Eli Orzessek finds the answers to your travel questions.
I've heard a lot of horror stories about people finding bedbugs in accommodation while travelling in the United States and other places. I'm going to be travelling to New York in a few months and I'm nervous about bringing them home without realising. I was wondering if travel insurance would cover you if you ended up needing to throw out your clothes and luggage if they were infested?
Rosie
I'm sorry to inform you that bed bugs can even be found on planes these days — recently, two Air India planes were grounded due to bedbug outbreaks in Business Class (!) on flights from Newark, New Jersey, to Mumbai. It has to be the first time I've ever heard of Business Class passengers requesting to be moved to Economy — you definitely don't want to have a run in with these little guys.
And when it comes to accommodation, it's not a problem isolated to budget hostels and backpacking — they've been discovered in five-star hotels as well, proving that budget doesn't guarantee immunity.
In fact, in California the The Palm Desert Embassy Suites Hotel is in a legal battle with Victoria's Secret model Sabrina Jales St. Pierre, who reported being "massacred"
by the insects during a stay.
