The travel bug is what most of us hope to get bitten by, but there’s a chance you might be getting some extra from bed bugs if you’ve planned on going to Paris. I’m sure you’ve heard, but there’s word that the bed bugs have been traveling coach out of France to other parts of Europe as well. People have sighted them in not just hotel rooms, but also on the seats of trains, buses, and other public areas, and they show little sign of abating even after a month!

What a nightmare to have before Christmas, isn’t it?

Hold on, don’t panic and cancel your trip if you’re headed to France or Europe in general. We’ve searched far and wide to gather the best tips that’ll help you keep those pesky bed bugs at bay.

1. Bring a hard-shell suitcase with a latch!

Bed-bugs love hitching a free ride on people’s clothing and luggages, as well as on carpeted surfaces where there are spots to hide. The surface of a canvas suitcase, much like your outfit, makes it easier for bed bugs to crawl and stay on. That’s why, bringing a hard-shell suitcase can be a lifesaver! The rigid surface means there aren’t as many creases, nooks, or crannies for bed bugs to latch onto. Moreover, we can overlook closing zippers fully sometimes– out of no fault of our own, even, because those things can get stuck and refuse to cooperate with being closed fully. Latches are a little better at preventing this, so do bear this in mind when making your choice of luggage.

2. Bring Ziplock bags to pack your items in.

Putting your clothing, shoes, toiletries, and other items in sealable plastic bags can be a lifesaver from either keeping bed bugs out, or keeping them from getting out. If you suspect that bed bugs have hitchhiked onto your clothing, it’s important to pack them into a sealable bag so that you don’t end up letting them loose into your luggage!

3. Remember to snag bed bug spray and other essentials before you head off!

Suitcase liners can give you an extra layer of protection against the creepy-crawlies that love scurrying around your luggage. In the unfortunate case that bed bugs have already made their way inside during travel, they can help minimize the damage and discomfort. If you have extra space in your luggage, also bring along a portable hair-dryer (we’ll explain how handy this can be in the next section!) Bed bug spray is a no-brainer, but we’ve checked to be sure that they’re allowed through the airport. So make sure you grab one!

In case you’re already on your way to the airport, though, don’t turn back in a panic and miss your flight. We’ll just recommend that after landing in Paris, you purchase a spray before you check into your hotel room. If you’re not sure how to get one, do what you’d do at home and Google a store that sells it en route – if you have mobile data the same way you do back home, this can be a breeze. A travel eSIM like Jetpac can ensure data roaming at your fingertips, making it so seamless that it feels like you don't even have to do anything extra!

What to do once you’re in your accommodation!

1. Check all the gaps between beds and other furniture!

Don’t be in a rush to jump into your bed as soon as you set foot into your room, be it a hotel room or an Airbnb stay! Bed bugs love to hide between crevices and gaps, remember? Take some care to shift the mattress from the frame and inspect if there are any pesky mites crawling around in the gap, as well as behind headboards and drawers. If you can, check the sliders between wardrobes and the gaps between cupboards as well.

Keep an eye out for blood stains, eggs, and shedding – though you’ve got to look up a picture of bed bug eggs yourself, please. We’ve got limits to how many Halloween scares we can post. Key clues are rust colored dots on the bedding from squashed bugs, and a distinct, musty smell. We hear that a small flashlight can do the trick in making bed-bugs easier to spot. And remember the hairdryer we suggested you bring? These annoying creatures thrive in the darkness, but they’re also attracted to heat! If you can plug in a hair-dryer to a socket nearby, turn up the heat to a higher intensity and blast it over an area, you can attract them to the spot enough to confirm your suspicions. Don’t attempt to kill them using the heat from the hairdryer, though. Try using your bug spray first. In any case, if you suspect bed bugs at all, you should immediately alert hotel staff who can assist you with better equipment than the scrappier bug killer kit you have.

2. Keep your suitcase and items away from your bed.

Whether you’re convinced that your mattress is free of bed bugs, or you’ve woken up with bites swelling all over, keep your suitcase away from any bed or furniture if you even suspect their presence! It’s good to resist the urge to set your suitcase on the bed and start unpacking immediately after checking in. If your room in your accommodation has a non-carpeted flooring, place all bags and shoes on that area; if it’s only carpet all over, make sure you secure your belongings inside air-tight ziplock bags we suggested you bring earlier (and if not, it’s time to make a run to a nearby store, even while in France), and shut your luggage tight. This will prevent as many bed bugs as possible from making a home out of your luggage clothing rent-free.

3. Separate your clothing!

There are also reports that bedbugs are teeming around in the Paris metro and other forms of public transportation. Regretfully, there’s a possibility that you might be bringing some back to your accommodation. Be sure to change out of your clothing as soon as you enter your room. If you’ve unwittingly brought back some unwanted roommates of the crawling variety, you’d want to separate all the clothes you’ve worn outside and place them in a tightly knotted plastic bag or ziplock bag. And you especially wanna keep them away from your fresh clothes and other items!

What to do post vacation once you’re home

1. Unpack your luggage away from your bedroom!

… Or anywhere else in your house that you don’t want to bring bed bugs into, really. If you’d like to play it safe to the max, unpack your luggage outside on the porch or a balcony, or the living room at least.

2. Wash your clothes on high heat!

Make sure to take a shower and change out of the clothes you had on from the return flight before you sit down on a couch or a mattress! Wash the clothes you suspect of bed bugs – as well as anything else you brought along like smaller backpacks or pouches– in a high heat cycle for 20 - 30 minutes. This will kill most of any bedbugs, but not all. Lastly, remember to dispose of the ziplock or plastic bags used to store your clothes outside of your house!

3. Vacuum (and steam) your suitcase and bags!

You can’t fit your entire suitcase into a washing machine; so using a steamer for around 30 minutes to dry out the bed bugs with heat will do the trick! Keeping your steamer at 131F or 55C is enough heat to kill them. After this, you can also leave your luggage out in the sun on a hot day for added measure.

With these, hopefully, you have less to worry about when it comes to visiting France! You’d clearly have a lot to pack and prepare for, so why not get yourself a roaming data plan for Europe with Jetpac eSIM? You can certainly buy a pack right now and activate it later closer to your travels (as long as it’s within a year of purchase), so data connectivity will be one less thing to worry about! All it takes is one click to switch on data roaming in your settings to be connected instantly, so that you can stay in the loop with what matters, and look up vital survival tips!