Table of Content
Introduction
Insects suck – and so do their bites
Best Mosquito Repellent Devices and Products
- Insect Repellent Product Overview
- Portable Best Mosquito Repellent Devices
- Insect repellent lotions
- Insect repellent wipes
- Insect Repellent Wristbands
- Mosquito Repellent clothing
- Mosquito nets
- Citronella incense coils
Introduction
Using the best mosquito repellent devices and products to protect yourself from bites is a necessity of travel and depending on where you live, of life. Whether you style yourself as tourist or traveller, budget or high-end luxury, business traveller or pleasure seeker, city slicker or beach bum, there are some travel certainties. Once you’re in a tropical climate, mosquitoes and their barbaric bloodsucking insect brethren will do their utmost to find you. And when they do, you should be prepared with the best mosquito control at your disposal.
By prepared, I mean you need to have a mosquito repellent system in place that doesn’t just consist of running out and buying some insect protection spray from the local supermarket. This is entirely necessary if you want to gain the upper hand in “The War Of The Moz”.
(Yes, that is a thing. I just officially made it up).
The War Of The Moz
As you can see, using the best insect repellent is important stuff.
This post is not going to detail the physiological features of the flying fiends who would have your blood for breakfast. Neither will it list out all the ghastly infections and diseases that may befall you if you have chosen to breeze into your chosen location unarmed against these miniscule monsters with the top-rated mosquito repellent on the market today. Instead, I will pre-suppose that as a minimum, you have heard of malaria, and you have probably heard of Zika. Therefore, you already know that both of those things are VERY BAD and should be avoided at all costs. Using the most effective insect repellent is a good first step in enjoying your bug-free travels without encountering either of these nasty conditions.
See the evil look in its eye as it prepares to pierce the skin of the hapless human?
Insects suck – and so do their bites
Even without all of the ghastly infections, at the risk of stating the obvious, insect bites are bad, right? They itch and weep for days. For me, they now erupt into golf-ball sized welts that sometimes refuse to die without the aid of antihistamine lotion. Until the lotion kicks in, they serve as a muse to make-up artists who enjoy Halloween.
Also, as an ultra-competitive person, it bugs me (no pun intended!) that something so small and evil can attempt to ruin my travels. So I find a certain appeal in finding the best insect repellents that work and then gliding through tropical locations practically undetectable to the nasty little blighters. A bit like I imagine Harry Potter must feel when he’s sneaking through Slytherin House in his Invisibility Cloak.
I say “practically undetectable” as you never know. Insects are evil geniuses who are forever concocting new ways to find new blood to suck. But these mosquito repellent products, especially when used in combination, will give you the best possible chance of enjoying your tropical stay without suffering the bites.
In case the wee beasties still manage to sneak a sip of your claret despite your best efforts with these mosquito repellers, we have included ideas for bite remedies as well.
Best Mosquito Repellent Devices and Products
Insect Repellent Product Overview
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Portable Best Mosquito Repellent Devices
Apart from the old-fashioned method of spraying yourself liberally with insect repellent substances (see below), this little mosquito killing device is hands down the best deterrent for mozzies and flying insects that we have ever found. It is our personal best insect repellent 2018!
Lifesystems Portable Mosquito Killer
The LifeSystems Portable Mosquito Killer is a small, battery-powered mosquito repellent device that kills mosquitoes dead in their tracks. It is probably the best indoor insect killer. We have used these since 2013 when we travelled to Africa, and since then in many countries in Asia and Central America. I cannot recall ever being bitten in a room when one is switched on. Where the mozzies have dared to stage an invasion, I have found some of them dead on the floor the next morning.
How does it work?
Zapped by clever, insect-targeted death rays while I was sleeping soundly? I’d like to think so. But actually, this electronic mosquito repellent takes small cartridges that slowly emit a mozzie repellent scent that is harmless and odourless to humans, but deathly for our tiny winged enemies. It weighs only 125 grams in your bag, and the cartridge refills last for up to 6 nights. It is one of the best indoor insect repellent methods I have found, and I would never again travel to a hot country without one.
Let’s face it, you can buy mozzie spray wherever there are biting insects and people, especially tourist people. But I have only ever found these babies to order online. One plus a pack of refill cartridges is well worth the weight and space in your backpack.
Click here to buy the Lifesystems Portable Mosquito Killer by Life Systems
If you are shopping outside of the US, click here to buy the Lifesystems Portable Mosquito Killer
Click here to buy the LIFESYSTEMS PORTABLE MOSQUITO KILLER REFILL CARTRIDGES (5 UNITS)
If you are shopping outside of the US, click here to buy the Lifesystems Portable Mosquito Killer Refill Cartridges.
Plug in Mosquito Killers
We have also used plug-in mosquito killers. These work really well too and save carrying around AA batteries. Also, you can find these best mosquito repellent devices plugins in most of the countries relatively easy. However, the one issue we have found with them is that if you move countries a lot, as we currently do, then the plug may not always be compatible with the local sockets. Not a deal-breaker as they are still very effective and you could just get yourself a World Travel Adapter.
One of the best mosquito plug-in devices is the Ultrasonic Pest Mosquito Repellent. This is a sonic mosquito repellent that uses ultrasound waves that are sufficiently annoying to pests as to make them go away, but definitely safe enough for humans and pets big and small.
Click here to buy the Ultrasonic Electronic Repellent (6 Packs)
If you are shopping outside of the US, click here to buy the Ultrasonic Pest Mosquito Repellent
Insect repellent lotions
Now, I really don’t want to get into any discussion about the relative merits of DEET on this blog post. Suffice to say, if I personally have a choice then I’d prefer to avoid the pain and risk of mosquito and sandfly bites now, today, and if this means covering myself with the best DEET bug spray that money can buy, then I am personally at peace with that.
It seems that DEET has never been proven to cause risk to humans in reasonable doses, in any case. And DEET is widely believed to be the most effective mosquito repellent around, as it makes you effectively invisible to the mozzies.
The best mosquito repellent with DEET will be at least 40% and preferably more than 50%.
You planned a trip but don’t know what to pack in your first aid kit?
Best travel first aid kit packing tips from a nurse
Then check out our post about the Best travel first aid kit packing tips from a nurse!
Where to buy it?
As I said, you can buy variations of insect repellent pretty much anywhere. We used to think it was only worthwhile taking a small amount of insect repellent spray or lotion along in your luggage and just buy the rest wherever you are. However, this was before we had spent months in Asia. Insect repellent containing DEET that is available in supermarkets in Asia tends to be only around 10-15%, which is not really worth bothering with. We also heard that you sometimes get scammed and don’t get the right product, or the product is even watered down.
To get high DEET mosquito repellent, you need to visit a pharmacy and it will then cost upwards of $10 for a small bottle. So now, we do tend to stock up on the strong stuff whenever we can find it at a reasonable cost.
The best mosquito spray and generally best DEET insect repellent that we have found available online in the US is Repel 100 DEET insect repellent Spray. One of the strongest mosquito repellent sprays available with over 98% DEET will give the highest possible protection against mosquito bites.
Click here if you want to buy the Repel 100 Insect Repellent
If you’re shopping from outside of the US, click here to buy the Repel 100 Insect Repellent
If you are shopping in the UK, then our favourite Amazon insect repellent is Jungle Formula. This is a tropical mosquito repellent containing 50% DEET and it is one of the all-round best insect repellent sprays we have found. They also offer a roll on mosquito repellent, which is with its 50ml the perfect mosquito repellent for hand luggage.
Bug spray without DEET
If you are someone who prefers mosquito repellents without DEET, whatever your reasons, then there are natural mosquito deterrent alternatives available. When we are staying somewhere for a long time and need to use insect repellent every day, we prefer to use all natural insect repellents without DEET during the day. In the evening, when mosquitos get more active, we then switch to DEET mosquito repellents.
The Herbal Armor Deet Free Natural Insect Repellent spray uses a combination of 26 active ingredients including 6 essential oils that act as a herbal insect repellent to keep the bites at bay.
Click here to buy the All Terrain Herbal Armor DEET-Free Natural Insect Repellent Spray (8 Ounce)
If you’re shopping from outside of the US, click here to buy the Herbal Armor Deet Free Natural Insect Repellent
For readers who are shopping in the UK, Jungle Formula does have a natural mosquito repellent for the skin as part of their range too.
More recently, I have seen sunscreen with insect repellent become available too. We tried the Soltan Protect and Repel 50+ and were very happy with it. Unfortunately, it is only available in the UK.
Insect repellent wipes
Bug repellent wipes are also really useful. They are not liquid so they are allowed on planes because you can’t use wipes to blow up a plane like you can a bottle of normal insect rep… oh, well. Let’s not go there. Suffice to say, mosquito repellent wipes are good for use on flights. Although you can get packs of wipes, we prefer to use the single-wrapped ones. This makes sure that the active ingredients are preserved and the wipes stay wet. Bens Wipes are 30% DEET wipes. They come single wrapped and offer up to 8 hours of protection against mosquitoes, fleas and ticks.
Click here to buy Ben’s 30 Deet Mosquito Tick Insect & Bug Repellent Field Wipes – 24 Pack
If you’re shopping from outside of the US, then click here to buy Ben’s 30 Deet Mosquito Tick Insect & Bug Repellent Field Wipes – 24 Pack
If you are looking for natural anti-mosquito wipes without DEET, then we can recommend you the OFF! Botanical Towelettes. They are from a reputable company and get raving reviews.
Click here to buy the OFF! Botanical Towelettes Plant Based Repellent
If you are shopping from outside of the US, click here to buy the Off Botanicals Towelettes
Insect Repellent Wristbands
We discovered insect repellent bracelets in Bali. A small supermarket had those festival-style rubber insect repellent bands impregnated with citronella. They were surprisingly effective. But they did make us look like overaged students. And I know some people cannot get on with the scent of citronella. If you are this person then skip on to the next item. If you don’t mind the scent and are reading this post because you were hoping for some natural, non-DEET insect repelling remedies, then read on.
We now use the Parakito stuff which in our opinion, are the best mosquito repellent bands. These are a range of soft fabric mosquito repellent bands and also keyrings which have a small pocket in which you insert a citronella-scented tab (which is one of the best natural mosquito repellents and does the mozzie repelling magic part).
You can buy refills for the tabs. Although not exactly stylish in design, they are a step up from the rubber student festival mosquito repellent wristbands. Oh, they are also very comfortable to wear and you can get them in many different colour options.
Click here to buy the PARA’KITO Mosquito Repellent Wristband
If you are shopping from outside of the US, then click here to buy the PARA’KITO Mosquito Repellent Wristband
If you already have one or you just want to stock up on refills, then you can order them here. One refill lasts for 15 days.
Click here to buy 2 PARA’KITO Refills
If you are shopping from outside of the US, then click here to buy 2 PARA’KITO Refill Pellets
Mosquito Repellent clothing
Protection sprays
This can be done in two ways. You can buy special mosquito spray for clothes, or your tent or sleeping bag.
Click here to buy the Repel Permanone Clothing & Gear Insect Repellent Spray – 6oz
For the UK, the Lifesystems Ex-4 spray does the same job.
The drawback of this method is that a bottle is quickly used up after a few items of clothing are treated. For long-term travel, this would mean having to either carry several bottles of it around or keep sourcing it in different places.
Protective clothing
To get around this, there are also now mosquito protection clothing ranges such as Solstice or Ex-Officio (US) or Craghoppers Nosilife (UK). These ranges are made of fabrics engineered with insect repelling properties that claim to last for the lifetime of the clothing. You can see some examples below. iZogAdventure wrote a great article about the mosquito protection clothing line from Craghoppers, check it out!
For the upper body, we can recommend you this shirt from Solstice. It’s a great mosquito repellent gear with a good air flow and additionally an integrated sun protection of SPF 40.
Click here to buy the Solstice Apparel Men’s Insect Repellent Long Sleeve Shirt
If you are shopping from outside of the US, then click here to buy the Solstice Apparel Men’s Insect Repellent Long Sleeve Shirt
The shirt is of cours also available in a womans insect repelling gear version.
Click here to buy the Solstice Apparel Women’s Insect Repellent Long Sleeve Shirt
If you are shopping from outside of the US, then click here to buy the Solstice Apparel Women’s Insect Repellent Long Sleeve Shirt
Or if you are shopping in the UK, check out this Craghoppers NosiLife Lifestyle Bayame Men’s Long Sleeve T-Shirt or this Craghoppers Womens/Ladies NosiLife Appleton Long-Sleeved Tee.
If you are looking for some great anti-insect trousers, then we can recommend you these ones for men:
Click here to buy the Craghoppers Mens NosiLife Convertible Trousers
If you are shopping from outside of the US, then click here to buy the Craghoppers Men’s Cr116 NosiLife Convertible Trousers
For women, we can recommend these anti-insect trousers, which are also equipped with sun protection and can be transformed into shorts.
Click here to buy the Craghoppers Women’s NosiLife Zip Off Trousers
If you are shopping from outside of the US, then click here to buy the Craghoppers Ladies NosiLife Zip-Off Trousers
Mosquito nets
If they are used correctly, then mosquito nets can be one of the best insect repellent defences for your sleeping skin. In places where there are a lot of mosquitoes, many hotels and hostels will have them already installed. You can of course also carry a travel mosquito net. As we are always carrying our Lifesystems portable ray of death, we don’t usually bother, although we do always use them in hotels if available. However we have never been travelling anywhere where we cannot buy batteries, so mosquito nets still make the list for this reason! And, they are another course of insect repellent without DEET, if you prefer not to use it.
Click here to buy the Coghlan’s Single Wide Rectangular Mosquito Net
If you are shopping from outside of the US, then click here to buy the Coghlan’s Mosquito Net
Citronella incense coils
One of the very best outdoor bug repellents and another non-DEET mosquito repellent is incense coils. I would not actually pack these in the backpack due to size and weight considerations. However, they are usually available in local supermarkets so I will often pick some up if we are staying in one place for a few nights or more especially if we are sitting outside a lot. I have also often used them during summer evenings even on our balcony at home. The coil means they last a lot longer than a traditional incense stick and the citronella scent is not an overly strong scent. They are very popular in hotels in places like Bali or Vietnam where there are tons of mozzies. So this gives me faith that they are one of the best natural bug repellent methods around.
Click here to buy Coghlan’s Mosquito Coils
If you are shopping from outside of the US, then click here to buy the Coghlans Mosquito Coils
Do you want to keep your anti-insect weapons dry while travelling?
Best waterproof bags to keep your travel gear safe
Then check out this post about the Best waterproof bags to keep your travel gear safe!
Treating Insect Bites
If the arsenal of the best mosquito repellent devices and products above still proves insufficient protection against the malevolent mozzies and you find yourself scratching red and swollen bite marks, then the treatments below will help to soothe them.
Bite creams/antihistamine lotions
I never go to any hot country without an antihistamine cream. I do have some extreme reactions to insect bites where they become huge and swollen so when this happens I rely on medication to control the immune reaction. If you just want something to reduce the itching, then some aloe vera gel will cool and soothe the bite spot. Tiger balm is also good against bites. If you want something stronger but still without prescription, then we recommend you the Cortizone-10. It is the strongest anti-itch cream you can get without a prescription. This is probably the best insect bite treatment.
Click here to buy the Cortizone-10 Max Strength
Some people even say that Tiger Balm acts as a very effective natural mosquito repellent, although I would not usually rely on it alone.
A trio of creams and gels to help with bite relief
Bite relief pen
This clever little device works by delivering a concentrated dose of heat to the bite spot. Used directly on the affected area, it tricks the body out of the immune reaction to the bite, reducing swelling and itching for several hours at a time. It takes normal AA batteries.
Click here to buy the Bite Away Stick
If you are shopping from outside of the US, then click here to buy the Bite Away Stick
Hot water
Bear with me, it really works! Actually, hot water works by the same principle as the bite relief clicker above, it fools the immune reaction. Wet a clean towel with water as hot as you are able to stand it without scalding (or screaming, if anyone else is around) and hold it against the bite spot until the itching subsides. It’s also surprisingly effective and the best insect bite relief if no pharmacy is around.
So there you go. That is our arsenal in the War of the Moz – some of the best protection against mosquitoes that we have found. We find this collection of top 10 mosquito repellents methods works very well and have yet to be struck down with malaria or other insect-borne diseases.
Do you have any top tips or products for the best anti-mosquito defences against the dastardly bloodsuckers? Share in the comments below!
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Disclaimer:
This article is not intended as medical advice. You should always talk to a doctor or pharmacist for travel advice or in case of any reactions to insect bites, bite remedies or insect repelling products, especially if you are pregnant or taking medication. Take care of your health.
This article contains affiliate links. Retailers will pay us a small commission – at NO cost to you – if you buy anything once you click through. We have personally tested these methods during travels on the plains of Africa, beaches of Asia and forests of Central America. Whether they contain affiliate links or not.
26 comments
[…] you like our packing guides, then you can also check out our other posts about the 10 Best Insect Repellents – Weapons you should have in your travel arsenal or our post about the Best Cameras for Travel […]
These are great tips. Mosquitoes LOVE my husband, so we’re constantly looking for things to help him out. I love those mosquito wipes. It’s definitely easier to control what has been covered with repellent.
Thanks for reading Paige 🙂 I feel the pain of your husband – they love me too… unfortunately my immune system is getting more and more irate with them! The mosquito wipes are great for travel or to carry a few around in a bag in case you forget to pack spray on a day out. Wish you a great week!
Helpful list you have there! Unfortunately me and family are prone to mosquito bites so we need tons of repellents. Often, one spray is not enough so I probably should stock up on the list you have here and just put on everything in summer!
Hei Eve, thank you for your comment. We understand you just too good … at least Sarah does. Try the Lifesystems as it’s the one device we trust the most! As long as it’s activated we get bitten very very rarely. I hope you’ll find a good solution.
Have a fantastic day
Oh, I can relate to this, mosquitoes just love me! If there’s 20 people at the table, I’ll be the target and no one else. My friends even laugh about it that “the best protection against mosquitoes” is to bring me along, since they will all be safe! 😀 I use various lotions, but would like to consider few more things from your list. Thanks!
Hi Danijela, can we please book you for SE Asia? Joke beside, being bitten all the time is really annoying 🙁 We really recommend you to try the Lifesystems portable mosquito killer. It makes such a big difference 😀 Thank you for commenting 🙂
Have a fantastic day without any mozzies
Hehehe, I’m all booked for SE Asia already! 😀 Thanks, I’ll try that “killer”. 😉
I really hope it’s helping you to get bitten less 🙂
Last month I got bitten about 10 times on our last day in Crete. It never happened to me before since Crete is a very windy island and mosquitos never stay put for very long. I put some bite relief cream that I used when we traveled to Vietnam, but it didn’t work. I guess it’s just not the same kind of mosquitos.. haha..; Thanks for this list though!
Ten times is a lot on just one day! I guess different Mozzies put different proteins into your skin when they bite you, so you may be more sensitive to certain kinds of Mosquitos. In really heavy cases we use some anti-histamines, they most of the times really do the trick.
Have a fantastic bite free day
What a handy list. I’m a mosquito magnet so I’m always looking for repellant. I love the idea of the portable mosquito killer. I use wristbands, I’ll have to check out the Parakito brand.
Hi Debra, thank you for your comment. It’s always so mean to be the mosquito magnet! You should really give the portable Lifesystems device a chance, it works wonders for us. What kind of wristbands do you use?
Have a fantastic bite free day
This is a great read for me, I’m one of those people that mozzies just love gorging on…I have wars with them in practically every country I go to, I’ve even woke up looking like I got punched as one bit me on my lip!!! Some of these Items I already am aware of and use but the others will come in so handy 😀
Hi Amit, thank you for reading our post. Mozzies are one of the worst things about travelling. We thankfully never had a bite on the lip. That must be really bad! Sarah sometimes gets almost golf ball sized bites though … Which is your favourite anti mosquito weapon?
Have a fantastic day
To be fair I’ve used the incence coils, all kinds of spray but something a fellow traveler showed me was tiger balm (not the best smell) …but by just leaving the bottle open close to me when I sleep repels the mozzies …they hate the smell haha
Wow, thank you very much for the tip with the Tiger Balm! We always carry around some Tiger Balm with us because you can use it for so many different things. I’m going to test that very soon when we’ll go to Vietnam. I’m actually very blessed because my sense of smelling went almost completely lost when I was a kid 😀
Yeah I know I was so happy when I got told about it …learn so much more from travelers passing on tips to each other ?
Thats exactly what I love about travelling and blogging 😀
I have a love/hate relationship with insect repellent. I love the idea of not being bitten…I hate smelling it! But I haven’t tried the wearables yet. Really want to on my next adventure! And I love the idea of that Portable Mosquito Killer!
Hi Kate, thanks for reading our post. You’re right, the smell can be really bad sometimes (I know this from Sarah, I am lucky enough to have a really bad sense of smell)! That’s why I like the wearables and the portable Mozzie killer 😀 If you wear an anti mosquito band, make sure you wear one on your wrist and one on your ankle, so it protects your upper and under body 😉
Have a fantastic day
The Lifesystems portable unit seems like a fascinating gadget. There have been times when we have been in the tropics and the little bastards drove us out of a beautiful location. It’s hard to believe that this guy could actually work but the world will be a better place if it does.
Hi Jenn and Ed, thank you for your comment. The Lifesystems portable unit is actually our mozzie killer number one! We wouldn’t want to go anywhere without it anymore 😀 We’ll do long time travel soon and this little gadget is very high on our packing list. Imagine a world without those bloody little bloodsuckers though!
Have a fantastic and bite free day
We got super lucky where I live in Canada this summer- almost no mosquitoes to speak of for some reason! Now I probably jinxed it… lol
You’re really lucky then 🙂 We have almost no mosquitos in Switzerland either, but whenever we travel somewhere else in the world we’re always under attack 😀
Have a fantastic day
[…] Insect repellent and sun cream, although not technically treating illness or injury, should be an essential part of your travel health considerations. Click here to read our guide to insect repellent whilst travelling. […]