a rash about an hour after the skin is pierced. For others, the rash won’t develop until several days after being bitten. This depends on an individual’s reaction to the chemicals secreted by bed bugs.

Would you be able to spot a bed bug rash? The rash begins with a single, small, red, inflamed bump. It will appear more swollen than a mosquito rash. Initially, the rash will appear as a single, swollen spot. Days later, however, the bed bug rash will multiply. Of course, this means that the original bug has brought his friends back for another feast. People who move around a lot while they sleep may notice a rash of “in-line” bite marks. This formation takes place because the bed bugs feed quickly and return to their hiding places as soon as the host begins moving.

If you have a rash that you suspect may be the result of bed bugs, keep an eye on it for several days. Bed bug rashes can still be itchy, even days after they first appear. The rash won’t go away as quickly as a mosquito bite mark, and may even stay swollen for weeks.

Oooh, that Smell

The presence of bed bugs can sometimes be detected by a particular odor in the room.

Hotel rooms with heavy bed bug infestations have an offensive, sweetish, musty odor. This scent is released by the bed bugs through their urine and feces. Conduct a “sniff test” in your room, paying close attention to the headboard, upholstered furniture, wood chairs and under the mattress. If you detect a strange odor that you think may indicate a presence of bed bugs, keep traveling.

The odor is less noticeable in hotels with light or minimal infestation, so be careful.

Protect Your Home from Invasion

* The night before you check out of the hotel, remove every item from your suitcase. Bed bugs are incredibly effective hitchhikers. They are able to survive for months without food, and could very easily start an infestation in your home if they traveled home in your luggage.

* Bed bugs are partial to paper, cloth and wood items. The insects can easily hid out and create a habitat in these porous materials. Any and all items made of these materials should be carefully inspected.

* A water-based insect killer should be sprayed in and around your suitcase.

* Shake out your clothes to remove any bed bugs.

* Wipe your bathtub dry, and put your clothing and travel items in the tub. Bed bugs won’t stay on marble or ceramic tub surfaces, as these offer no comfort to the pests and usually gets wet.

* Wash your laundry before returning home.

This seems like an awful lot of work, especially on your last day of vacation. It’s nothing compared to the trouble you’ll go through if you have to exterminate your entire home. Once bed bugs find their way into your bedroom, they’ll quickly spread to other rooms in your home. It’s incredibly tough to get rid of bed bugs, and you may even have to resort to throwing away your mattresses and upholstered furniture.

Taking a dream vacation is even more fun when you travel with a guest. But if you see signs of Itchy and Stinky in your hotel room, send them packing right away. You’ll be much better off traveling solo.

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