When traveling, your mind is supposed to be in a relaxed state.

You’re supposed to be more worried about what’s on the itinerary, or what’s on the menu of the local eatery. The last thing that is usually on your mind is whether or not you’re going to bring something home that you didn’t intend on bringing.

First off, you don’t have to worry about all types of bugs on your vacation travels. Roaches are attracted to warmth and heat, they will mainly be attracted to things like electronics, heaters, and places with lots of food residue. Sand fleas can be problematic on beach resorts, and cause irritating bites, but are not as invasive or spread as easily.

Regular fleas mainly attach to pets, and if you intend to find out more about fleas, you’ll learn that fleas tend to live for around 2 to 3 months, but they can survive for up to 18 months in ideal conditions. So you may want to keep an eye out in pet-friendly hotels. The biggest scare of the travelers, however, has to be the infamous bed bug.

We’ll go over a few tips that aren’t limited but deal with these critters so you can keep your mind at ease when traveling and focus on the fun.

Research

Before you even get to your hotel, or even before getting on the plane to the destination, one of the most important things to do is research. Read reviews, look through bed bug registries, histories, even news regarding the area you are traveling to and the hotels you plan to stay at. High-end hotels are not immune to pests, so just because you’re paying a lot doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do your homework, and definitely don’t skimp on accommodations just because it’s cheaper. If a hotel isn’t listed anywhere online or doesn’t have good reviews, you may be getting more than you paid for.

Inspection

Inspect your room and bed before anything else, you can place your luggage in a bathtub or bathroom floor when you get to your room. Bed bugs dislike hard surfaces like tiles and ceramic. The corners of beds are the first place to search, keeping in mind the signs of blood, droppings or their shells. Also, check the corners of the room and other dark places, especially fabric or carpeted areas.

Storage

Proper storage of luggage will ensure you are safe while you check your accommodations. Never put your luggage or clothing directly on the bed immediately getting into a room. If there are bugs, they can immediately bury themselves and hide in your luggage and clothes. By the time you decide to leave the room, you’ve already got an unwelcome passenger tagging along.

Suitcase

As mentioned, do not leave your suitcase open on the bed along with clothes. If possible, live out of your suitcase. Keeping your suitcase on hard floors or off the ground is also a good idea and should deter any bugs from getting into your things. Have a metal luggage racks with you when you travel and use hangers to keep clothes off the floor or off your bed.

Packing

You can use ziplock travel bags or airtight bags when traveling to not only keep your clothes organized, but they’ll remain clean and bug-free. If you do get bugs in your bags, they will have a much harder time spreading through your pack.

Arriving Home

When you get home from vacation, throw all your clothes, even unused ones in the washing machine. Wash your clothes immediately after the trip and then immediately throw them into the dryer. Don’t forget about socks, your bags and luggage and even shoes. You can put items in a bag, then toss them into the dryer to heat up. Ticks and bedbugs alike are killed off with high heat, but can survive a wash so the dryer portion is key.

Bites

Keep mindful of signs such as bites. Bed bugs, especially, will bite frequently around the ankles and their bites can often be found in groupings of three. Other bugs may leave single larger bites. These different bite patterns will tell you the type of pest you are dealing with, which will be easier to handle and find solutions for.

Professionals

If you are unable to handle any sort of pests on your own, call a professional to deal with it. There are only so many preventative and containment measures you can use, and if you find the situation out of your control, there is no shame in asking for help. Professionals will be able to better deal with a situation you are unable to.

Hopefully, with these tips, you can keep your mind at ease while traveling and on vacation, and the only thing you’ll be bringing home are souvenirs of the not so creepy-crawly variety.