Bites - Carry & Pack Prevention, Protection, and Cure

 Bites! Flies! Thorns!

Blackberries and roses have thorns. Some long  grasses have nasty sharp edges.

 Warning: I got bitten on my arms and legs. Where? Out by the bushes, cutting them down to reach blackberries for British blackberry and apple pie. So, I got bitten?  Does it matter? Yes. Here's why. 

1 Visual

It is unsightly. I saw a girl on the Singapore MRT train. She was wearing a fetching outfit of shorts and a crop top. Unfortunately, her legs were covered by pink pimples. It looked horrible. Her sour expression suggested she was feeling irritable, irritated.

 If you scratch the bites, the blood stains your clothes. The blood attracts other insects, mosquitos, leeches, bed bugs.

2 Distraction From Work

The constant annoyance distracts you from work. You keep thinking about insect bites.

3 Disease

Mosquitoes carry malaria. Dengue fever.

Singapore/UK/Europe/USA/Australia

What is the prevention? What is the cure?

 If you are out and about in England or Singapore for a day trip, or week trip like Writers' Holiday in Swanwick, use insect repellent on your body. 

UK Anti Bites

Also pack and carry sting relief. Plus water and a charged phone, sunhat with brim, insect killer or fly swatter, or glass and solid card base for throwing insects out of car/bedroom/conference room windows, plus cover for arms and legs.

What you might see in the shops

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice.

Beconase is different, a spray for hay fever.

Cetirizine 

Philistines

Pyrite

Suggestions

Stingoes (sold in Australia and online)

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Cover your skin or uncover in the sun outdoors, when travelling, in airports: practical points

Problems
Should I uncover or cover up when out and about? in snow, sun, public places?

Answers
When travelling through an airport I have these considerations:
My answers are that you might learn from my experience.

Airport Clothes
When packing I often have too much luggage and try to wear layered outfits, two thin jackets instead of one heavy coat, so I can remove one layer going from a cold country to a hot one.

Outer Layers?
I also like to wear a jacket to conceal pockets in another sleeveless jacket. the solution, if you can afford it, is to by pickpocket proof clothing.

Wearing double layers means you run the risk, of leaving something behind. Any time you take off your outer jacket in a cafe at an airport or anywhere else, you might leave it behind on the chair. A passerby might take something from a pocket. (That happened to us in Prague.)

Removing multiple layers of clothing delays yourself and everybody else. Only do this if you plan to get to the airport in good time, not when running late.

At security checks you need to be able to remove shoes and coats, then going through metal detectors, you have to remove accessories, especially metal belts and pendants which set off alarms.

Why Cover Up?
Covering up protects you from over-exposure to sun (and skin cancer). You keep off insects. I have bad bites or nettle rash from going out in the garden for only a few minutes to cut fruit and flowers.

Exposure To Sun
I covered up too much. The doctor did tests which showed I was short of vitamin D. The remedy? Could be get out for a walk every day.

So, balance up your needs according to your circumstances and experience and learn from mine.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Travelling To the Tropics? What To Look For In A Protective Swimsuit - and swim shoes

Problem
I want a swimsuit for the tropics with long arms and boy legs. I want my forearms which are out of the water protected from the sun. But not to pay a fortune. My Waveline zip-up swimsuit (bought from Mustafa's in Singapore) was admired in the indoor pool in London.  Several ladies asked where I bought it. I told them to look online. I looked down at my arms and thought, I'm developing freckles or age spots. I need to cover up more.

Answers
Which size? I know that Chinese sizes are designed for slim Asian girls. I always need 3X in Singapore and Asian countries and sometimes 4X in jackets. When buying jackets to go on top of other sleeved garments I find it safer to wear batwing styles.

I went online at Amazon and selected several outfits. You have a lot of choice. You can have full suits down to the ankle for diving. Full cover against mosquitos.

Tankini
I looked at several tankini style outfits. They offer the advantage that if one half doesn't fit, too tight, too loose, wrong colour, wet, you can swap with half of another set.

However, the disadvantage of the tankini style, like a tee-shirt with short or long-legged pants, is that it rides up when swimming. This is inelegant, and hampers movement.

Boy leg
Why boy leg? Modesty. No need to shave legs and bikini line. Less likely to ride up and cut you like a string or thong. Less risk of them being skimpy at the back and showing buttocks or feeling uncomfortable.

Boy legs slim down the appearance of heavy thighs. Make your body look longer and taller. covers more against mosquitos and sun. Hide stretch marks, appendix scars, Caesarians and other scars.

Why short sleeves?
Short sleeves mean no need to worry about shaving under arms. No risk of revealing bustline.

Some people might want to cover up acne, scratches, scabs under Elastoplast (sticking plaster), love bites, broken collar bones, broken ribs, mastectomy, other scars, all sort of things.

But watch out for tops with scoop backs. These reveal backs to mosquitos and sun. You run the risk of sunstroke or burning if you do a lot of swimming on your front, for example, breaststroke. If you have moles or acne on your back you might wish to cover up.

Beach Shoes
I would also want beach shoes or swim shoes to cover my feet against insect bites and sun to guard against melanoma (skin cancer). Flip flops are a disaster.

They don't support your feet. You could get hammer toes. I have had plantar fasciitis. More about that in the next post.

Mosquitos, snakes, stubbing your toe against splayed legs of chairs, tables and loungers, even umbrella stands.

Useful brands and links to websites
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hungo-Womens-Swimsuit-Protection-Swimwear/dp/B071DHYFSW


Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Bedbugs in hotel beds - or your home!

How do you identify a bug bite? Or spot the bugs before they bite.
Lots of tips in a newspaper article, the comments, and a website.

To summarize - what I learned and will do. Up to you which of these you feel would be helpful or necessary.
1 Bites - the picture shows dime size red marks - but are they bites or allergic reaction - does it matter - if it's caused by bugs you have the problem and the cause
2 Prevention is better than cure. Check between mattresses, behind the headboard, in the bed.
3 Check room before unpacking.
4 One reader suggested keeping all your possessions in the bathroom (on a stay of just one night that would be easier than long stay).
5 In the middle of the night you might have to change rooms. Check the room before accepting it and unpacking.
6 Change hotels.
7 Check hotels on TripAdvisor.
8 Carry bug killer and keep bug killing instructions.

Bedbugs in the USA, Florida
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1194711/Families-horror-finding-BEDBUGS-Florida-resort-room.html

Bedbugs in London
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-300579/The-bed-bug-wont-die.html

Angela Lansbury, author and travel writer. Please follow my posts and pass on the link. Thank you.