Count me among those who never considered that I might encounter a bed bug after a long traveling career involving a multitude of countries and every type of property from hostels to high end resorts. I had the same thoughts an many of the posters here - if bed bugs were that ubiquitous I would have seen one by now.

However, I was finally bitten (repeatedly) a couple of months ago and I still have the scars on my arms and chest. I can only imagine the trauma that people bitten on the face must have. I learned my lesson and now I check.