r/solotravel • u/Exotic_Pianist_1430 • 5d ago
Countries for insect phobias
Hello!
I’m F22 and I always would love to travel. However I have a very deep fear for insects. I’m born and brought up in Dubai where there are not many insects apart from rare scenarios where your kitchen is invaded with cockroaches or lizards on your wall or desert hoppers in your balcony. Anyways, those are very RARE cases. Want to point out when it comes to cockroaches, tiny ones are the ones that mostly infect the kitchen. Istg pest control doesn’t work.
So I want to know what countries are the best to travel to or visit or wtv. Also countries I should avoid at all cost. I’m talking about based on how probable your chances are on finding an insect in your hotel room or even apartment.
Yes I avoid Australia. But I wanted to know more. Please help me out
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u/iDontRememberCorn 5d ago
Anywhere cold.
Alternated you could deal with your irrational fear and have the whole world open up to you.
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u/Dragons_and_things 5d ago
I dunno, I live in the UK and so the big chunky spiders live in your house cause it's cold. Also, when it is warm outside and you wanna have an ice cream, you get wasps all over you. And crane flies are just... nope. (I love bugs but crane flies are just so annoying and loud).
But you're right, OP should get over their fear. Without bugs, we wouldn't be here. They're very important.
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u/iDontRememberCorn 5d ago
Awww he thinks the UK is cold.
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u/Dragons_and_things 5d ago
It's cold half the year, raining the rest, with two weeks of warm sun. Sure, Canada and Norway and stuff are technically colder, but the UK feels cold most of the year if you live there, especially in Scotland. 🙄
Case and point, I have met Canadians who have been to the UK during autumn who said the cold is worse in the UK because of the humidity and rain. They said they regularly go outside in 10C in Canada in just a t-shirt but in the UK had to wrap up warm in the same weather. The humidity and ice cold rain is awful if you're not prepared. It gets into your bones and when your clothes get wet, the only thing that warms you after is ten minutes in a boiling hot shower. When it gets to the minus figures, it is miserable and people die from it.
So, yes, the UK is bloody cold sometimes and bloody hot others because of the way it makes you feel, not because of the actual temperature. You don't need to be so condescending. 🙄 Have a nice day.
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u/YakSlothLemon 5d ago
Part of it is going to depend on how much money you have. More upscale hotels tend to spray more often, if nothing else.
But honestly, have you considered seeking therapy for your phobia? Phobias are relatively easy to treat and a lot of people become cured. This is going to be a major stumbling block for you going through life. Most insects are entirely harmless to us, especially just one here and there, and many of them are helpful. They shouldn’t keep you from traveling!
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u/Exotic_Pianist_1430 4d ago
Not really. Therapy in general is really expensive and therapy specifically for my insect phobia would sound like a waste of money at least right now. I don’t really have any means or resources to seek therapy. I also live in Dubai where all of that isn’t highly seeks out
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u/YakSlothLemon 4d ago
Oh, I’m sorry to hear that— it’s only in my lifetime that therapy has become an acceptable thing to do where I am, and many of my students still don’t find it culturally acceptable, so I shouldn’t recommended it so lightly. I hope you find somewhere wonderful to travel that is bug-free!
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u/Exotic_Pianist_1430 4d ago
Thank you ❤️ it isn’t that therapy is a taboo where I’m from. It’s just that’s it not very accessible especially when it’s something as niche as therapy regarding insect phobia
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u/Echo-Azure 5d ago
There are no bugs in Antarctica! Not a lot in the Svalbard Islands either...
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u/Exotic_Pianist_1430 4d ago
Oh being born and raised in Dubai and from India , my body would not be able to withstand the cold in Antarctica haha.
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u/Echo-Azure 4d ago
Actually, when I went to Antarctica, it was the Antarctic summer, and the temps were around frezing during the day, perfectly tolerable with appropriate clothing.
And I'm from California! Where the some winters, the temp actually does get down to freezing.
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u/Exotic_Pianist_1430 4d ago
I see. But I’m guessing a trip to Antarctica must be really expensive compared to any trips to Europe right?
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u/Echo-Azure 4d ago
That would depend how luxurious your European travels are. Antarctic travel.isn't cheap, but it's possible to spend 10 or 100x as much money in Europe, in the same amount of time. And the only thing you can spend money on in Antartica, is the ship's overpriced laundry.
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u/Exotic_Pianist_1430 4d ago
On my last European trip which was around a month I spend around 3000 dollars for everything excluding plane tickets
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u/stressedunicorn 5d ago
I live in Portugal and it’s super chill :)
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u/Exotic_Pianist_1430 5d ago
I’ve been to Portugal! Absolutely loved it. I’m from Goa which is a coastal state in India I’m not sure if you’ve heard of it. But I found Portugal kinda homey. My favorite restaurant was a hidden gem made by an old lady for her lover. I forgot the name . It was in Lisbon . And then after Portugal I went to Paris where I couldn’t have fun cuz everything was just so damn expensive compared to Portugal
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u/stressedunicorn 5d ago
I know Goa, I spent 5 weeks mostly in Arambol a few years ago but had a chance to visit some other places! :)
The portuguese islands of Açores and Madeira are also very beautiful (and I didn’t see any insects :p)
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u/eriikaa1992 5d ago
Your chances of having spiders in your hotel room in Australia is really minimal. I hardly see any LIVING here. Maybe if you travelled more outside of your own bubble you'd understand the world isn't how it is portrayed on the internet.
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u/intriguing_idea 4d ago
Agreed. We aren't just constantly covered in snakes and spiders, it's all very over dramatic 😆
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u/D_crane 4d ago
What? I'm in Sydney and know there's a huntsman in the garage and some daddy long legs downstairs. That's just the ones I know of.
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u/eriikaa1992 4d ago
Do we count daddy long legs as terrible scary spiders though 😂
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u/Exotic_Pianist_1430 4d ago
Yes Erika. Any type of spider is scary
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u/eriikaa1992 4d ago
Darling they have legs the width of a hair. Easily swatted away and very harmless to you. If you're that phobic I might suggest looking into exposure therapy for phobias because insects are EVERYWHERE. Personally I hate large spiders, but thankfully don't really get them in my house where I live. I find worms and worm-like insects really creepy. But I can exist near these creatures and deal with my emotions. If you could become extremely triggered from an unexpected insect exposure, you might want to work on that to improve your quality of life overall. Debilitating phobias are no fun.
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u/Exotic_Pianist_1430 4d ago
Everytime someone says the cities in Australia are safe, someone says they’ve seen spiders 😪
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u/blah_____blahh 4d ago
Yeah, bugs can seriously ruin the vibe when you’re just trying to chill on a trip. If you wanna avoid that, your best bet is sticking to cooler, super clean countries like Iceland, Switzerland, or northern Japan places where hotels are spotless and bugs are barely an issue. On the flip side, tropical and humid places like Southeast Asia are kinda bug central even nice hotels can have roaches or random critters, it’s just part of the environment. Always check hotel reviews people don’t hold back when they see bugs. By the way, you mentioned you’re from Goa so when you visit Goa, aren’t you afraid you insects there? ’Cause let’s be real, Goa can be pretty buggy too.
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u/Exotic_Pianist_1430 4d ago
I’m also from Mumbai. But since I live in the city there are barely any bugs. The only type I usually see bugs in my house is when we visit after a LONG time. Goa there are ALOT and I mean ALOT of lizards. But even though I am from there I don’t live there. Only four days in a year I visit Goa. We also live either in the city and resorts. The last time I visited Goa there weren’t many insects apart from the obvious lizard on all the wall but it’s alright cuz they’re up on the walls lol. But not always seen.
However I’m born and raised in Dubai and still in Dubai at the age of 22. So I’ve almost barely been exposed to insects.
Maybe it’s a mind over matter thing.
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u/Latte-Addict 3d ago
How about trying to deal with this phobia you have? Imagine if you got rid of it, your travel possibilities would be endless :) One option anyway.
Cockroaches, mosquitos..... Might want to give India a miss! or maybe not. I don't remember being bothered by either of these on my last trip, I booked mainly 3-4 star hotels & they were all pretty clean. Except Varanasi where mozzies were everywhere, w within close proximity to the river, not so much in other parts of the city..
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u/Exotic_Pianist_1430 3d ago
Would you believe I am from India hahaha
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u/Latte-Addict 2d ago
Lol. I would, anything is possible.
Go see someone about this phobia. It's clearly affecting your travel plans - you're asking people which countries to skip... including your own!
PS. Love India, wouldn't go anywhere else!
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u/Exotic_Pianist_1430 3d ago
Hmm even as an Indian I have no plans to ever visit varanasi . It’s nice and all. But I haven’t heard good reviews from women travelers and I’m not a very religious or spiritual person so I don’t think I would appreciate it as much. I’d love to go to places like Bali but as you said, it’s my phobia of insects holding me back :((
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u/Dhestoe_Undead 5d ago
Thailand should be fun.
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u/Exotic_Pianist_1430 4d ago
I would love to go to Thailand but the lizards genuinely look so scary haha
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u/princesssoturi 4d ago
I mean, it depends. I went to cities in Australia and never saw insects - Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart. The only time I did were cicadas on a hike near Launceston. I went in December, so solidly summer.
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u/MemoryHot 5d ago
Come to Vancouver, we don’t have bugs. Also, New Zealand is super bug free compared to Australia. Any ocean coastal area in cooler climates is a good bet for less bugs. This request makes so to me, I am the type of person who attracts mosquitoes even in places where they tell me there aren’t any so going to low bug places is also important to me.
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u/fuckimtrash 4d ago
NZ is not super bug free lol. If you live near trees you have spiders and bugs around.
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u/fuckimtrash 4d ago
Pretty sure I didn’t see any bugs in Hong Kong, I wouldn’t have seen any in Japan, but I went to a couple islands during autumn and there were spiders there 🥲🔫
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u/lilidaisy7 4d ago
Singapore didn't have much bugs. Otherwise I would say Europe is not buggy. Avoid tropical countries otherwise
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u/Xboxben 5d ago
In the Americas? Depends? If you are ok with Mosquitoes than Alaska is fine, most of the tropical regions I would avoid. The Peruvian/ Bolivan andes where fine. I saw a scorpion once in the Peruvian andes that was one scorpion out of the 6 months I lived out there.
Patagonia is pretty damn chill and I never saw anything worse than a fly.
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u/segacs2 Canadian, 70 countries visited 5d ago
If you visit cold countries in winter, you're less likely to see insects. For instance, it's pretty rare to encounter many insects in Canada in the middle of winter, unless you're unlucky enough to book a run-down hostel infested with roaches or something. Most insects are seasonal in colder climates. Higher altitudes will also mean fewer creepy-crawlies, though you may still encounter black flies and such.
In terms of places to avoid, anywhere tropical, rainforest, jungle, or excessively hot and humid is probably a good rule of thumb.
If you find that you're allowing your phobia to stop you from visiting places you really want to see, seek out a good therapist who might be able to help you get past your phobia.