There’s nothing quite like arriving at your hotel, dumping your suitcase (and yourself) on the bed, and immediately feeling like you’re on vacation. Don’t you agree that it’s completely natural and acceptable? As it turns out, though, there’s something seriously off about that equation, at least according to the experts. In particular, the point where you throw your bag on the bed.
To your surprise, the bed isn’t the most convenient place to store your bags during a hotel visit. Also, on the ground. Or even crammed into a closet on a suitcase rack. The savviest travelers, however, know to keep their bags in the hotel’s bathroom, or even better, in the bathtub.
1. The Benefits of Leaving Your Suitcase in the Hotel Tub
The explanation is less complicated than you may imagine; nonetheless, it still has the potential to give you the creeps: bed bugs. These microscopic creatures feed on human blood while concealing themselves in soft furnishings like mattresses and sofas. (It sounds like a scene from a horror film, doesn’t it?) And if they’re in the room, they won’t think twice about making the short hop from the bed to your suitcase, and then onto your clothes.
According to National Pest Management Association staff entomologist Dr. Brittany Campbell, “travelers should avoid placing their luggage on upholstered surfaces and the bed when they arrive at their destination,” because bed bugs are most commonly found on mattresses, box springs, and in the crevices of furniture and inside upholstery (NPMA).
Campbell suggests keeping your bags in the bathroom while traveling because they are much less likely to be infested there. Luggage can be stored in the bathroom either temporarily while a full inspection of the room is made for bed bugs, or permanently. (If you forget your luggage in the tub and get in the shower, remember to retrieve it first. Possible Negative Outcomes)
