I know that the United States has seen a huge comeback of bed bugs in recent years, but I wonder if the same can be said for other countries? When travelling to India and staying in hotels there, should one be just as worried about bed bugs as they would be in the US?
Its the same in India as is it everywhere else in the World, with hotels, you get what you pay for. If you're going to stay in a plush, expensive hotel, they are as luxurious in Mumbai as they are in LA, I should know, I've stayed in Hotels all over the World, at all sorts of levels of comfort. If you want a cheaper experience, you have to take greater care that you don't end up in a filthy hovel, research the place you're looking to stay in, use the internet and forums such as this to enquire about which budget hotels are the cleanest, safest, and the best value for money in the area. Personally, I've never encountered a dirty hotel in India, and I've stayed in a few cheaper ones, but I always research a cheaper hotel before I stay there, as much as I am able to.
That's the thing, when I bring up bed bugs, people want to assume that I'm talking about dirty places. That's not the case at all. Bed bugs don't come around because people are dirty, they come around because there is something to eat. It doesn't matter at all how clean or dirty the place is. All it takes is one person stepping in for a night who happens to have one that crawled up into their bag or something. Then they spread like wildfire.
I also think it's not country specific and will depend on the quality of the actual hotel. I try to spend as little as possible on my hotel room, mainly because I don't spend a lot of time in there when I go abroad, but what I do make sure is that it's got a good reputation and its clean and hygienic. A lack of luxuries I can deal with, a lack of cleanliness I can't.
It happened to me when I was staying in San Francisco! Worst ever! Like you said I don't think it has anything at all to do with cleanliness - the hotel I stayed at was just fine, you would have never thought there was anything wrong from a surface level look! I think it's one of those things that's hard to control - it could really happen anywhere at all, I'm sure.
Yeah bed bugs don't necessarily result from keeping a place dirty. I have never experienced it but I know it happened quite often. What I always try to do is travel with a mattress cover. I cover the mattress then change the sheets on the bed in case any bugs happen to be on the sheets. That is if you can find extra linen in your room though.
Yes, one can't ever be too cautious when it comes to bedbugs. No matter how clean a hotel room looks, no matter how expensive it is, there is always a danger of coming in contact with those critters. Give the bed - and the room! - a thorough inspection, don't drop your suitcases on the floor willy-nilly, and speak to hotel officials when you see something suspicious. Better safe (and considered an annoying pain in the you-know-what) than sorry (and with an actual pain in the you-know-what and all over your body because of bedbug bites!).
That's a smart idea - it's one of those precautions that is good to take, and something I hadn't thought of until I read your post. Most hotels I've stayed at have had extra linens available in a closet in the room, so it might help!
Good advice. Seems like the old saying is true: you get what you pay for. Just like anything, you have to be careful and do lots of research in order to make an informed decision. There are bad hotels everywhere, not just India, so you have to be proactive in finding one that suits your comfort level.
I agree on that. Pay more or rather be ready to face disadvantages of a cheaper place. It's not a good idea to save money on your own comfort and well-being. An extensive research might fix that. Look through the review section carefully.
I hadn't even thought about bed bugs in other countries! I have heard that even some of the best hotels in the US have had them, though.
Bed bugs are a huge problem in hotels, motels and other hospitality places where there isn't any good upkeep. My advice is to read up on some reviews on the hotels are you going to be staying at and look at pictures believe it or not pictures tell you a lot about the hotel itself just by looking at pictures you can differentiate between a good hotel and a bad hotel. The saying you get what you pay for is true when it comes to this issue. A $20 hotel definitely won't be as upkept and neat as oppose to a 5 star hotel.
That is one thing that truly bothers me when I travel. The though of bed bugs in a hotel makes me shudder. Once they get into your things you may find you've taken them home with you. I never thought of traveling with a mattress cover, good idea.
Yes, definitely read tons of reviews before committing to a hotel, or else bringing home those hotel bedbugs will be the gift that keeps on giving (shudder!). But in my experience, some pictures can be terribly misleading - unless the price point matches those impressive photos. So yes, "you get what you pay for" is an old adage that still holds true in this case.
I have never encountered bed bugs while vacationing anywhere, and hadn't really thought about it. I guess you can't be too careful anymore, though. There are more and more stories about bed bugs all the time.
I have had a horrible experience once in a hotel with bed bugs. It was not in India though. I realized for the first time that I was allergic to them because my skin had rashes everywhere. I had to cut my trip short and go back home. With that being said, always look for former travelers' feedback on any hotel you plan on booking. That way, you will have a better idea.
What I hate about it is that you can't REALLY know until you get there, unless people have bothered to write reviews saying that they found them. It seems as though most people don't even bother to look for them when they get to a hotel. There aren't always obvious signs on the surface. Checking the bed is a MUST whenever I go somewhere. All little crevices and everything.
I have traveled to many different countries and I have never had a problem with bed bugs. But recently I've read about a lot of problems with bed bugs. I would be careful if you stay in a cheaper hotel anywhere in the world. I have no idea if there is bed bugs in India. You might want to check with your travel agent or anyone you know who has returned. Find out if they had any problems with bed bugs when they stayed in one of the hotels there.
I do plan to check with people, but the sad reality is that it's not just cheaper hotels. Cleanliness isn't always a factor when it comes to bedbugs. They can come from anywhere and just one can cause them to spread like crazy.
Good to know. I've traveled to a lot of places (not India yet!), and what you say here is true. The cheaper the hotel, the more they usually try to cut corners, and the less cleanly the overall experience is. When I first started traveling around years ago, I made the mistake of trying to save money by staying at cheaper hotels. I definitely got what I paid for. Rashes, getting sick, and all. Ever since then, I've been really picky about what types of hotels I stay in and where. I haven't set an official travel date yet for India, but if I go, I'm going to refer back here to make sure I can bounce off a list of hotel names so that I know it's not going to be a creepy-crawly experience instead of a pleasant one.
You can never really know what kind of 'creatures' you might encounter when you stay in a hotel. The sad truth is that many guests bring them in themselves, and the hotel owners have no way of controlling that.
I'm also very worried about bed bugs. I sure hope they don't have them in the hotel I'm staying at. One time in Mexico in the middle of the night I heard something in my room. When I turned on the light to see what it was I was shocked. It was some sort of giant moth. It was the biggest moth I had ever seen. At first I thought it was a bat or something like this. I couldn't get it out of the room. A person from the hotel came to my room and removed it. He told me they were quite common there.
It really is concern everywhere you go, which is pretty interesting when you really think about it. I have been to Europe, where I heard about it, to India, where I heard about it, and to Canada, where I heard about it, so I am going to just go ahead and assume that you hear about it wherever you go, to some degree. The best thing that you can do is just be clean and be smart. It is certainly nothing worth messing up any plans over or letting it ruin a good vacation.
Like most people, I can't stand lack of cleanliness. and bed bugs could be really annoying and destroy your happy travel. I'd pay more to stay in a clean place.
You usually get what you pay for. If you're staying at a cheap hotel there are chances of finding bugs, though not always. If you choose to stay in a good hotel that is absolutely clean it may cost you more, but it is well worth the money that pay.
I always stay in the best hotels in the city, usually a Holiday Inn and never go wrong as far as cleanliness is concerned. I did stay in a small lodge once when I was in an Asian country but I did not find any bed bugs there.
I had bed bug problems when I traveled to Turkey last year and had to change hotels. I hope the situation is better in India, a least if I take up accommodation in some of the better hotels.
Nah I don't think so. In some of hotels such situation can be happen. Otherwise i would say - if bed sheets are clean and rooms are covered, you need not to worry for staying at hotel in India.
