Jaunted

Scary Bugs

Itchy Travel: Bedbugs Now In Planes, Tranes and Automobiles Too

September 23, 2008 at 9:00 AM | 0 Comments

While we thought bedbugs were something that only worried our sister blog, apparently our jet-set lifestyle--especially thanks to budget airlines--is spreading bedbugs to places you might not have expected to catch them. In western Europe, pest controllers Rentokil report a 40% increase in the incidence of bedbugs in planes, trains and buses. Ew!

Apparently as well as nestling in seats that aren't cleaned adequately between passengers, the bedbugs also party on in the luggage hold and hop between bags. This summer the bedbugs have been especially active in Spain, with pretty much every hostel along the Santiago de Compostela pilgrim trail infested--they're hoping to close them all down in winter and clean them up until the next Ryanair or Easyjet load of bugs (we mean, tourists) lands.

Related Stories:
· Bedbugs Make a Return Through Low Cost Flights [Guardian]
· Bedbug Plague Strikes Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim Route [Telegraph]

[Photo: Alaina B]