After you’ve inspected your hotel room and found no signs of bed bugs, Orkin recommends taking extra precautions to “keep your belongings secured from a potential infestation.”

Here are some simple tips to protect your belongings.

Luggage: Place your suitcase in the tub during your stay to help prevent bedbugs from making their way into your belongings.

Clothing: If you don’t want the crafty critters clinging to your clothing, use resealable bags to pack clothing and shoes. Also, clothes are more likely to pick up bedbugs when moved to closets or drawers, so avoid unpacking and live out of your suitcase.

Personal items: In addition to being great hitchhikers, bedbugs are also masters at hiding. They have been known to hide in books, cloth toiletry kits and other non-metal personal items. Ensure your belongings are secured properly throughout your trip.

No food? No problem

It might seem like a lot of work but remember that bedbugs are extremely resilient and can live a very, very long time. “They can go months to over a year without a blood meal, so if left in a suitcase or on clothing, they can certainly survive and infest later on when there is access to food,” says Kesheimer.

While putting your suitcase in the bathtub might seem a bit odd, it can drastically reduce your risk of bringing home unwanted guests from your travels.

So, the next time you check into a hotel, skip the bed, forget the luggage rack, and let your suitcase sit in the tub.

What travel tips do you have to help others avoid carrying bedbugs? Please let us know your thoughts and then share this story with your friends!