When you arrive at a hotel after a long trip, you may want to put your suitcase beside the bed and start unpacking. However, experienced travelers often recommend placing your luggage in the bathtub first. The reason is simple: **bed bugs** can easily hitch a ride in suitcases, clothing, and other belongings. A bathtub is not completely bed-bug-proof, but it provides a temporary place to keep your luggage away from the bed, carpet, and upholstered furniture while you inspect the room.

Bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers and can hide in small cracks and crevices. Before unpacking, take a few minutes to check the area around the bed, where they are commonly found. Look along the mattress seams, corners, piping, and folds, then examine the box spring and accessible parts of the bed frame. **“You’re looking for signs rather than trying to spot a live insect.”** A flashlight can help you see small details more clearly.

The headboard is another area worth checking because seams, gaps, joints, and attachment points can provide hiding places. You do not need to take anything apart; simply inspect the areas you can easily see. Nearby nightstands and other furniture should also be checked, especially around cracks, joints, and edges.

Keeping your suitcase in the bathtub during this quick inspection is mainly about reducing risk. The bathtub is a **“smooth, hard-surfaced area without the fabric, upholstery, and cracks commonly found around beds and luggage racks.”** Once you are satisfied with the room, you can move your luggage and unpack. This simple habit takes only a few minutes but can help prevent unwanted pests from coming home with you.