Insect bites are at best an itchy nuisance and at worst a route to disease in some parts of the world, so protecting yourself from bites, especially mosquitoes, is an important part of staying healthy abroad. This guide explains insect bite and mosquito protection for travellers. It is general information, not medical advice, so seek professional guidance for your destination, particularly where diseases like malaria are a risk, and combine these measures with any recommended vaccinations or tablets.
Why it matters
Protecting against insect bites matters because, beyond the itching and discomfort, mosquitoes and other insects can transmit diseases in some regions, some of them serious. Avoiding bites is therefore both a comfort measure and, in certain destinations, an important health precaution. Understanding that bite protection ranges from simply avoiding irritation to preventing potentially serious illness, depending on where you are, encourages you to take it seriously in higher-risk areas while still reducing the nuisance of bites everywhere you travel.
Use insect repellent
Use an effective insect repellent on exposed skin, applying it as directed and reapplying as needed, particularly at times when biting insects are active. A good repellent is one of the most effective defences against bites. Our guide on packing a first aid kit includes repellent. Choosing a repellent suited to your destination and using it properly, following the product guidance on application and reapplication, significantly reduces bites. In areas with disease risk, a professional can advise on suitable repellents, which are a key part of protection.
Cover up, especially at dawn and dusk
Covering up with long sleeves, trousers and socks reduces the skin available to bite, which is especially worthwhile at dawn and dusk when many mosquitoes are most active. Light, loose clothing keeps you cooler while protecting you. Wearing clothing that covers your skin, particularly during the peak biting times of early morning and evening, works alongside repellent to limit bites. Combining covering up with repellent, rather than relying on one alone, gives better protection, as clothing shields skin that repellent might miss.
Use a mosquito net
Where mosquitoes are a concern, especially in areas with disease risk, sleeping under a mosquito net, ideally a treated one, protects you while you sleep, when you might otherwise be bitten unprotected. Nets are a valuable defence at night. Using a mosquito net over your bed where appropriate, particularly if your accommodation is not well screened, prevents bites during the vulnerable hours of sleep. In higher-risk destinations a net can be an important part of protection, so check whether your accommodation provides one or take your own.
Consider treated clothing and gear
In some situations, clothing and gear treated with insect-repellent products offer extra protection, which can be worth considering for higher-risk destinations or activities with a lot of exposure. A professional or travel health source can advise. Considering treated clothing or equipment where the risk warrants it, in addition to repellent and covering up, adds a further layer of defence against bites. For trips to areas where insect-borne disease is a real concern, these extra measures can be a sensible part of a thorough protection strategy.
Avoid peak biting times
Where possible, be mindful of the times when biting insects are most active, often dawn and dusk for many mosquitoes, and take extra precautions or limit exposure then. Timing your activities and protection around this helps. Being aware of when the insects at your destination bite most, and being especially diligent with repellent and covering up during those periods, reduces your exposure. While you cannot avoid these times entirely, extra care when biting is at its peak is an effective way to cut down on bites.
Choose well-screened accommodation
Accommodation with screens on windows and doors, or air conditioning, helps keep insects out, which is worth considering when booking in areas where bites are a concern. Removing standing water nearby also reduces mosquito breeding. Choosing accommodation that helps keep insects out, and being mindful of nearby standing water where mosquitoes breed, reduces your exposure where you stay. In higher-risk destinations, factoring insect protection into your choice of accommodation, alongside nets and repellent, contributes to keeping you bite-free, particularly at night.
Check the risks at your destination
Before you travel, check the insect-borne disease risks at your destination and the recommended precautions, as these vary widely by region. Professional advice and official travel health sources provide this. Our guide on travel jabs and malaria tablets covers getting advice. Finding out whether your destination carries risks like malaria or other insect-borne diseases, and what protection is recommended, ensures you take the right precautions. The level of care needed depends on the destination, so checking the specific risks guides how rigorous your protection should be.
Combine with malaria precautions
Where malaria is a risk, bite protection works alongside any antimalarial tablets advised by a professional, as the two together give the best protection and neither alone is enough. Bite avoidance is an essential part of malaria prevention. Our guide on travel jabs and malaria advice explains this. Treating insect protection and antimalarials as complementary, and using both diligently where malaria is present, gives you fuller protection against a serious disease, so never rely on tablets alone without also avoiding bites where malaria is a concern.
Treat bites you do get
If you are bitten, treat the bites to relieve itching and avoid infection, using suitable remedies and trying not to scratch, while seeking medical advice if a bite becomes infected or you feel unwell. Our guide on packing a first aid kit covers bite treatments. Knowing how to soothe ordinary bites and when to seek help for an infected bite or illness means you can manage the bites that get through your defences. Being alert to feeling unwell after bites in a disease-risk area, and seeking advice, is particularly important.
Protecting children
Take particular care to protect children from bites, using repellents suitable for their age, dressing them in covering clothing, and using nets, as they may be more affected by bites and less able to protect themselves. A pharmacist can advise on suitable products for children. Being especially diligent about bite protection for children, with age-appropriate measures, ensures the youngest travellers are protected too, which matters both for their comfort and, in disease-risk areas, their health. Children rely on adults to keep them protected from bites.
Be mindful of what attracts insects
Some things can make you more attractive to biting insects, such as strongly scented products, so being mindful of this where bites are a concern can help, alongside your other protection. It is a small extra consideration rather than a main defence. Being aware that certain scents and products may draw insects, and going lightly on them in high-risk areas, complements your repellent, clothing and nets. While not a substitute for proper protection, small choices like this can slightly reduce your appeal to mosquitoes and other biters.
In short
To protect against insect bites and mosquitoes, use an effective repellent, cover up especially at dawn and dusk, and sleep under a mosquito net where needed, considering treated clothing and well-screened accommodation in higher-risk areas. Avoid peak biting times, check the disease risks at your destination, and where malaria is a risk combine bite protection with any antimalarial tablets advised. Treat bites you do get, and take extra care with children. This is general information, not medical advice, so seek professional guidance.
Find more in our Health & Safety Abroad guides.