It is vitally important that every traveler protects themselves when they go on a trip to a faraway place, especially if it is another country. To those who are not familiar with the local environment of the place they are going, they should know beforehand what things they need to bring to protect themselves against something that can harm their body, particularly bug bites. The one thing that you want avoid most when travelling overseas or faraway places, is getting sick. Not only can bugs bring diseases that are either easy to cure or deadly, it will hinder your trip and you might even be forced to go back home.
- At the least, bring some ointment or insect repellent with you before travelling. Use a repellent which has around twenty percent or more of DEET since this will protect your skin from bug bites for several hours. Some of the products that contains this ingredient are Ultrathon, Sawyer, Cutter and Off! These products will not only protect you from mosquitoes but also against ticks.
- You can also focus with repellents that protect you only from mosquitoes. Aside from DEET, you should also look for other active ingredients with higher percentages that will provide longer hours of protection. These are PMD or OLE (Oil of lemon eucalyptus), Picaridin or also known with another name of KBR 3023, icaridin and Bayrepel. The products that contain this active ingredient are Autan (found outside the US) and Cutter Advanced.
You should always follow the directions of use before applying the repellent to yourself since these are varying products. For people wearing sunscreen, you should apply the sunscreen protection first then apply the repellent afterwards. Do not apply the repellent near the eyes, hand and the mouth.
Other things that you can do to protect your skin from bug bites is by covering them with wearing long sleeved shirts, hats and long pants. Some travelers are fond of sleeping outside in tents so at least, if possible sleep inside an air conditioned room or have your room screened where mosquitoes cannot get in. If you still insist in sleeping outdoors, at least use a bed net. As for tick bites, long pants, long sleeved shirts and hats is important. Do not wear sandals and instead wear closed shoes such as rubber shoes. At most, avoided areas that are populated with leaves, grass and high bushes.