I find as I've gotten older I get more paranoid? about things I never would have worried about when I was younger! And a new worry is bedbugs - they have gotten a fair amount of media buzz and also I am aware of some apartments in our city that have this problem. I know it is said - that a five star hotel can have the problem as easily as a no star but somehow I don't quite believe that. Anyone on this board encountered them?

I keep a lighter next to my bed, and when I see one I zap it with a flame. It's worked so far.

I think you are a little behind the times. The bedbug issue was the Hysteria of the Week a few months back.

Why are you posting this in the Europe forum? Are you imlying this has something to do with Europe in particular? You are talking about apartments where you live, maybe you meant this to be in the Lounge?

anyway, no, I've never encountered them

I am posting this in the Europe forum because I want to hear from people who have traveled to Europe to get their first hand info. I figured there are hundreds of hotels represented on this forum -so seemed like a good place to get first hand info rather than the hysteria driven media. My main concern is bringing them home with me in my luggage - supposedly it can happen - I do tend to be quite skeptical of what I read or hear on TV but bedbugs are a nasty pest to get rid of. So I'm asking.....

I've been to Europe many times and have never seen a bed bug. Don't have them at home either.

Did not see any bedbugs, but gotta agree - we all get a little paranoid getting older. Just comes with age

It's not about bedbugs - more difficult to handle anxiety with age.

I've always been told never to let them bite...and I never have. Now the large crab pillow on the bed in one of our rooms in Positano was another story...

There are no bed bugs in European hotels because the big hairy spiders have eaten them.

Was bitten by them in Spain - and when I told people back here - two of them told me they'd had the same problem in Spain. I still liked Spain, too.

I can't find the article, but La repubblica had a piece about how the Tourism Ministry was getting involved in working with hotel owners on ridding rooms of bedbugs. Problem is when a traveller opens his/her suitcase and there were bedbugs at his/her last stop or home, the critters pile out and infest the new digs!!!!

Oh, my. How long ago was that article written, lbk?

Holly, About 4-5 months ago; it all started with the BIG bedbug problem on the Italian train sleeper cars. Then hotels started being exposed by the workers etc. etc.