In 2009, J and spent a week in Thailand. While there, I got tore up by mosquitoes (I mean, anywhere I go, I get tore up by those little suckers). I had no anti-itch stuff, so we went to this little store looking for something. I remember seeing Tiger Balm at the local Asian market in my hometown in California, but never paid no mind to it. But I saw it on the shelf in this tiny Thai store next to some other medicine-type stuff, so I picked it up to check it out. And right on the back of the jar, it said that it helps with the relief of insect bites. It only cost a few Baht, so I got it-- and I've been loving it ever since. I take it everywhere I go when I travel.
Tiger Balm is a caramel-colored, cream-type stuff. It's basically a menthol rub. It relieves the itchiness of insect bites-- and I will testify to that. It relieves the itchiness almost immediately, thus preventing insect bites to become any worse from scratching. Tiger Balm also has other uses. It can be used to relieve muscular aches and pains, sprains, and also lumbago (lower-back pain). I've also used it for my achy back from lugging my backpack around from country to country and it works quite well to relieve the pain. Not only is this stuff useful for travelers (and anyone else), but it comes in a small, 19 gram jar that's easy to pack. Convenient!
This little jar is the original jar I bought in 2009-- it's lasted me over 3 years (as you can tell by the minor discoloring of the lid). When you apply it, you don't need a lot. Now, I bought this in Thailand. And I've seen it at my local Asian store in California. But, you don't need either of those to get it. I just Googled it, and apparently you can get it on Amazon and at Walgreens. With that being said, you can probably find it at a lot of other places as well.
So, that's my travel item/tip for today. Tiger Balm-- it's useful, it actually works, it's small & convenient-- perfect for traveling, and the small jar can last you a long, long time!
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