Tuesday’s Travel Essentials: Insect Repellent

On selected Tuesdays, I will aim to detail some travel essentials. Yes, these might be glaringly obvious but to be honest, sometimes I forget them and sometimes you will too. And we can never fit everything we want in one backpack or suitcase. I’ll hope to identify what to take, when to take it, how much of it to take, where to take it and why to take it.

First up is Insect Repellent. I am prone to insect bites, almost every hot place I go. I even got bites in Paraguay, Tasmania and Hong Kong. So Insect Repellent to me is an absolute essential, almost everytime I’m on the road. Especially now that I’m based primarily in Asia.

First of all – everywhere you go that has insects, particularly mosquitos, MAKE SURE you carry at least some sort of repellent. Can’t stress it enough. Experienced travellers will know to always carry a day bag and you must make sure you have sun cream (sun block/sun screen) and insect repellent in it. By the way this post is not actually about preventing bites, as that’s more for my travel advice bits, this is just telling you to bring Insect Repellent!

What insect repellent should you take? There’s a few types but these days I prefer a spray on one. Mainly because it’s easy to use and avoids me personally having to apply it with my hands, especially hand if on dirty hikes and when eating.

1. Insect Repellent Spray:

I currently use Jungo 30, which is mainly for mosquito and leech repelling. I love it – it works well, I haven’t had a single bite ever when I’ve used it and it’s slim and fits easily into your day bag. I bought mine in Cambodia, but this can be bought all over the place. They don’t seem to have their own website, but click here to find it: Jungo 30.

I also like Boots Insect Repellent as it sprays upside down. However I have still got bitten with this one, though it says on it only for UK and Europe, so this one works well in slightly colder climates and also recommended. This one should be bought in the UK. If you live in the UK or Ireland, I’d recommend trying Boots.

 2. Insect Repellent Stick:

This is like a roll on Insect Repellent and I bought mine in Australia, made by Repel I also like this one, but the problem is while hiking it is harder to put it on, as you need to actually roll it on, you may also miss bits. The spray one is much easier. However Repel make spray ons too!

3. Insect Repellent Cream:

Insect repellent cream is the least impressive one as you need to apply it yourself. I bought one of these in Indonesia recently and didn’t like having to apply it by hand, especially before eating and it leaves a smell on your hands.

So in closing – make sure you have at least some form of Insect Repellent at all times. Keep mosquitos at bay! Don’t stop spraying! Stop insects biting!

Don’t Stop Living!