5-star getaway goes horribly wrong: 'Be sure to stay safe'
- Replies 5
Regular holidays to stunning destinations with fancy 5-star accommodation – it's a life many of us dream of, isn’t it?
However, sometimes life has a way of throwing a spanner in the works, even when you least expect it. That's something this social media influencer knows all too well.
Model and social media influencer Aly Henry wanted to share the story of her terrifying ordeal with her 87,000 TikTok followers, in the hopes of helping them stay safe.
'My dream holiday turned into my worst nightmare,' she said.
She shared that upon returning from her stay in a ‘luxury’ hotel, Aly discovered her nightmare: she’d brought bed bugs – small insects that feed on human blood – back home in her suitcase.
Ms Henry said she spent almost $1,400 on a specialist to fix the problem.
Following the ordeal, the model shared three tips for travellers to help them avoid suffering through the same situation.
‘Number one, no suitcases on soft surfaces. Ever,’ she shared.
Ms Henry explained that bed bugs might crawl into your suitcase quicker if you place it on top of your bed or the couch. She added: ‘It can go on a coffee table, a desk, or any hard surface – even in the bathroom is better but no soft surfaces.’
Her second piece of advice was to avoid stuffing clothes you’ve already worn back in your luggage – especially if you’re planning to re-wear them.
‘They’re attracted to your smell and your carbon dioxide. So, if you have any clothes that you’re re-wearing on a trip, store them in the closet or store them in a drawer, and then when you’re ready to leave take it all with you so they’re not attracted to your bags,’ she explained.
Her final piece of advice was to wash every piece of clothing immediately once you’re back home. ‘I don’t care if you didn’t wear it. I do that all the time – I pack things I don’t wear. Still, you bring it home, you wash it and you dry it. High heat, if possible,’ she said.
Ms Henry said her advice came directly from the pest control professional she hired.
You can watch her video below:
In a follow-up video, she said she reached out to her landlord and had a pest control agent come take a look.
‘He said he couldn’t find any other bed bugs. He looked in all the crevices and said I can spray for general pests and I can also put out these traps.’
Still, the pest control agent told her to just ‘monitor it’.
When Ms Henry started to get bites on her traps, she then contacted a professional who specialised in removing bed bugs.
‘He spent six hours in my apartment, spraying every square inch of everything, quite literally took apart my bed, like the back panel, even sprayed inside my bed,’ she said.
When dealing with bed bugs on clothing, suitcases, or other fabrics, you need to be extra careful to ensure you can remove the infestation effectively.
First, you need to isolate the affected items; that is to say, keep them away from other fabrics or surfaces to avoid the bugs from transferring or repopulating. Then, vacuum the affected items and wash them in hot water with a strong detergent and launder them on the highest possible setting. Finally, to prevent further infestation, you need to dry the affected items on the hottest settings because bed bugs can’t survive high temperatures.
How about you, members? Have you experienced similar situations with hotel stays? If so, tell us all about them (and what you did) in the comments below! We’d love to hear from you.
However, sometimes life has a way of throwing a spanner in the works, even when you least expect it. That's something this social media influencer knows all too well.
Model and social media influencer Aly Henry wanted to share the story of her terrifying ordeal with her 87,000 TikTok followers, in the hopes of helping them stay safe.
'My dream holiday turned into my worst nightmare,' she said.
Aly said she experienced her ‘worst nightmare’ while on holiday. Credit: Lum3n/Pexels
She shared that upon returning from her stay in a ‘luxury’ hotel, Aly discovered her nightmare: she’d brought bed bugs – small insects that feed on human blood – back home in her suitcase.
Ms Henry said she spent almost $1,400 on a specialist to fix the problem.
Following the ordeal, the model shared three tips for travellers to help them avoid suffering through the same situation.
‘Number one, no suitcases on soft surfaces. Ever,’ she shared.
Ms Henry explained that bed bugs might crawl into your suitcase quicker if you place it on top of your bed or the couch. She added: ‘It can go on a coffee table, a desk, or any hard surface – even in the bathroom is better but no soft surfaces.’
The influencer was horrified to learn she brought home bed bugs while on holiday. Credit: Alykima/TikTok
Her second piece of advice was to avoid stuffing clothes you’ve already worn back in your luggage – especially if you’re planning to re-wear them.
‘They’re attracted to your smell and your carbon dioxide. So, if you have any clothes that you’re re-wearing on a trip, store them in the closet or store them in a drawer, and then when you’re ready to leave take it all with you so they’re not attracted to your bags,’ she explained.
Her final piece of advice was to wash every piece of clothing immediately once you’re back home. ‘I don’t care if you didn’t wear it. I do that all the time – I pack things I don’t wear. Still, you bring it home, you wash it and you dry it. High heat, if possible,’ she said.
Ms Henry said her advice came directly from the pest control professional she hired.
You can watch her video below:
In a follow-up video, she said she reached out to her landlord and had a pest control agent come take a look.
‘He said he couldn’t find any other bed bugs. He looked in all the crevices and said I can spray for general pests and I can also put out these traps.’
Still, the pest control agent told her to just ‘monitor it’.
When Ms Henry started to get bites on her traps, she then contacted a professional who specialised in removing bed bugs.
‘He spent six hours in my apartment, spraying every square inch of everything, quite literally took apart my bed, like the back panel, even sprayed inside my bed,’ she said.
When dealing with bed bugs on clothing, suitcases, or other fabrics, you need to be extra careful to ensure you can remove the infestation effectively.
First, you need to isolate the affected items; that is to say, keep them away from other fabrics or surfaces to avoid the bugs from transferring or repopulating. Then, vacuum the affected items and wash them in hot water with a strong detergent and launder them on the highest possible setting. Finally, to prevent further infestation, you need to dry the affected items on the hottest settings because bed bugs can’t survive high temperatures.
.png){kind=icon}
