We were not going to sell everything we owned and go full-time RVing. We really did not plan to even go every weekend. Our real reason (initially) was to avoid bedbugs.

From time to time, we have to take business trips. That meant we had to stay in hotels… they are not cheap these days, and just because it’s a luxury hotel, does not mean it doesn’t have bedbugs!

Two years ago, we had to take a business trip to Melbourne, Florida. Our daughter and our granddaughter had taken a trip to St Augustine a few months before. They found that bedbugs are plentiful in florida hotels. At least they were at that time.

So, for our trip, we took my son-in-law’s advice and checked hotel rooms before we brought any luggage in. We used one of these high-powered flashlights. Sure enough, several hotels had them. Even when they offered to switch rooms for us, the other rooms had bedbugs. We finally found a Hilton at 2 o’clock in the morning that was bedbug-free.

Fast forward to last September. I wanted to go to my old home place in West Virginia to take some photos and videos of the farm where I grew up.

My dad and mom are in their 90’s and can no longer travel. Although our family moved to North Carolina in 1966, my dad still loved the farm that we sold in West Virginia. My dad, my grandfather and I built a ranch-style home there in one corner of a four-acre field… but, I digress… anyway, I thought it would be nice to show my dad some videos and photos of the area.

That would take several days, which meant staying in motels… which i was not going to do because of what we had experienced on the Florida trip. Rennie told me that she was not going to take the trip, unless we bought an RV.

She meant a small RV. We started looking at RV YouTube videos. We watched couples in small RVs. We looked at people in motor homes. We knew that a motorhome was not in the picture for us at the present time. And, we looked at everything in between.

Rennie found this cute Palomino Real Lite in Iowa on rvt.com. It was priced right, so we decided to have it delivered to a campground near my old farm-place in West Virginia. At the time, all we had to pull it was a Ford Explorer. So, it was just the right size for that vehicle.

It was really nice. It was lightweight, so that meant the Explorer had no problem towing it. The inside décor was really nice and bright.  It actually had quite a bit of storage. But… it was cute – in case you don’t know, that’s a code word for small! I’m a big guy. After our second camping trip, I knew that it was too small for me!

That’s when we decided on a Grand Design Reflection 297 rsts and a used Ford F-250 diesel to pull it. My company, Bestwaterfront.com, Inc., had a building lot that I sold to make the purchase. We were using the RV for business purposes anyway, so that made sense. We sold the Palomino to a young lady and her little boy. It was the perfect size for them.

Rennie and I have been in business for ourselves all our adult lives. Traveling in an RV and reviewing campgrounds and sights around the campgrounds sounded like a good business opportunity to us!

Back to the bedbugs… I am so happy that now when we travel, we can sleep in our own bed, with our own sheets, and our own pillows… and no worry about bedbugs!

Well, first, let me explain what you should do if you have to travel, and you don’t have an RV. Smartertraveler.com gives some suggestions…

• The first thing you should do when you arrive in a hotel room is thoroughly inspect it for signs of bedbugs.
• Leave your luggage in your car until you inspect your room. If you are not traveling in your own vehicle, put your luggage in the bathroom to start, as this non-carpeted room is the most unlikely place for bedbugs to linger.
• Inspect your bed by pulling the comforter and sheets back and checking for any signs of bedbugs. Lift and check underneath the mattress and box spring and at the top and bottom of the bed. These critters are small but visible to the naked eye, so a careful examination will reveal adult and nymph bedbugs, along with their eggs. You may also see dark or red fecal spots and leftover molted skins.
• Carefully check all other furniture in the room. Bedbugs can crawl behind hanging picture frames, hide in corners of the nightstand and disappear inside drapes.
• Once your room has been checked, store your luggage on a hard surface or luggage rack rather than a bed, couch or fabric chair for the smallest chance of contamination.

If you find bedbugs, here’s what you should do…

• “If you see signs of bedbugs in your hotel room, contact the front desk immediately so they can call a qualified pest management professional to resolve the problem. Leave the area and properly examine all of your clothing and belongings, and request a new room.
• If you do suspect you’ve encountered bedbugs, leave your suitcase and belongings in the garage or another separate area when you return home. The luggage can be vacuumed and wiped down to reduce the chances of bringing bedbug or their eggs inside. Remove and examine your shoes for bedbugs and eggs before bringing them into the house.
• For an extra level of protection, wash travel clothes immediately when you return. Items that cannot be washed can usually be run through the dryer for 20 to 30 minutes, as the heat from the dryer alone is enough to kill all stages of bedbugs and their eggs. If you are unsure of the severity of your situation, call a pest control professional for an inspection. “

Here’s what I suggest you do if you find bedbugs!!! Head to the nearest RV dealer, and buy an RV!!! I get the creepy crawlies just thinking about those things.

Oh, and before you buy your RV, and you still have to travel, I highly suggest you check bedbugreports.com to see if there are any bedbugs where you plan to stay.

Night, night. Don’t let the bedbugs bite. Having your own RV will keep them out of sight!

BTW Please check out our latest video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKUbsLlUe_0&t=74s.