bed bugs
 

How do you deal with bed bugs in crummy hotels etc? Can you impregnate your sleeping bag with something. What about your head? The idea of them gives me the creeps.

Don't know how to avoid them, but they're a bastard to get rid of. I had them once and the cure involved coating myself head to toe every night for a week with some foul smelling concoction.
Sean

We have only had bedbug problems a few times in a year of travelling across Asia. The best advice is to avoid the really dumpy places. In the developing world, a few extra dollars can give you a big step up in quality. Most of the places we have stayed have been under $10 per night and they have been clean and bedbug free. If you look for the cheapest place in town, you will get the worst place in town. At $2 per night, what hotel can afford to wash the sheets every night? Your bike will probably be safer in a slightly better place too.

Hi there

I take a film canister of my cats flea powder and dust it everywhere a bug might be. Actually, take a whole tin of it..

following footprint guidebooks: take a plastic sheet with you. I always travel with my small summertype sleepingbag. i know i takes some place but it helps. the plastic sheet thing is something i will try out next october when i go for another trekking experience in nepal. for me sleeping is quiet important, makes the next day more enjoyable...
greetz
niels

i was unlucky enough to arrive at a hostel at 11pm, looked clean enough so checked in and went to bed. woke up during the middle of the night - attacked by bed bugs grrrr... what i found tho was they like being up high (near the ceiling) and didn't like the light on. so for the rest of the night i slept on the bottom bunk and with the light on untill i could leave the next day. hopefully that can help, but i spose all bed bugs r different :(