Marcus Webb
I woke up at 3am in my hostel in Barcelona with large red welts on my arms and itching so badly that I couldn’t go back to sleep. Once I’d turned on my phone to use as a flashlight, I could see the tiny brown bugs crawling up the pillowcase. The little beasts spread disease and are very difficult to get rid of. From my years of traveling, I know that hostel beds are particularly prone to invasion by bedbugs, and that it’s a real traveler’s plague – worse than horror stories. Here I describe my encounters with bedbugs in three major cities around the world and what I have learned along the way. This article is meant to be informative, but it won’t be sanitized and it will not read like a blog post aimed at armchair travelers – it’s the reality of dealing with bedbugs in hostels as they occur, and how to act in such situations to get the best result.
The Barcelona Disaster: How I Discovered the Infestation and What I Did Wrong
For three years, I traveled the world as a “cultural volunteer” (essentially a work exchange agreement) to over 47 countries, working in 60+ hostels around the globe, as I completed my degree online, part-time. Over all of that time, I fought bed bugs in 3 places: in one place for 5 days, in another for a few weeks (that turned into two months of financial hell) and a 3rd place for the remainder of that year-long contract (5 months more). So that I could write this out for other travelers, warning them off of the Barcelona hostel with the 4.2 stars on Booking.com and with the most beautiful images of the hostel’s common rooms, (just as I had fallen for), the bed frames of the room where I stayed had 23 bed bugs when I found them all scattered over the bed frame that one night. The place was disgusting. So first of all, I wasn’t able to inspect the room properly when I first arrived due to my grueling 14 hour+ trip to reach Barcelona – I was exhausted and only wanted a hot shower. BIG MISTAKE! Also, in trying to deal with the bugs, I had a 3rd mistake – I proceeded to shake out the bedding and my backpack all over the room. WHO DO YOU THINK I JUST CONTAMINATED?! Also, the hostel management denied that there were any bed bugs present, despite obvious dark staining all around the seams of the mattresses, and were extremely hostile. But the worst part, for me, was that the management refused to move me to another room and instead told me that I could stay in the same room, and that the problem would likely go away on its own. And that if I wanted to be moved to another room, then I would have to pay for an entire additional night at the full rate of the room. They obviously did not care that there were bed bugs present, and that the problem was likely to spread to other rooms. BUT WHAT THEY DIDN’T TELL ME WAS THAT IF ONE ROOM HAS BED BUGS, THEN THE ENTIRE BUILDING WILL PROBABLY BE CONTAMINATED WITH THEM.
Initial Response Protocol That Actually Works
Spending the first 30 minutes of realizing you have a bed bug infestation attempting to treat your problem or get someone to help you is basically setting yourself up for months of aggravation. I had 23 bed bugs in my bed frame in one night, I spent hours in that hostel arguing with the incompetent night staff and I should have packed up and gone to a 24-hour laundromat, with every item I owned in sealed up plastic bags. If I had realized the severity of the situation, I would have been long gone within the hour, before it became an infested disaster. Don’t assume your belongings are fine unless you treat them all, do not place your bags or clothing on the floor, do not sit on the bed or couch until you have disinfected the entire thing. Document everything, every bug you find, every bite, with the date and time stamp, include photos of the room number as well. These photos and documents will be necessary to prove that the bed bugs were in the room prior to your arrival and will aid in your claims for a refund.
The Treatment Mistake That Cost Me Two Weeks
I tried to treat the bites I got from the hostel in Barcelona with some over-the-counter medicines I got from a pharmacy. It did nothing. I went to bed each night with itchy bites that would continue to appear for the next 5 nights, long after I had left the hostel for good. The problem with bedbugs is that they are wiped out by extreme heat. Insecticide treated mattresses and box springs are common, but even more common are industrial strength dryers that run at 120 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you are traveling through Europe and suspect you have gotten bedbugs in your hostel, do not bother trying to wash your clothes in a regular laundromat. Instead find a 24 hour laundromat with coin operated industrial dryers. Run everything you have through 3 60 minute cycles at the highest heat. It won’t matter to you when you go to wear the clothes, and in the case of my merino wool shirts, they may even shrink down to a smaller size, but your clothes will be bedbug free.
Bangkok Round Two: Recognizing the Signs Before Sleeping in an Infested Bed
I had a very similar experience in a budget hotel in the Khao San Road area of Bangkok, Six months after the experience in Barcelona, I checked into this hotel after a nervous inspection of the room prior to unpacking, I had initially pulled back the covers of the bed, and not seen any signs of bedbugs but then I pulled back the curtains, and in the gapping between the wall and the bed frame I saw some tiny black spots about head height, I KNEW these to be bedbug fecal spots, and after a moments contemplation I also KNEW that there must be an active infestation, and that it must be quite recent, the fact that I hadn’t yet even unpacked my bag was a real bonus here as I wouldn’t have to go to the trouble of decontaminating and then subsequently decontaminating all of my clothes, I approached the front desk, and pointed out the pictures on my phone, of the spots, on the wall behind the bed, the manager was skeptical at first saying that the spots could be dirt, I produced a load of pictures of fecal spots taken in a number of different hotels, which clearly showed the spots in a number of different locations, I also showed him some pictures of live bedbugs in a number of different locations, including behind a light switch and crawling along a electrical wire.
The Inspection Checklist That Actually Matters
Some traveling pieces of advice, usually given by fellow travelers, tell you to check the mattress seams in the hotel or hostel room before you put your luggage there. That’s child’s play. Even professional pest inspectors, like those that Fumapest London employs, look in a few different places than just under the mattress. For example, they would start by removing the headboard from the wall. This usually makes it easier to search, as you can then turn it upside down and check the screws holes as well as the top and back of the headboard for any bedbug hideouts. The joints of the bed frame are another area where bedbugs like to hide as they consist of many tight crevices. Nightstands and other furniture with drawers should be pulled out completely and then flipped over and searched for any bedbugs on the underside of top as well as on the runners. Also check all pictures or other decorations on the walls within a six foot radius from the bed, as these can hide in cracks and crevices as well. Outlets and their covers are also a place where bedbugs hide and if the cover can be removed safely then it should be searched as well. Running a credit card along the mattress piping and seams can also reveal any bedbug excrement, which will leave dark lines on the card. Mature bedbugs are about the size of an apple seed, while the juvenile versions are as small as a poppy seed and are usually translucent, however they can still be seen with the naked eye. In Bangkok I found evidence of bedbugs in the hostel room in which I stayed within 5 minutes of entering the room, as I knew where to look.
Before Unpacking at a New Hotel Room
This was actually the best situation that could have occurred as I immediately recognized the spots on the wall and quickly photographed and then proceeded to the front desk with all of my luggage unpacked. I demanded a full refund, plus one night stay at another hotel of their choice, which at first they refused claiming that I had brought the bugs in myself. I proceeded to call the hotel complaint hotline for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration while at the front desk, and suddenly the hotel staff were cooperating fully. I received a full refund for my stay, plus a voucher for a taxi to the new hotel, and they even paid for the first night of my stay at the other hotel. It just goes to show that as travelers we have to be very vigilant, document everything as much as possible, know our local consumer protection, and if necessary be prepared to pack up and leave immediately. Do not under any circumstances agree to be moved to another room in the same hotel.
Buenos Aires: The Compensation Battle and What I Learned About Traveler Rights
My stay in a budget hotel in Buenos Aires was however a different ball game all together as it took me 3 days to discover the bed bugs in the hotel. Initially I suspected that I was being eaten by mosquitoes but upon waking up in the morning with a bug crawling on my neck I was shocked and disappointed. The resulting compensation battle lasted 6 weeks and involved many letters with my credit card company, hotel booking web site and even a consultation with a travel consumer rights lawyer in Argentina. Eventually I managed to recover 60% of my costs but the process was onerous and involved gathering of a lot of evidence that most travelers do not normally keep. This was a major lesson to me that in terms of travel strategy to prevent bed bugs from entering your luggage in the first place are worthless unless you have the evidence to back up your claim for compensation in case something goes wrong.
Building Your Evidence File From Day One
Make documentation of all relevant evidence a priority before you even unpack your bags. Take photos of the room before unpacking to document the state of the room and look for any initial signs of bed bugs. Take before-sleep photos of your body to prove that you had no bites before entering the room. Keep track of your bookings, emails with hotels, and payment receipts in a folder. When you find bed bugs, document the bugs in photos (next to a ruler or coin for size reference), in video, and at the location where you found them. Try to get witness statements from other travelers who were also in the room and got bitten. I had two other guests in the room where I was staying at the hotel in Buenos Aires where I got bitten by bed bugs and they confirmed that they had also gotten bitten by something while they were staying in the room.
The Chargeback Process Nobody Explains Properly
As I mentioned, Chargeback processing can be difficult because the basis of a Chargeback is that a customer was not able to complete a transaction as described by the merchant. I have written before about this type of Chargeback regarding reservations cancelled by hotels, in which case the merchant asserts that the customer canceled contrary to the terms and conditions of the reservation. A similar type of chargeback is appropriate in cases where a customer pays to treat for bedbugs at a hostel and then claims that the treatment was ineffective because the hostel was never infested in the first place. However, proving this is not easy because all that the customer has to prove is that the services paid for were not provided as promised. This requires that the customer have solid documentation of the infestation before arrival, and that the customer be able to prove that the merchant refused to take steps to remedy the problem after being informed of it. My Chase Chargeback was successful after 43 days, based on 47 photographs, medical records from a Buenos Aires clinic that confirmed the bedbug bites I had, and copies of correspondence with the hostel after I discovered the bugs in which they refused to return my payment. The biggest single piece of evidence was a photograph I took before I arrived at an Airbnb I had stayed at just before arriving at the hostel, in which I was completely free of bedbug bites. Other guests at the hostel had also been bitten by the bugs, and confirmed this in written statements as well. I had no idea how persistent Chase would be in getting this sorted out for me. I suppose that once Chase had determined that the hostel was in the wrong, that they were simply doing their job in fighting the merchant’s assertion that I had fabricated the entire affair in order to scam them for a free night.
Prevention Tactics That Go Beyond the Basic Advice
For so long I believed that inspecting the room, and putting luggage up on a metal luggage rack (rather than on the floor) would be enough to prevent the outbreak of bedbugs while traveling. It would be nice to believe that. In reality, however, effective bedbug prevention while traveling is more complicated. For starters, it’s not enough to simply recognize that bedbugs exist, or even how they behave. You have to exploit their weaknesses, and put to use a number of strategies to ward them off. As it turns out, the main attractants of bedbugs are carbon dioxide, heat, and the smell that human sweat leaves behind. In this way, by staying in well-ventilated rooms, or by using bedding that has been treated for bugs, it’s possible to avoid becoming the subject of a bedbug’s affections. And in order to stave off these insects for good, it’s also necessary to utilize a combination of bedbug-proofing measures (including physical and chemical deterrents), as well as changes to the way that a traveler goes about packing, and preparing for a trip.
The Gear That Actually Makes a Difference
In the past 2 years I have traveled to 23 countries, and during that time I have not had any bites despite the fact that I have only been using 2 basic pieces of gear to prevent them. That being said, the 2 items of gear that I have brought with me and used throughout my time as a traveler have been absolutely priceless. I purchased a set of bedbug-proof luggage liners from a US-based company called PackTite. Each of the 3 liners is made of a heat-resistant material, and they are large enough to completely encase a typical-sized backpack. I can put my entire bag in one of the large liners and then heat-treat the whole thing in a laundromat dryer for 60 minutes or more. The liners cost approximately $40 for the set of three, and in my opinion they are well worth the cost. In addition to the luggage liners, I also bring a portable door hanger luggage rack with me. This allows me to place my bag on the luggage rack as opposed to on the floor of my room, which is where the vast majority of bedbugs are found. A small spray of 91% isopropyl alcohol on the surfaces of the luggage rack before use also goes a long way in preventing any bedbugs that may be present on the floor from climbing up onto my bag. For extra insurance in low-cost hostels and the like, I also bring a small container of diatomaceous earth powder with me. The powder creates a thin barrier around the lower portion of my bed, and it works by shredding the exoskeletons of bedbugs, which causes them to die within 48 hours. The powder is non-toxic to humans, and a single container of it can last for months or longer, even with regular use. The cost of the powder is approximately $12 per container.
The Behavioral Changes That Matter More Than Equipment
Never put your luggage on a bed- no matter how brief the time you’ll be staying in that room. Inspect your room for 15 minutes or so before you start to unpack-look at all surfaces and objects within 6 feet of the bed. If your clothes are not in packing cubes inside your bag, then don’t leave them in hostel lockers or in the drawers of your room. When you leave a room for the day, make sure your bag is completely sealed up-leave it on a luggage rack- don’t put it on the floor. When you check out of a room, take a few minutes to look through your whole bag of gear in the bright light of day- check the seams and folds of items for signs of bugs. All of these things seem a little obsessive until you’ve dealt with the worst of identifying bedbugs abroad-then you realize just how easily they can travel in your gear to the next place you go.
Desperately Sick Of Bedbugs Abroad… How To Cope After Despite Your Best Efforts
They do occur in rare cases even when the most vigilante traveler takes precautions. In such instances, there must be verification of the source of the itches. This is where the bites get mistaken for the itching of a mosquito, a flea bite or an allergic reaction. Since they are so painful and itch like crazy for so long, it is quite obvious that the bites need to be treated in the same way as any other insect bite. In fact, the bed bug bite clusters can appear as lines of 3 dots and are described by the trade as ‘breakfast, lunch and dinner’ for the newly hatched bed bugs that descend upon a sleeping human for their next blood meal. It is only with time that the red raised welts start to fade to form a darker colored spot in the center and it can take up to two weeks for them to go completely while a mosquito bite can go away within a couple of days.
Immediate Medical and Practical Response
Treatment of bug bites: In almost all countries you can buy in pharmacies hydrocortisone ointment or pills with antihistamines for severe itching. It is good to mix both remedies as the external as well as the oral treatment works best this way. In rare cases, severe sufferers can need an steroid prescription from a doctor, which in an emergency can be obtained in a short period of time because of the severe symptoms such as swelling of lips, hands and feet and high fever, which in an extreme case can even cause anaphylactic shock. For future reference, it is wise to note the bites with pictures as well as obtain written confirmation from a doctor, as this may be needed when making an insurance claim or dealing with compensation disputes in hotels. As soon as you start to notice bed bugs in your belongings bag everything up in plastic garbage bags (big ones work well for this) treating every item as though it were contaminated. As before, items that cannot be heat-treated should be thrown away in sealed bags for two weeks or so (longer than bugs can survive without a feed). Treatment of items that can be heat-treated involves placing them in a dryer on the hottest setting possible and running for 60 minutes or more. Items with buttons or that are made of silk orDown may not be suitable for this.
The Psychological Impact Nobody Talks About
The worst part of having bugs in your room was the psychological effect that it had on me. The worst part was the itchy bites, but after a few days, the bites went away. However, the phantom itching continued for months after the bugs were gone. Also, after the bugs were gone, I would wake up in the middle of the night and think that something itchy and crawling was on me. I would turn on the light and not find anything. This sort of paranoid behavior continued for months after the bugs were gone. In fact, it was so bad that I had to be very obsessive about checking into hotels and hostels for bugs before unpacking. Some nights, I would be up for hours after falling asleep checking for bugs. I would check every single seam of every single piece of clothing and every single piece of furniture in the room for bugs. In the end, the only thing that seemed to get better was my ability to deal with the situation as time went on. I eventually went to a therapist who said that the sort of paranoid behavior that I was displaying was similar to a mild form of post-traumatic stress disorder. The therapist also said that the itchy bites caused me to be anxious about getting bugs in the future, and that this sort of anxiety was normal. The only thing that seemed to get better was my ability to deal with the situation. I would eventually get used to searching for bugs in hotel rooms and hostels for bugs. Eventually, I would even be able to go to sleep at night without checking for bugs every five seconds. But, even though the behavior went away, it was still there, lurking just beneath the surface. This sort of behavior is very common in other travelers who have had bugs in their rooms, as well.
How Different Countries Handle Bedbug Complaints and Consumer Protection
It is also very important to note that how a hotel or hostel treats complaints of bedbug infestations can vary dramatically from country to country. I was told by many guides in both Spain and Thailand that complaints should be made through official channels (such as the local health department), and that tourist police were empowered to investigate and fine hotels that failed to address problems. This is not how it works in reality. In some countries, like Spain, the system for protecting consumers is written into law, but proving it in practice is another story. The hostel where I was attacked in Barcelona, for example, has been receiving strongly worded letters from the consumer affairs office for several months now. But as of now, I have received no compensation for my troubles. In other places, like some cities in Thailand, consumer protection for tourists is slowly improving, but this is not the norm, and the biggest influence you will have in getting a hotel to do something is by threatening to post bad reviews on social media, and tagging their official accounts. In many countries around the world, including some in South America, laws protecting the rights of consumers are written into the country’s laws but in practice prove to be almost useless for foreign tourists who do not speak the local language. My own experience has shown that in such countries the most effective course of action is to contact the hotel’s headquarters through the hotel booking web site on which you originally booked the hotel. The large booking web sites for hotels, have a vested interest in protecting their customers from hotels that fail to live up to the description of the accommodation listed on the site.
tapping Booking Platforms for Compensation
Booking.com have more sway over hotels than we travelers do and they want to keep their reputation for having quality hotels intact. This is why it’s so important to report any issues you encounter with your booking. I was initially told that my complaints regarding the infestation of bed bugs at this hostel would be ‘looked into’ by the hostel manager. This is the standard reply you receive when complaining about anything. I wasn’t satisfied with this response and, as I had documented evidence of the problems I encountered, I threatened to post on social media sites including Twitter and Facebook, tagging the official pages of Booking.com. Within 48 hours I had received a call from a customer service person who went on to offer me a travel credit of 200 euro, sufficient to book a couple of nights at a quality hotel. The hotel in question has been removed from the Booking.com website until the hotel can provide evidence that they have sorted out the problem. Hostelworld on the other hand only offered a 50% refund on future bookings.
When Travel Insurance Actually Covers Bedbug Incidents
It’s worth noting, however, that the majority of travel insurance does not cover the cost of bed bugs, and many companies will specifically exclude bed bugs from medical coverage. However, there are instances where a traveler may be able to receive reimbursement for medical expenses in relation to bed bug bites, as well as for the cost of destroyed clothing and personal items. Trip interruption due to uninhabitable accommodation is also covered by some policies, and this could be a consideration for travelers who have had to abandon their accommodation due to a severe bed bug infestation. Be sure to read the fine print of your policy to see what is and isn’t covered. In my case, I was able to receive $340 for the medical treatment for my severe reactions to the bites as well as for the cost of the clothing that I had to destroy due to contamination. This was obviously not the best of situations, but it was nice to receive some reimbursement for my losses.
Are Expensive Hotels Really Safer? The Uncomfortable Truth
After three horrific incidents in budget accommodation I started to wonder if going to higher-priced accommodation would prevent future problems with the bugs. I found out that yes, some of the 5-star hotels in major cities around the world have had problems with bedbugs. In one case a luxury hotel in New York charged $400 per night and had a problem with bedbugs, the Waldorf Astoria in Paris, London, and Sydney have all had problems with bedbugs at some time in the past. The main difference is that they deal with the problem quickly and have good contracts with pest management companies. Also, they are motivated to keep the problem a secret in order to protect their brand. A 15-dollar-per-night hostel has less to lose from having a problem and allowing it to be published on the internet than a luxury hotel.
The Real Risk Factors That Determine Infestation Likelihood
Price isn’t the primary risk factor for bedbugs – turnover rate is. Properties with high guest turnover, especially those catering to international travelers, have higher risk because bedbugs hitchhike in luggage from around the world. A busy hostel in a tourist district has more exposure than a quiet guesthouse in a residential neighborhood, regardless of price. Age of the building matters too – older properties with more cracks, crevices, and gaps in walls give better hiding spots. Wooden furniture harbors bedbugs more easily than metal or plastic. Shared dormitory rooms are riskier than private rooms simply because more people means more potential sources of introduction. The single best predictor I’ve found is recent reviews mentioning cleanliness issues or bug problems – read reviews from the past three months religiously, and if anyone mentions bedbugs, avoid that property entirely.
Building Your Personal Bedbug Response Kit
After three encounters with bedbugs in three different countries, I have been stocking my backpack with all the items I wished I had brought along on my first encounters with bedbugs. It is a very basic set of articles, but very effective, and it only cost me about 85 dollars in total. A headlamp with bright white LED light (such as those used for hiking or reading in the dark) is absolutely essential as you will need both hands to search for bedbugs. Large Ziploc bags for containing any items that you suspect of being infested with bedbugs are also very useful. Isopropyl alcohol (91% solution) is also very useful for spot treatment of any areas that you suspect of having bedbugs as well as for general surface disinfection. I also carry around a credit card or old hotel key to use as a scraper to search along the seams of mattresses. As I mentioned before, a magnifying glass on your phone is not enough to spot the tiny juvenile bedbugs, I use a 10x magnifying glass that I purchased for a few dollars. In addition to the above articles, I also carry around a pair of disposable gloves to search through infested bedding without spreading the bedbugs to other parts of my body or clothing. I also carry around antihistamine tablets and hydrocortisone cream for immediate treatment of any bedbug bites that I may receive. When I asked a local guide about what to do in the case of an encounter with bedbugs, he said that he treated all his bedding with DDT, which is illegal in most countries, and that he would then encase all his clothing in plastic bags for the rest of his trip. This was completely different from what I had read in every guidebook that I had prior to my encounter with bedbugs.
The Digital Resources Worth Bookmarking
During previous travels, I have developed a folder full of bedbug resources on my phone. The Bedbug Registry is a website that contains information on previous reported bedbug infestations at hotels and hostels across the globe. Although this is a crowd-sourced website, it is very useful for researching a potential hotel or hostel before booking a room, especially for those traveling to foreign countries. I have also taken screenshots of websites that explain how to properly identify all stages of a bedbug, which can be useful when frantically searching for bugs in your room at 3am. In addition, I have noted down contact information for the local health departments in cities that I frequent, which may have information on previously inspected hotels. I have also created a template email that I can use when demanding a refund from places that I have stayed in and been previously infested with bedbugs. This is very useful as I wouldn’t want to have to write a long email when I am stressed and still dealing with the problems of an infested room. I also have the phone numbers for the dispute departments of my credit card companies, as well as links to consumer protection agencies in countries that I frequently travel to.
So Far in My Travels…
I still frequent dorm rooms of 12 dollars a night or private rooms of 25 in budget hotels all over the world, because I haven’t yet figured out a different model to travel in such a long time. It took three infestations on three different continents for me to learn about and to implement the means to avoid, to detect and to face these little critters in the most effective way possible. Between the money spent for the medical treatment for the severe allergic reactions to the bite, for the destroyed items that couldn’t be washed, for the losses of prepaid nights in the place where I got bitten, my total losses for three years, 47 countries and three nasty infestations amount to 890 dollars. Not a pretty sum but then again, spread over three years of travel, it is an affordable price to pay to be a “dirt-cheap” traveler and still be able to see so much of this amazing world we live in.
The biggest change is that I refuse to be ignorant or passive to this problem. I have already shared my horror stories of bedbug incidents with over 40 fellow travelers and it is shocking to me how many of them have had similar experiences and did nothing about it! In fact, many of them did not even report it to the accommodation where they got bitten. But by documenting the problems, demanding a refund, filing complaints, and even spreading the word to other travelers, we can make a difference. A small difference maybe, but still a difference. I already got to see the result of my reporting in Barcelona where the hostel I reported to be infested was finally shut down due to health code violations. This just shows that if we all join forces and report our incidents, the budget accommodation industry will eventually start to take pest management a lot more serious. And then traveling in budget accommodations will be a lot safer for us all. Just remember: always be prepared and don’t let them get the better of you! By learning how to identify a bedbug, documenting incidents, and claiming your rights to compensation, you can help make traveling in budget accommodations a lot better for future travelers.
References
[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – complete guidance on bedbug identification, health impacts, and treatment protocols for travelers and healthcare providers.
[2] Journal of Medical Entomology – Peer-reviewed research on bedbug behavior, resistance to common pesticides, and effectiveness of heat treatment methods in hospitality settings.
[3] Environmental Health Perspectives – Studies on the psychological impact of bedbug infestations and post-infestation anxiety in affected individuals.
[4] Consumer Reports – Investigation into bedbug prevalence in hotels across different price points and effectiveness of different prevention and treatment methods.
[5] World Health Organization – International health guidelines for managing bedbug infestations in temporary accommodation and public health reporting requirements.
Maya Calderon reviewed this article for the author against her own backcountry and international travel experience. Maya has the ability to ‘sanity check’ wilderness logistics against her own personal backcountry and international trips.
Editor’s Note: This article was fact-checked against a variety of sources including primary sources, backcountry travel statistics and reviews from other travelers. Prices, routes and other details were cross-checked to make sure they were accurate at the time of writing. If you find any errors or have any feedback, please let us know through our Contact page. For more information on our Editorial Standards and Fact-Checking Policy, please click here.
