How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs + Video

Travel Tip #8

Photo credit: Dblight / Getty Images

I’m starting to lose count of the number of times I’ve had bed bugs. I know it’s at least 5 times.

I’ve had bed bugs so often that when I returned home from my trips, my mother used to make me strip naked in the garage and point me straight toward the shower.

My suitcase never even made it into the house, but was emptied on the spot and all items immediately placed in the washing machine. I dare say my mom hesitated to hug me.

During a trip to Nepal, I discovered I had once again contracted bed bugs. I got them staying at an airport hotel in India, in transit to Kathmandu.

Fortunately, I’ve developed a sure-fire 2-step process: Bake & Boil. This system works because bed bugs can’t survive intense heat.

Step 1 - Bake: First, put your entire backpack in a black plastic bag and place it in bright sunlight for at least 10-12 hours. The plastic bag functions as an oven in the hot sun and bakes the buggers.

Step 2 - Boil: Next, pour boiling water on all your clothes and on your backpack, paying special attention to the seams, where the little critters like to hide.

Here I am hanging my clothes out on the roof of my guest house in Kathmandu. I took each item of clothing and dipped it into boiling water. Needless to say, not all of my clothes survived the process, but it did the trick, and I was bug-free.

Laundry atop my guest house in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Now you may wonder why I keep getting bed bugs. Fair question.

Ciudad Perdida

It’s because I travel to places where they are widespread. Like on a jungle trek to the pre-Hispanic ancient city of Teyuna, also called Ciudad Perdida (Spanish for the “Lost City.”)

Worth the 5-day jungle trek to visit Ciudad Perdida, Colombia’s “Lost City.”

Located deep within the jungles of Colombia’s Sierra Nevada mountain range, this archeological site predates Machu Picchu by nearly 650 years. Consisting of a series of 169 terraces, the city was an engineering wonder with a sophisticated system of aqueducts featuring stone and clay pipes.

I first heard about Colombia’s Lost City on one of my trans-Atlantic crossings. I immediately decided to venture on this iconic trek, a 5-day hike covering 44 kilometers (27 miles) through thick jungle.

Jungle Camp

It was during a stop-off at one of the jungle camps on the trail where I picked up the bed bugs. Pretty sure it was in some bunk beds, which is why I generally prefer to sleep in hammocks in remote camps.

Our sleeping quarters one night. (This was the preferred option.)

All told, the camp was pretty rugged. Here’s a look at the latrine situation. Honestly, I should probably be happy I only contracted bed bugs on that journey.

Jungle camp latrines. Pretty psyched there was a toilet actually.

Jungle Trek

The trek’s jungle landscape was simply beautiful. Lush and green, the surrounding hills were covered with banana trees, coca plants, and bamboo. I also saw what I thought were coca plantations, given the presence of armed guards.

The hike itself was full of steep ascents, some bouldering, and only a small jungle path to follow. It also included 12 river crossings. Some were just small streams, where we took off our shoes to keep them dry and scampered across. Others were fairly deep, and we took off our pants and waded through about thigh-high.

Indigenous Villages

One of the highlights of the trek was passing through several small Kogi villages. The Kogi are one of three indigenous tribes living in the area. Luckily, our trekking company is on good terms with the Native Americans (apparently, not all are), and we were able to visit the children and see their houses up close.

The village we stopped at housed about 35 families. The day we visited, all the adults were off working in the fields, so just the children remained, with the smallest kids looked after by a few older ones.

All Kogi children have long hair, so the only way we could tell them apart was the side-slung bag that the boys wore and the long necklaces worn by the girls.

This trek into the Colombian jungle was an amazing experience. I appreciated every bit of it: the jungle’s natural beauty, a chance to meet one of the local tribes up close, and the visit to the ancient city Ciudad Perdida, which so few get to see.

Worth the beg bugs? Absolutely. 🦋

✴️ Bonus Tip #1: Bed bugs are small and black and look like flat watermelon seeds.

✴️ Bonus Tip #2: Bed bugs bite in a line, usually 4-6 bites. They can appear as small brownish-red marks or inflamed bites.

Have you ever had bed bugs? How did you get rid of them? Was the adventure worth the infestation?

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Christened “Wander Woman” by National Geographic, Erin Michelson is a professional speaker and author of the Nomad Life™ series of travel books and guides, including the #1-ranked “Explore the World with Nomads.”