About Marybeth, National Geographic Author, Writer

Curious Explorer. Award-winning author.

Gutsy Traveler: A woman, like travel expert Marybeth Bond, stands among purple flowers, raising her arms and smiling in front of a wooden building in bright sunlight.
Polar bear tracking and snorkeling with beluga whales in the northern Canadian Arctic.

Marybeth knows travel. She has hiked, biked, dived, danced and trekked across all seven continents – from the depths of the Flores Sea near Komodo Island to the summit of Kilimanjaro.

More recently, she tracked polar bears and snorkeled with beluga whales in the Canadian Arctic, then kayaked among icebergs in Antarctica.

Somewhere in between, four years of studying in Paris earned her two degrees – and a taste for good wine and strong cheeses.

Twelve books (three with National Geographic), countless travel articles, and numerous TV and radio appearances have built her devoted fanbase. She won the esteemed Lowell Thomas, Gold Award for the Best Travel Book of the Year from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation.

Woman on cliff in front of a monastery in Bhutan
Yesterday’s Video below. A decade or more later. Is Marybeth still GUTSY? Here in Bhutan.
Marybeth in Antarctica with penguins, snowy mountains, and water—just the kind of moment travel expert Marybeth Bond would capture in a travel video.
Kayaking and camping near penguins in Antarctica.

Yesterday….

I love traveling in the developing world, but I don’t love dealing with insects – and I especially don’t want to bring them home with me. However, as more and more travelers vacation in exotic places, that’s exactly what’s happening. As suitcases move around the world, insects get a free ride. In the U. S., New York tops the list of cities with major bed bug infestations, followed by Cincinnati, Baltimore, Dallas, and San Francisco.

Guest blog brought to you by travel  writer Elizabeth Hansen @ Staying Healthy


Hotel bed and bed bug prevention
Don't put your suitcase on the floor in your hotel room.


What’s a traveler to do? An easy precaution is to put your suitcase on a luggage rack, not on the floor in your hotel room. Bed bugs can’t climb metal – so the perfect suitcase stand will have metal legs. You might even keep your suitcase in the bathtub. Apparently the bugs can’t summit the enamel sides. Another innovative idea is to seal your suitcase in something bed bugs can’t penetrate – like a BugZip Luggage Encasement The heavy-duty vinyl bag has a zipper on three sides that allows you – but not the bugs – easy access to your clothes. It’s especially important to take precautions at night when the bugs are on the move.

Once home, deal with potential hitchhikers by emptying suitcases right away and putting clothes directly into the washing machine – not a clothes hamper. Machine dry everything possible. Studies have shown that bed bugs cannot survive temps of 120° F (about 45°C) or more in a clothes dryer.

It’s also a good idea to store empty luggage in your garage or another location away from your clothing and bedding.

“Increased worldwide travel” is the number one reason that bed bugs have made a “comeback” in the developed world, including the U. S., Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, but don’t let this keep you from enjoying an exciting trip.

Just do your best to avoid the little buggers and make sure they don’t follow you home.

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Marybeth Bond