Learning a new culture, having new experiences, seeing brand new sights- these are among the joys of traveling, but in the excitement of planning a trip nearby or abroad, vacationers can sometimes forget that every new experience can have its downsides. Imagine waking up in a beautiful, seaside hotel in Florida... with a palmetto bug sharing the view from your pillow!

There are at least one million known species of insects in the world, and entomologists estimate that there might be as many as ten million- there's no vacation on earth that won't be shared by a few multi-legged friends, says Dallas pest control. There's nowhere that insects don't call home; there are even a few hardy species that make their abode in Antarctica, so if you're going to be traveling, here are a few of the species you might meet.

Mosquitoes live anywhere there's heat and water, so if you're planning on a trip to Florida, the Congo, or Belize, you need to be prepared for the mosquitoes. Because mosquitoes like to feed on anything permeable and warm-blooded, they can carry any number of diseases, including malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever. These are all serious illnesses, and they all have life-threatening implications if untreated.

To prevent the mere annoyance of the bites or the much more serious possibilities of illness, the CDC recommends wearing long-sleeved shirts and full pants, staying indoors at dusk when mosquitoes are most active, applying a bug repellant that contains DEET as its active ingredient, sleeping under mosquito netting whenever possible, and visiting your doctor before you travel to get a prescription of preventative anti-malarials, if possible.

On the less toxic, but still frightening front, the tropics encourage growth, and growth means larger than usual bugs! Palmetto bugs- the oversized cousins of cockroaches- can grow to more than three inches long, and what's worse is they can fly! Your best bet is to avoid them, because they're virtually indestructible- fortunately, they're also mostly harmless!

Full article found here: http://www.essortment.com/travel/tipstravelingi_sedi.htm