There was a lot of talk on the aol message boards about "cockroaches" in rental cars. What has your experience been? Should I pack a lot of roach hotels?

We had a filthy roach infested car 20 years ago on Kauai. We were a couple idiot travellers back then and we now believe that the car rental guy gave us his car while he drove around all week in our rental! If faced with bugs now, I would return the car for a clean one.

When I lived in Hawaii we simply bug "bombed" the car once a month. Now when we visit there, the first thing we do is bug bomb our rental car.

My family rented a car for 3 weeks on Hawaii - nary a bug.

I've been to Hawaii fourteen times in the last 20 years and I never had a bug in the car once so a bug in the car is definitely not something to be concerned about.

Between me and my husband, we've probably rented cars 120 times in Hawaii. Only had bugs once, in Kona. I called and had them bring me another. Don't bomb it...you'll be breathing the residue your whole trip!

Rented cars on 3 islands - no bugs.

Bugs in cars are the least of your worries. If by some remote chance you have bugs in your car just return it to the rental company. Or buy a bug bomb when a problem develops.

There is also chance that there might be a tidal wave !!! There was one just 50 years ago or so !!

Oh no when was that tidal wave?

Don't laugh...I think FEMA has written that more people have died from tsunamis than directly from earthquakes in the last 50 years.
One killed 170 people on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1946. Another killed 61 people in 1960, again in the Hilo area.
Cockroaches, however, survived easily.

I never had bugs in my car in Hawaii, but I did have a gecko in one that I discovered as I was driving my car off the rental car lot. Although it is supposed to be good luck, I drove back and asked someone to help remove it. I am not a huge fan of reptiles, cute geckos included.

Unfortunately, on our annual trip to Kauai, we have had the misfortune to have roaches in our rental cars - most notably through Avis rentals, which we now avoid.

Yes, you can return the vehicle, however, that is time lost on the island and you have no assurance that you will not repeat the problem. We are careful to keep our windows up during the day and my husband always "bombs" the vehicle the first day. We have not had any problems for the past half dozen years or so.

Barb: geckos eat bugs, so maybe they put him there to get the roaches. Did they give you a cat to catch the gecko?

We've had cockroaches and ants in Hawaii rental cars. Just call the rental company and have them come and exchange cars (unless you notice it on the lot).

Don't leave any food in your car--it will attract insects.

Have a great trip. This won't be a big deal.

OH MY GOSH. THERE ARE BUGS IN HAWAII? AHHHHHHHHHHH WHAT EVER WILL I DO?