Ticks in Slovenia

As with many other forested areas, yes—there are ticks in the woodlands and grasslands of Slovenia so precautions are necessary if you plan to go hiking.

I'm familiar with ticks where I live in the US. Lyme disease in the US and also in Europe especially the region in Slovenia, the Bavarian region and the border with Austia and have a high incidence of Tick borne encephalitis, which is not in the US. Unlike lyme disease Tick borne encephalitis can be transmitted without the 12-36 hours attached for lyme disease to be transmitted. Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) can be transmitted immediately after a tick bite, meaning the tick doesn't need to be attached for a specific period to transmit the virus. Unlike some other tick-borne diseases, TBE does not require the tick to feed for a certain length of time.
The TBE virus can be transmitted directly from the tick's saliva to the host upon biting and feeding.
So I got the vaccine for tick borne encephalitis in the US, two doses before I departed on my current trip. Amazing it was available at both Walgreens and CVS, but they had to order it for me.

If you plan to hike and spend a lot of time in forested areas, then you want to check yourself for ticks (they are the small deer tick kind).

People who live in these areas and spend a lot of time outdoors will likely have received the series of shots against the tick borne encephalitis. But it takes a lot of planning in advance as it is a series.

You have to weigh the risks yourself.

For me personally, I had two of the three shots in the series because I live in an impacted area and spend significant time outside. As I had a strong allergic reaction to the second shot, my doctor suggested that I do not complete the series and instead just check myself.

It is worth noting that only a very small percentage of ticks even carry this disease.

I too am concerned about ticks for our upcoming June trip. We ordered some socks from Insect Shield and sent our hiking clothes to them to be treated. We will also spray our hiking shoes with permethrin prior to departure and pack bug spray.

I also looked into getting the vaccine mentioned above, but it was going to be quite a process to get it ordered, and was also going to be several hundred dollars per person. We decided we'd travel without getting the series, and I'm just trying not to think about things. :)

Sorry about the vaccine cost, my Medicare paid for the vaccine.

I was outdoors the majority of my time in Slovenia and also hiked in wooded areas. I did not experience ticks or mosquitoes in June.