A Viral Tiktok About A Bedbug-Ridden Vacation Has Tips To Avoid Bringing The Pests Home

A Tiktoker has gone viral for sharing her horror story about bedbugs brought home from holiday. In a video viewed over 2M times, Aly Kima details how the critters sucked the fun out of not just a recent trip, but her post-travel unwind too. Now, Kima wants people to know three tips to avoid bringing an infestation back in their suitcase.

"Imagine coming home from your dream vacation to an absolute nightmare," said Kima.

"I know what you're thinking, 'That's not going to happen to me, I'm staying at a nice place, I'm such a clean person.' All of those things do not matter," she said.

Kima revealed that she stayed in a five-star hotel that turned out to be crawling with the bugs. She now has hard and fast rules for her next trip that she's recommending for other travellers.

The first is to never place suitcases on a "soft surface," like a couch or bed. That means only desks and coffee tables where bugs can't lurk as easily should support luggage.

The next tip is to keep fresh and worn clothes separate because bed bugs are attracted to your smell.

"If you have any clothes you plan to re-wear on a trip, don't store them back in your suitcase," advised Kima. Put them in a closet, or a drawer, she said, to lessen the possibility of enticing bugs to enter your bags.

And, lastly, wash everything when you get home, whether you wore it or not. And use the highest heat setting, if possible, she said.

Kima's video has since received over 500K likes and 2,500 comments thanking her for sharing her story and pest control tips.

"Bed bugs resulted in PTSD for me, and there's so much shame around it. Sharing stories breaks stigma, thank you for doing it," wrote one commenter.

Other viewers shared their own tricks for avoiding a holiday catastrophe.

"I bought those bedbug stickers and put them in between the mattress you’ll know in two minutes if you have bedbugs. I do it for every hotel," one person commented.

As a rule of thumb, many advised assuming the worst about every hotel on arrival and always taking basic precautions to make sure you don't bring any six-legged souvenirs home after travel.