We’re still all weary about travelling, and nobody ACTUALLY knows whether it’s allowed and how (even the government, it seems like). Since we’re all (minus the thousands of people who travelled to Russia for the Euro tournament and for catching covid) scared of taking trips abroad, a lot of Finns are doing a lot of domestic travelling. The messages on social are clear: Finland is lovely and THERE ARE SWARMS OF MOSQUITOS EVERYWHERE. Like SO MUCH. Much more than in previous years. 

Therefore you now don’t only travel with hand sanitizer, but also bug repellent. The problem with bug sprays is that they smell like pesticide (which I guess they technically might be). In mere months we (and by “we” I mean scientists who are not me) developed numerous vaccines for a highly contagious disease, but nobody has yet developed bug spray that doesn’t also repel other humans. Until now. Kinfield made a bug spray that smells of lemons and vanilla. I’ve no idea whether it works, but The Strategist swears by it.

It seems counter-intuitive that bug spray would smell nice yet still work. That’s why a lot of hand sanitizers smell like a vodka martini rather than coconut, strawberry of fresh laundry. But it COULD. Bath & Bodyworks has an array of the cutest little pocket-size hand sanitizers that they sell for like a dollar. I’ve been hoarding them for years, having one in each bag and valiantly living down the sneers of everyone who saw me use them. But then the global pandemic hit, and WHO’S LAUGHING NOW? The lady with all the insane little hand sanitizers

The reason we think stuff has to smell to be efficient is completely psychological. Author James Clear explains in his book Atomic Habits – An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones that toothpaste actually doesn’t need the minty taste – they add it for your benefit, because if you feel that your teeth are cleaner (which the tingly sensation of mint will) you will brush more consistently. 

So go wild: get yourself some coconut hand sanitizer of vanilla bug spray – hell, use it as perfume if you want to.