No one wants to talk about the nasty critters, but they too often show up when we roam the world. You could find them, whether overnighting in a grungy hostel or sleeping at the most luxurious hotel.

Your travel4seniors.com editor most recently encountered them in Las Vegas. It wasn’t at one of the posh new resorts, but a supposedly clean hotel on the Strip. After a night’s sleep, my spouse noticed several bites on her ankle. When we rolled down the covers, we could see several bugs on the bed sheet. We called the front desk, and at first there was denial. Then, when we insisted, an employee was sent up. He took photos of the bed and said we could transfer to another room on the same floor. Refusing, we left the hotel, after first going to the front desk to declare we weren’t paying for the night.

We also immediately did what we recommend for every senior traveler who encounters the same problem. We stopped by a convenience store and bought medically-treated bandages for the bites, and several spray cans of insecticide.

Conveniently near the store was a park area. We went into public bathrooms, sprayed our clothes, as well as everything inside and outside our suitcases. After we flew home, we repeated the spray process. All clothing from our trip immediately went into the washing machine, set on hot.

Unfortunately, if you travel often enough, whether in a modern city or primitive village, be aware of the possibility of bedbugs. When it happens, know how to deal effectively with the problem, making sure they won’t ride home with you.