The United Airlines flight attendants union, AFA-CWA, is telling crewmembers to pack (1) a flashlight and (2) latex gloves, so they can search for bedbugs during their trips.

The union also reports cabin crew at Alaska Airlines, Frontier, Hawaiian, Spirit and others including American Airlines wholly-owned regional carriers Envoy Airlines, Piedmont, and PSA. Members are being told to be vigilant about bedbugs, not only at international carriers flying to Paris, where infestations have gotten the most attention lately.

• Check the mattress for bed bug remains
  
• That means looking at the corner of the mattress, seams, and labels
  
• Crew are advised that while the headboard is a place they can be found, not to actually remove the headboard because they could be liable for damage.

Flight attendants are also advised to use hard sided luggage rather than fabric, because those surfaces are harder for bedbugs to attach to, and to keep luggage off of floors, beds, and couches. The best place for luggage is on a luggage rack… or bathtub.

I’ve only ever experienced bedbugs once, a decade ago, while I was at a famous historic beachfront luxury property in South Florida. I’ve been lucky, but I’m probably irrationally fearful of them nonetheless.

Gary in 2013, The Only Time I’ve Experienced Bed Bugs

So how do you actually check for bedbugs? You want to pull back the bedding to expose the mattres and look at the corners and the lining of the mattress of what may look like ink blots from a pen (but is actually bedbug excrement). Look at the sheets and inside of pillowcases, too. It would sure be nice if hotels actually did this but they’ve been cutting back on housekeeping.

I have no experience with these but there are bedbug traps you can buy and bring with you on a trip. Set them out for an hour before letting your luggage touch any surfaces where bedbugs might hide.

Getting rid of bedbugs is usually done with heat. Some people use the hair dryer on clothes to kill potential bedbugs. If your home gets infested it’s going to need to be heated to 140-170 degrees, which risks melting some of its contents – but the more items you remove from the home to avoid this risk, the greater chance you’re also removing bedbugs or their eggs that will reinfest the home once you return.