Germany July 2-10

[wrdoc]

Husband, daughter and I just got back late Saturday night from Germany trip. I will attempt to post trip report in a few days or so. The trip was good. The guides (Nadine and Robyn) were fantastic.

Just a word of warning for those with upcoming trips. Germany was quite warm (for Germany)--around 88-90 plus degrees most days we were there. Only the hotels in Heidelberg and in Munich (first and last hotels) have air conditioning. We left our upper floor tower bedroom window open. The second night of our stay in Trendelburg (castle) and my husband awoke around 2 am to find we had a bat in the room. The bat exited on its own and, as far as we know, didn't bite or scratch us. However, we were pretty soundly asleep--this was the first night our internal clocks really let us rest.

Bats can carry rabies.

Possible exposure to rabies is not a medical emergency. You have several days (possibly to weeks) to decide about post-exposure vaccinations. So, I waited until we came back to the states to make my contacts. None of the health agencies that deal with this sort of thing were open until this a.m. I spoke with the CDC and our state rabies specialist this a.m. Since we were sleeping so heavily, they have recommended we all have the vaccinations. The vaccinations are quite expensive. I have spent the rest of this morning on the phone with our health insurance to make sure they are going to cover the vaccinations. It seems they will, but after our deductible and our co-pays, we will probably have a thousand dollars or more tied up in the post-exposure vaccinations

I called Adventures by Disney this a.m. to notify them of all this--they really need to make sure the next group of travellers keeps their windows shut. The person answering the call was very nice and stated she would send the info up the chain and that I should expect a follow-up call.

I'll post when I hear back from them.

 

[brewcrew]

Did you have any scratch marks or bites on you?

 

[wrdoc]

The kiddo had some fresh scratches on her legs and arms--but what 7 year old doesn't in the summertime? She had been playing pretty hard outside before we went to bed.

I had some kind of nonspecific bite on the back of my neck--but it could have been from any kind of insect, too.

Husband had some random scratches, but none appeared really recent.

Apparently bats don't always leave highly visible bite marks. I keep thinking there is NO WAY I could have slept through a bat bite or scratch, but we were sleeping pretty heavily, and we were all in short sleeves and short pants without covers (because of the heat), so I guess it is possible. Although the chance of one of us actually contracting rabies is very small, since it is almost 100% fatal once it starts, I don't guess we will take that chance.

Just got the call back from the insurance. It looks like they will pay, but we will be out of pocket about $2000 for the $8000 of immunization costs.

 

[brewcrew]

We had a similar thing happen and we chose not to go the route of shots. Our daughter was dog walking a neighbors dog and came upon a nest of sleeping raccoons. Well the dog went crazy and our daughter got tangled up in the dogs leash and came out with a few scratches, we think from the dog. Our health department said that our county had no reports of rabid raccoons. My daughter also came upon them while they were sleeping and not eating which apparently makes a huge difference if they should treat her. After speaking with our doctor, animal control and our health department we decided against the painful series of shots. We did however keep a very close eye on her and were thankful when the 30 or so days went by with no signs.

Have you called the hotel to see what the local kind of bats are? Are the vegetarian bats?

Hoping for the best for you!

 

[wrdoc]

BrewCrew, sorry to hear about your situation. It is never good to have to make those kinds of decisions. Glad everything turned out ok for you guys. Thanks for the well-wishes, too.

We survived round one of shots. DH and I both had 7 yesterday and DD had 3. We each have to get 3 more over the course of the next 2 weeks. The worst of it is over, I guess.

Disney called back to say they had notified the hotel of the bat problem and that the hotel didn't seem too concerned. Disney also stated they had advised their current ABD travelers that there are bats in the castle area and to be cautious about leaving windows open. Disney also stated they were not able to control the wildlife on ABD trips--I thought that was funny. I never expected Disney to control the wildlife, I just didn't expect to find wildlife in my hotel room. I guess I shouldn't have expected anything else. The Disney rep did wish my family "continued good health" though. I guess that counts for something. I guess if we travel to rural Germany again, I'll pack my own oscillating fan and screens for the window.

 

[campbyers]

I am so sorry to hear about the bat incident! But I appreciate your comments. We are traveling at the end of this month (july) on the Germany Adventure and will be packing a fan for sure!

Were you able to enjoy the trip at all? How were your guides?
We have been on 2 adventures and both were exceptional. My daughter is looking forward to this trip and if you have any other advice, I wold love to hear it!

 

[wrdoc]

The trip was really good. The guides were fantastic. I felt the "quite country" portion of the trip (Trendelburg) dragged a little. I would have rather spent one fewer night in Trendelburg--and not just because of the bat. The area was absolutely beautiful, though, and well worth seeing.
Overall, the trip was very, very good. We would do it again (minus the shots, preferably).

I know you will have a great time.

 

[campbyers]

Thanks for your reply. We have been on the Knights and Lights (london, paris) as well as the South African Adventure and both were fabulous. However, we definitely had times that dragged a bit. So, I guess that is to be expected! However, on our critique of the trips, we told them about those issues and hopefully they will and do make some adjustments.

Things sometmes happen when traveling, as you know! And could happen on any of the trips! I actually scratched my eye on our safari, but luckily another adventurer had some eye antibiotics. And on a National Geographic trip to Costa Rica, I bit into a large metal shaving in my salad (but realized once in my mouth and spit it out) it would have probably killed me --and we were in the middle of nowhere!

I do know that our guide in South Africa mentioned that one time they did have to have a private helicopter come pick up an adventurer due to a fall.

If you think of any other suggestions about Germany, please let me know!

 

[Bobo912]

Thanks for your reply. We have been on the Knights and Lights (london, paris) as well as the South African Adventure and both were fabulous. However, we definitely had times that dragged a bit. So, I guess that is to be expected! However, on our critique of the trips, we told them about those issues and hopefully they will and do make some adjustments.

Things sometmes happen when traveling, as you know! And could happen on any of the trips! I actually scratched my eye on our safari, but luckily another adventurer had some eye antibiotics. And on a National Geographic trip to Costa Rica, I bit into a large metal shaving in my salad (but realized once in my mouth and spit it out) it would have probably killed me --and we were in the middle of nowhere!

I do know that our guide in South Africa mentioned that one time they did have to have a private helicopter come pick up an adventurer due to a fall.

If you think of any other suggestions about Germany, please let me know!

I apologize if I'm hijacking the thread, but I'm considering either ABD or Linblad/National Geographic for a Galapagos tour in 2011 and since you've traveled with both, I would love to hear your opinion of the two companies. I've been on two ABD trips, so I know how great they are. I've also seen very positive feedback on Linblad and I attended their webinar on the Galapagos trip this week and was quite impressed. I think either way we win, but would love to hear some of the similarities or differences from someone who has experienced both. TIA.