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Tips for Traveling in NYC

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scaredsayscared

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Posted 3 years ago
Wed Mar 3 2010 23:50:22
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Hi All,

I recently had a bb scare. I have read the FAQ's on traveling but still have a few questions. We have travel plans to come to NYC in June for a family reunion and staying at a hotel in the city..yikes! Anyhow...checked tripadvisor, googled the hotel, checked bbregistry.com and nothing there but I'm super paranoid now b/c of our scare and want to protect ourselves as best as possible.

We have been considering buying a packtite b/c we do travel often but one thing we travel with does not fit in a packtite (we checked the dimensions) and it's our son's playard for sleeping. Any suggestions on what to do? He's 2yrs old and has never slept well in a bed with us (he's a crib kid for sure) so that's not a great option to put him in with us. Would it be better to use the hotel's crib or playard and just wash all his stuff on hot etc when we return or just bring the playard with us and spray with something? Or try Hot shot pest trips maybe?

Also, does anyone know of any brand of rolling duffels that you can wash? I'm interested in that if not we might buy the bugzips but really would welcome any suggestions for traveling that have worked for you....thanks so much!
upagain

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Mar 4 2010 0:33:48
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Hi,

after my scare I have totally changed my travel habits. Here are some of my suggestions:

1. If money is not to tight, maybe leave your playard at home and pick up an inexpensive one in NYC that you can use and then leave (actually might be cheaper with what airlines are charging for luggage today).

2. All my rolling luggage fits in my packtite. I do use a large duffel that I throw in the dryer when I get home. If you really need a rolling one I would tyr and visit some store and see if you can find one with a removable bag this way you can throw that in the dryer and maybe fit the rolling part in the packtite.

Its funny how before my scare i would bring so much stuff with me, since I became bb aware I have learned to pack half the stuff I used to. If you do some searches you will find lots of info on peoples procedures for packing and returning home.

Have a good trip.
btaggart

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Mar 4 2010 10:04:52
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man nyc gets a bad rap for everything crime is down, we cleaned up the city, but now we got bed bugs. The big apple just turned into the big bed bug, maybe next new years instead of a ball they can drop a giant light up bed bug
cilecto

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Mar 4 2010 10:32:45
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I'd second the idea to minimize what you bring (whether you're traveling to NYC or to Antarctica). Either buy and leave it there or do without. Bag your luggage on arrival and keep it that way unless you heed to get at it. Have ziplock bags for the things you ate going to use at your hotels. On leaving, securely bag (and treat on return) or dispose of clothes you wore on your trip, especially sleepware.

Be careful what you purchase in the city and where. If it's goods from a street vendor, ask yourself: "Where does this person store his goods overnight? What conditions might he live under? If bedbugs were to invade his space, is he in a good position to beat them? If some bugs were to infiltrate the goods, would I be able to tell? Is it worth your efforts?" If it's a store, still ask yourself, under what conditions was this item made, shipped and stored? Is this something I really need and can't get at home?

Enjoy your visit, savor the experience, take good pictures, but travel light.
parakeets

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Mar 4 2010 13:17:31
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The paranoia about bedbugs in New York City is increasing so exponentially that I know personally people who are terrified to go to New York City, not because of crime, but because of bedbugs. I wonder why New York isn't more pro-active about addressing the problem? If people are afraid to go the city, the Mayor should take note. A head-in-the-sand attitude about bedbugs (bedbugs? what bedbugs?) is not going to work.
cilecto

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Mar 4 2010 15:52:40
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Sigh, 'keets. NYC took the head in sand attitude over crime for decades.
Adele

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Mar 4 2010 16:26:05
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I don't know - I am probably in the minority here in my recommendation

But I just finished a consulting project that had me in no less than 15 hotels in as many cities in a month - I encoutered more bedbugs in more hotels OUTSIDE of New York than I do living here. My point is taht hotels in New york are not the only ones affected by this crises

In any case - I beat back a horrendous infestation and my travel philosophy is that I don't stress out about where I go and what I may or may not encounter there. I travel as light as possible and EVERYTHING - and I mean EVERYTHING gets sealed into contractor bags before they come into my apartment and then is treated progressively wither in the dryer and/or in the PAcktite

my recommendation is to buy a Packtite and take ONLY what you will need with you from home. Everything - including purses coats shoes MUST be taken off before you enter your house and sealed in plastic and then treated into the Packtite or dryer

in other words, travel as normally as you can but be OCD when you get home

regarding the playard - if you can buy a disposable one for him in New York and leave it there when you travel back

take my word for it - the extra money you spend now will be worth it NOT to get bedbugs

by the way - I am sure that there were some in my stuff but because I was so careful when I returned home that I have not had ANY issues at all
spideyjg

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Mar 4 2010 16:34:33
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So what percentage of the hotels are you finding evidence on the road Adele?

Jim
cilecto

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Mar 4 2010 16:38:44
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>I don't know - I am probably in the minority here in my recommendation

I'm with you, Adele.
Adele

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Mar 4 2010 17:22:22
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Hi Jim - I was very surprised about it

I stayed in hotels in all major cities, Chicago, baltimore, washington DC, san diego, miami, etc

the percentage was VERY high. I saw one in baltimore and in a few others I saw signs of them - ie blood stains and fecal stains on the box spring, and was actually bitten in others that I did not see signs

I would guess that it was about half the rooms I stayed in. It was hard to tell because we moved around so much and I take a day or 2 to show bites. But I saw definitive signs in about 1/3 of the rooms I was in

this percentage is much higher than the statistics normally quoted but the interesting thing is that in many of the hotels there was a very pungent insecticide smell everywhere - not cleaning solution - but definitely pesticides. I don't know if they were treating for other insects but these hotels were definitely exterminating very regularly for something.

In the hotel in Chicago I had to change my room 3 times to get away from the insecticide smell - it was very strong like they were dousing the place with it and washing the walls with pesticides. I never encountered anything like it - and again these were 4 star hotels!

i never checked the bedbug registry in advance to know if these places had a problem. mostly becasue I did not want to know and had no choice as to where i was going to stay anyway
Adele

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Mar 4 2010 17:31:15
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ACtually there was one Hampton Inn in Miami that we stayed at that had a very clever passive monitor of a sort .

They actually stapled large pieces of cardboard under their nightstands on either sides and I assume it was uner other furniture as well but I could not lift the other furniture

when I ripped the cardboard open I saw black stains on the side next to the wall - it was the only sign I saw since the mattress and boxspring looked new

I thought the card board stapled under the furniture was a clever and cheap way to monitor
upagain

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Mar 4 2010 21:01:57
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cilecto - 10 hours ago »
I'd second the idea to minimize what you bring (whether you're traveling to NYC or to Antarctica). Either buy and leave it there or do without. Bag your luggage on arrival and keep it that way unless you heed to get at it. Have ziplock bags for the things you ate going to use at your hotels. On leaving, securely bag (and treat on return) or dispose of clothes you wore on your trip, especially sleepware.
Be careful what you purchase in the city and where. If it's goods from a street vendor, ask yourself: "Where does this person store his goods overnight? What conditions might he live under? If bedbugs were to invade his space, is he in a good position to beat them? If some bugs were to infiltrate the goods, would I be able to tell? Is it worth your efforts?" If it's a store, still ask yourself, under what conditions was this item made, shipped and stored? Is this something I really need and can't get at home?
Enjoy your visit, savor the experience, take good pictures, but travel light.

Guess I am not the only one who thinks like this when I buy things.
scaredsayscared

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Mar 4 2010 23:16:11
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Hi All,

Thank you so much for all your input and tips, it's really so appreciated. Cilecto, I'm with you about buying stuff in NYC. I usually love shopping, but not anymore. I already told myself not a thing is coming home with me from NYC...I guess I will save money there in order to afford a packtite perhaps I'm curious though where I might be able to buy an inexpensive playard in NYC though? Like at a Babies R Us or something? I mean do you think it's really risky to put him in the hotels playard and just wash and dry on hot and isolate his clothes really well when we return? maybe i can even just buy him cheap pj's and trash them there. Is that a crazy idea? He does have a stuffed bear though which he cannot be without, but I can wash it on hot and dry it when we get home.

We do plan on traveling much lighter than usual and I have already purchased a bunch of XXL Ziploc Bags for our clothes. I just have to figure out this playard solution now. Thanks so much everyone
soscared

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Mar 4 2010 23:43:56
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You know, I have lived in NYC most of my life, and I bought things that whole time, and I didn't get bedbugs until I left NYC on a trip. People do live and shop here and NOT get bedbugs. I am not saying it's unreasonable to worry and to "process" things and take precautions, but come on - NO SHOPPING AT ALL? Just bc it's NYC? Seems excessive to me.
soscared

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Mar 4 2010 23:45:37
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As far as the sleeping arrangement for the baby, I'd say it's fine to use the hotel's. You can examine it before putting the baby in it. It's smaller and easier to examine than an adult bed. I have a 16 month old, and personally, even though I am scarred by bedbugs, I'd put her in a hotel crib or pack-n-play, after examining.
scaredsayscared

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Posted 3 years ago
Thu Mar 4 2010 23:57:03
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Soscared,

Thank you It's so ironic b/c I've always been a germ freak with slight OCD before this but now I really could care less about germs compared to bed bugs! I was always grossed out to use the hotel crib and we brought our own but oh the things I'm learning since we had our bb scare. I just think it's so funny how now I will consider using the hotel's..lol.
bugration

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Posted 3 years ago
Mon May 31 2010 17:56:26
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Yes I must admit I am one of the people whose likelihood of travelling to NYC is drastically reduced by it supposedly being the bed bug capital of the world

The same is true, to a lesser extent, of the U.S. in general. It's hard for me to ignore the fact that of the American people I've met, the majority appear to have at least one friend/relative/acquaintance that had bed bugs, or in fact have had bed bugs themselves. Compared to in Europe where over 95% of the people I mention this to barely even know what a bed bug is.

That said, I did decide to travel to NYC last year and left without any known encounters with bed bugs. I started by not even sitting down on the plastic subway seats, but after a few days I just found it hard to believe that there really was such a huge risk entailed in doing so and "took the plunge" as it were!