As anyone who has done international travel knows, it is a fun and highly rewarding experience. Meeting new people, making new friends, experiencing different cultures; it is a once in a lifetime endeavor. Unfortunately ‘stuff’ happens no matter where you are in the world, and there are no guarantees your 4 week trip through Italy and France will go by without any hiccups. I know my travels never go particularly smoothly, and my adventure to Central America earlier this year was no exception.
Despite having tons of problems for 5 of the 17 weeks I spent in Central America, I had a great time and would not trade my time there for anything. With that said, when I returned and realized I had infested my home mattress because I brought bed bugs home with me, I was less than excited. I had to research bed bug spray reviews, buy bed bug traps, and invest in a bed bug mattress cover.
Luckily I caught the bugs before they did any serious damage or burrowed themselves too deep into my mattress. I read through all the bed bug spray reviews on Amazon and bought a spray and this bed bug mattress protector thing. After doing more research online I was introduced to bed bug traps, which can prevent bed bugs from crawling up or down your bed post. This was the final protective measure I installed, and after three weeks I have not had a single bed bug bite.
The bites I did get were pretty annoying though. They were deep and itched much more than any mosquito or spider bite I have ever received. They went away after a few days though, and my mom who is a doctor said there is nothing to be worried about long-term. Anyways, the moral of the story here: wash all your stuff before bringing it inside if you’ve been traveling or camping.