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Stay Safe
10. Check the bed for bedbugs before you unpack. Have you ever woken up in a hotel room, felt itchy, and assumed you'd been bitten by mosquitoes in your sleep? It might have been bedbugs. Growing pesticide resistance has resulted in outbreaks of bedbugs in even some of the best hotels. These brown bugs, which are the size of an apple seed, can leave itchy welts on the skin. One veteran traveler suggests pulling back the comforter quickly and watching closely to see if any bugs scamper. Also look for bloodstains on pillows or mattress liners and carefully check the seams of mattresses. If you see anything suspicious, ask for another room -- then repeat the process. Even if you don't find any bugs, move the bed away from the wall, tuck in the sheets, and keep the blanket from touching the floor. Just in case!11. Check your luggage for bedbugs when you get home -- and do it in the laundry room. If you find any, dump the clothes right into the washing machine, then dry them on high heat for at least 15 minutes. Anything that isn't washable should be put into the freezer for a couple of days.
12. Light a scented candle in your room. The scent will help to hide the antiseptic stale smell of the hotel room as well as provide some stress-relieving aromatherapy. (But use common sense: Never leave a burning candle unattended, or light one if you think there's a chance you might fall asleep.)
13. Moisten the dry air with the help of a teakettle. If your room has a kitchen area, fill the teakettle with plenty of water, heat it until it steams, and let the steam escape into the room until the water's almost gone. Your sinuses will thank you.
14. Pack a photograph of someone you love (even your dog). When you come back to your room after a stressful day, begin to feel lonely, or get that "What city am I in?" confusion that often comes with long trips, you can anchor yourself by looking at the picture and reminding yourself of home.
15. Bring along your own battery-operated travel alarm. You'll fall asleep better and sleep better all night if you don't have to worry that you set the hotel alarm wrong and will miss that important appointment.
16. Pack a pair of rubber thongs, a.k.a. flip-flops. Use them in the bathroom, on the carpet (who can guess the last time the carpet was cleaned?) and in the pool area to prevent any fungal (or worse) infections.
17. Stay out of the hotel's hot tub. Okay, now you think we've gone totally nuts. There's no doubt that hot tubs are luxuriously soothing, and if you're willing to take a slight chance, go ahead and plunge in. Just be aware that hot tubs can foster bacteria such as the one that causes folliculitis (itchy red bumps). And some people have developed bronchitis and even serious forms of pneumonia from breathing in air contaminated by bacteria growing in the water.
18. Play it safe. One of the easiest ways to stay healthy is to make sure that you're not physically attacked in a strange place. And hotels are strange places. Here are some important tips on how to protect yourself:
• When registering, make sure the front-desk person doesn't say your room number aloud, but instead writes it down and hands it to you. If he does say it aloud, ask for another room and ask that he write down the number.
• Ask who is at your door and verify before opening. If you didn't order room service, or don't know why the "employee" is there, call the front desk and verify that they sent someone.
• Use the main entrance of the hotel when returning in the evening.
• Use all locking devices for your door, and lock all windows and sliding glass doors.
19. Don't leave the Please Make Up Room sign outside your door unless you want to tell the whole world you're not there. Instead, put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. If you want your room made up while you're out, call housekeeping and let them know.
20. Make sure hotel operators don't give out room numbers. Try it by calling the front desk from your cell phone, giving your name, and asking for your room number.
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