4 of Idaho’s Favorite Christmas Destinations Are Crawling With Bed Bugs

Holiday travel season is upon us! Whether it’s heading “home” for the holidays or Glendale, AZ to cheer on the Broncos in their very first College Football Playoff appearance, Idahoans are going to be on the move. 

AAA recently released their holiday travel estimates and predicts that at least 700,000 Idahoans will travel 50 miles or more to celebrate Christmas and/or the New Year. Those estimates cover the period between December 21 and January 1. 

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If you’re traveling by car, AAA says you’ll experience the least amount of congestion on the roadways during the early morning hours, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. By the time you’re reading this, two of the three busiest days on the road will be behind us but they say that you can expect heavy traffic throughout the day on Sunday, December 22. 

If your adventure begins at the Boise airport, AAA says that airports will experience the biggest crowds on Friday, December 20, Sunday, December 29 and Monday, December 30. Things will be less chaotic on Christmas Day and New Years Day. If history proves to be true, the busiest times at the security checkpoint are 5-7 a.m. and 10 a.m.-noon most days of the travel period. Airport officials recommend showing up at least two hours before your flight in order to check any luggage, get through security and find your gate before your flight begins to board. 

The TSA also recently issued three important warnings to prepare travelers before they arrive at the airport. They cover a lot of situations that only seem to occur during the holidays.

Where Are Idahoans Headed for Christmas?

When it comes to Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, the top 10 domestic destinations for Idaho include Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Vegas, Orlando, Hawaii, San Diego, Phoenix (thanks Fiesta Bowl,) Portland, Seattle and Bend. Many of these cities take the holidays to the next level and are a wonderful destination for building unforgettable memories. Unfortunately, several of them are also on the list of the most “Bed Bug Infested Cities in America.” 

How Dangerous Are Bed Bugs?

While bed bugs aren’t known to be spreaders of diseases like West Nile, Dengue or Malaria like mosquitoes, they can be quite annoying. The CDC explains that if you’re sleeping in a bed with an active infestation, you may not realize it until after you’ve become a snack. Bed bugs inject you with an anesthetic and an anticoagulant, so their bites aren’t usually painful enough to wake you and they don’t leave behind blood. But a few days later? Those bites may swell and get itchy like other bug bites. You may be surprised that these little blood suckers have also been linked to symptoms like insomnia and anxiety. 

Why Should Travelers Be Worried About Bed Bugs?

You know that sense of wanderlust you have? Bed bugs have it too and they’re sneaky travelers. Their bodies are naturally skinny and flat which means they can wiggle their way into everything from the pillowcase on that pillow you brought from home to the folds of your dirty clothes to the seams of your luggage. They don’t need to feed constantly, so they can stay in those hiding places until you unpack at home. That’s when they crawl out, enjoy you as a snack another time and start spreading to your furniture, bedding and other areas of your home. 

It’s a game of numbers. If you travel to areas known for infestations, your risk of bringing them home is greater. That’s why you want to check this list. Also know, they’re not prejudiced. They’re just as likely to appear at a five star hotel as they are at a shelter. 

How Can I Tell If My Room is Infested With Bed Bugs?

Bad news? These creepy crawlies are so tiny that you may not see them with the naked eye. Plus, they can be creative with their hiding places. In addition to the places we’ve already listed, they hide in cracks, crevices, indentations in headboards and behind wallpaper. However there may be signs like rusty colored blood spots on mattresses or furniture, molted exoskeletons and or a sweet, musty odor.  

Four of Idaho’s Favorite Christmas Destinations Rank on America’s Most Bed Bug Infested Cities List

Orkin releases an annual bed bug report which ranks cities based on the number of bed bug treatments they performed between December 1, 2022 and November 30, 2023. We cross referenced that with AAA’s list of most most popular Christmas destinations for Idahoans and discovered where they overlapped. 

Seattle ranks #9 on the list of popular destinations for Idahoans. It also ranks #44 for bed bugs. 

Christmas as Disney World is epic which is why Orlando finds itself as the fourth most popular holiday destination. But…it also ranks #46 for bed bugs. 

What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but the bed bugs won’t. Sin City is the second most popular destination for Idahoans but the #35 most bed bug infested city. 

And finally, Los Angeles ranks #1 for Idaho travelers and #5 for bed bugs! 

Planning a trip elsewhere? Here's a look at Orkin's full list to help you prepare to be on the lookout for signs of bed bug infestations when you arrive at your hotel or Airbnb.