Key Takeaways
- Hotels are the #1 way travelers bring bed bugs home. They hitchhike on luggage and clothing, not on you — so your bag is what to protect.
- Do a two-minute inspection before you unpack. Check the mattress seams, headboard, and luggage rack with your phone flashlight for live bugs, dark spots, or shed skins.
- Keep luggage off the bed and floor. Use the luggage rack pulled away from the wall, or the bathroom (the least likely place for bed bugs).
- Heat-treat when you get home. Run travel clothes through a hot dryer for 30 minutes, and inspect your suitcase before storing it.
Most people who get bed bugs didn’t do anything wrong — they stayed somewhere that had them and carried a few home in their luggage. The good news is that a quick routine at check-in and a simple habit when you get home handle almost all of the risk.
How to check a hotel room for bed bugs
Before you bring your bags past the door, set them in the bathroom (hard surfaces, no upholstery) and spend two minutes inspecting:
- The mattress and box spring: pull back the sheets and run your flashlight along the seams, piping, and corners. You’re looking for live reddish-brown bugs, tiny dark “ink” spots, or pale shed skins.
- The headboard: bed bugs love the gap behind a wall-mounted headboard. Lift or peek behind it if you can.
- Nearby furniture: the seams of upholstered chairs, the nightstand cracks, and the luggage rack straps.
If you find anything, ask for a room on a different floor (not the one next door — bed bugs spread between adjacent rooms) or change hotels. Our guide on how to check for bed bugs covers the signs in more detail.
Protect your luggage during the stay
- Use the luggage rack, pulled away from the wall, or keep bags in the bathroom. Never set your suitcase on the bed or the upholstered chair.
- Keep the bag zipped when you’re not in it.
- Don’t unpack into the dresser drawers — a classic bed bug harborage. Live out of your suitcase.
- Bag dirty laundry in a sealed plastic bag inside your case.
What to do when you get home
This is the step that actually keeps them out of your house:
- Unpack on a hard floor, not on your bed, and ideally not in the bedroom.
- Run all travel clothes through a hot dryer for 30 minutes — the heat kills any hitchhikers (how the dryer does it).
- Inspect and vacuum your suitcase, then store it away from bedrooms — a garage or basement is better than a closet.
The same hitchhiking rules apply to public transport and airplanes. For the full picture, see the EPA’s tips to prevent bed bugs.
Frequently asked questions
How can you tell if a hotel room has bed bugs?
Check the mattress seams, box spring, and behind the headboard with a flashlight for live bugs, small dark fecal spots, or shed skins. A musty odor in a heavy infestation is another clue.
Where should I put my luggage in a hotel?
On the luggage rack pulled away from the wall, or on a hard surface in the bathroom. Avoid the bed, upholstered furniture, and the floor near the bed.
Can bed bugs travel home on my clothes?
They can ride in your luggage and on clothing, which is why a 30-minute hot-dryer cycle when you get home is the single best precaution. They don’t live on your body.
What should I do if I find bed bugs in my hotel room?
Don’t unpack. Tell the front desk and ask to change to a non-adjacent room or a different hotel, and keep your luggage sealed until you can heat-treat everything at home.