I'm Christine Sirclicette. I'm Kyra Blackwell. I'm Rosie Garan, and you're listening to The Wirecutter Show.

Hey there, it's Rosie.

I realize this might sound hyperbolic, but today's bonus episode could quite literally help save your life.

For most of my life, I've harbored an irrational fear of death by carbon monoxide poisoning.

I call it irrational because we always had carbon monoxide detectors in the home, and my parents were fastidious about changing batteries.

I've carried that diligence to every apartment I've ever lived in, ensuring I'm always living under the protection of working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, assuming I'm good.

Fast forward, a few months ago, when Christine made a passing reference to traveling with a portable carbon monoxide detector, it had never even crossed my mind.

New fear immediately unlocked.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas given off when fuel, like natural gas or propane, burns.

CO poisoning is a leading cause of poison-related deaths in the U.S., and there are surprisingly

few laws requiring CO detectors in short-term lodging.

In the spring, you may have read about retired Yankee player Brett Gardner's 14-year-old son Miller,

who died of carbon monoxide poisoning in Costa Rica.

Although the risk of getting sick or dying from CO poisoning while traveling may be relatively low,

there is a very simple way to get some peace of mind.

You may be thinking about your fall and winter travel plans,

and we thought this would be a great time to discuss

why you might want to bring a portable CO detector on your next trip.

Christine is going to talk with one of Wirecutter's travel writers,

Maria Adelman, about how to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning when traveling.

We'll be right back after a quick break.

Stick around.

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