@Tess360 hi and welcome to the CC 👋🏼
also would agree they are not inevitable. and something that needs to be widely shared: it's guests who bring them in, not us.
All you can do is be prepared to act as quickly as possible. in the USA the pest companies have done a number and told you to heat treat the entire residence, charging up to $3k for that, but in reality they are not hanging out in the bathroom or kitchen. We had b/bugs once (hubby brought them home from an interstate stay), took us a week to work out what it was, then we took the mattress and bed outside and pest bombed the room (this apparently doesn't work but did make us feel better 🤣 ) and we slept in our guest room for a week. I ordered a bed bug mattress protector and possibly sealed the little blighters in, we ordered a new bed frame as well and put our fabric bed in storage (for 3 years! using it again now and it's fine), and I got diatomaceous earth (google it, worth having some on hand as it's not expensive) and puffed it around the room for a month. Whatever happens, you need to act fast to clear out the room and secure it. IF it happens, not WHEN. And if you are already researching and being prepared, that's a good thing. Timber/metal beds are better than fabric, but they can live in crevices in timber slats if needed although easier to steam them out than dealing with a tufted fabric bed. hardwood floors with rugs are better too, cos you can take the rugs outside (or burn them, lol) and you can get a bed bug mattress protector before you start.
Also, any guest who accuses you of bed beds should also be terrified they've taken them home, but you rarely hear them express that concern.... 🤔