Are Bed Bugs An Issue? How Do I Avoid Them

[Aussie1967]

The Camino de Santiago is an incredible journey of self-discovery, community, and adventure. Walking through stunning landscapes, staying in cozy albergues, and meeting fellow pilgrims from around the world make it a truly unique experience. However, I’ve heard stories about bed bugs being an issue on the Camino, especially in some of the shared accommodations. For those who’ve walked the Camino, how did you deal with or prevent bed bugs during your trip? Are there specific tips or products you’d recommend to avoid bringing them home?

 

[VNwalking]

Welcome, @Aussie1967. For starters, there are may threads here on the Forum about that already. The search button is your friend. Or look in the Home page here:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/search-forums/bed-bugs.260/

 

[C clearly]

Or tap on the tag "bed bugs" that I've added under the title of this thread.

 

[davejsy]

No sign of bed bugs in any of the 30ish Albergues I stayed in on my CF and I've not heard of them being a particular issue. Like a lot of things on the Camino these things can seem a bigger problem than they actually are to someone who is looking online and planning their first Camino. I recall being similarly mindful of them before my first Camino having read all the stories and was convinced I'd been bitten on my first night in SJPdP - but obviously I hadn't.

 

[Pafayac]

Notice that albergues are more and more vigilant. For instance, on spring 2023 in the municipal of Castrojeriz, the hospitalero did an inspection every morning.
Personnally, a few days before starting, I put my sleeping bag, my sleeping sheet, my backpack... on the floor then I spray a permethrin product on them. I wait they are dry, then I put them in the backpack.
Inside an albergue, I never put my backpack on a bed and I prevent other pilgrims to do.
In some albergues, especially in France, you are given a plastic box: you should leave your backpack in a special room and just take what you need in this plastic box you bring in the dormitory.

 

[Lexicos]

I’ve done 5 Camino’s; in Spain, France and Portugal. Never had an issue with bed bugs at any of them, over a 7 year period, including this year. I’ve met only one pilgrim in that time who had been bitten. Maybe I’ve been lucky, I guess.

 

[J Willhaus]

When you get home as a precaution, before you bring your bag inside and depending on your resources and climate, you can put your whole bag in the deep freeze for 3+ days. You can also put your whole pack in a black trash bag and leave it baking in the sun. They are killed by heat and extreme cold.

On the Camino, I look for places with Spartan furnishings. Metal bunk beds and mattresses with plastic covers. Few decorations or soft furnishings. No blankets. No picture frames on the wall where bed bugs can hide in the daytime.

I try to get a bunk that does not touch the wall and I try not to let my sleep sack touch the wall. They can climb rough surfaces, but not slick metal or plastic.

Bed bugs can be anywhere, but they are not everywhere. In 7 trips to the Camino, I've knowingly only encountered them once and that was with a group of university students in the winter (in only one of the two dorms where we were housed).

Keep calm. Put your stuff in the dryer before spreading them to another place and carry on.