Hey there, fellow travelers! Today, we’re in Rio de Janeiro and we’re talking about mosquito prevention. Mosquitos are everywhere, and a lot of travelers worry about getting Zika or Yellow Fever when traveling to countries with mosquitos. So, today we’re sharing some tips on how you can avoid mosquito bites while traveling.
#1 Mosquito Repellant Lotion or Spray
Do not leave home without bug repellant. Chances are, you’ve tried out a few and know what you like, so you’re better off to travel with your preferred brand than to be searching all over once you land at your destination. We’ve found that mosquito repellant lotion with 30-50% DEET is the most effective against mosquitos, although you may want to do some research before using this on kids. We use non-DEET spray on the kids. We’ve also used lemongrass oil for the kids, and even some wristbands that are pre-treated with bug repellant to keep mosquitos away.
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#2 Choose Your Season
Mosquitos aren’t generally a year-round problem. You can avoid them pretty easily by carefully timing your visit. For example, in the winter in Brazil, there aren’t many mosquitos. Summer months are when the mosquitos really come out in Brazil and other places. So, the easiest way to prevent mosquito bites is to visit when the mosquitos aren’t active.
#3 Vitamin B
Many travelers swear by increasing their B-vitamin intake to keep mosquitos away. This could be an old wive’s tale so you may want to talk to your doctor, but some people will take a B-7 or a B-complex vitamin to help avoid mosquitos.
#4 Hotel Room Location
Another trick to avoid mosquitos is to get a hotel room on a higher floor. This is especially true if you have a balcony that you would like to enjoy. By getting a room above the 6th floor, you’ll see far fewer mosquitos than the folks staying on the ground floor.
#5 Mosquito Nets
If you are traveling somewhere a bit more rural, like the Pantanal, or the Amazon, you might want to bring a mosquito net that goes over your bed at night. (Check with your lodging; as thy may provide these already.) There are also personal headnets, or a full mosquito suit, that you can wear when out and about during active mosquito hours.
#6 Avoid Standing Water
Anytime you see standing water, there will likely be mosquitos hanging around, so if you can avoid standing water, you’ll reduce your chances of mosquito bites. This is why you won’t see many bathtubs in Brazil; they mostly have showers to avoid standing water.
#7 Clothing Choice
Your choice of clothing can help you avoid mosquito bites. Wearing long sleeve shirts and long pants that are loose, and not tight to your skin, is a good tactic. Mosquitos are also supposedly attracted to dark colors, so if you wear white or khaki, light colored clothing, this can also help avoid mosquito bites.
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Travel Vaccines
This won’t help you avoid getting bit by mosquitoes, but it’s always important to visit your local travel health clinic before a trip to see what vaccines you need. Things like Yellow Fever and malaria can be vaccinated against if you are traveling to a country where these are still a common occurrence.
These are our tips for avoiding mosquito bites. Do you have some you’d like to add? Tell us in the comments! For more travel tips and advice, check out these blog posts and videos: