The tick algorithm:
Wait on a blade of grass or a tree. Drop onto unsuspecting prey, or catch hold as they come past. The waiting period, fyi, can last for years -- they only need a single meal every couple of years to keep surviving.
Once on a host, climb straight up until either there is no further climbing to be done or until the going gets tough.
Dig in.
So first, wear a hat. The ticks from above will land on the hat, climb up, and attempt to dig into to the hat, an obvious failure. They aren't smart enough to climb down to find a way under the hat. Ticks from below will reach the hat-band and try to dig in. The hatband is a visibly exposed location and is easy to spot ticks at, not to mention the fact that you're liable to notice them going in if they're exposed like that.
Second, wear loose flappy clothing with tight ends. Think warm-up pants, or jogging-type gear, with elastic at the ends. The elastic makes a tight spot that the ticks won't climb past. They'll get stuck at the leg hole and dig in, or climb to the waist-line and dig in. Those are easy places to work with. The loose-flappy nature of the clothing tends to use your walking motion to flap the ticks off, which is always good. Some argue that it gives them more space, or allows for easy climbing on from nearby grass/weeds, but experimental data does not support these arguments. Note the tight spots for later, of course -- when you're checking for ticks, check the line at the ankle-band, then the line at the waistband (or if you're wearing briefs, the leg-lines), etc.
Homemade concoctions are typically useless. Skin-so-Soft is reputed to help, but I have been unable to substantiate the claims. And besides, S-s-S smells nasty. Deet has been known to be effective, in sufficient doses.
All that being said, you'll still get ticks. Cope.
Removal:
First, do it quickly. As soon after you get back in, you need to do the tick-hunt. If you wait until morning, they'll feed, get big, and maybe leave. Typically, they don't leave until about the third day, though, but by then they'll be huge nasty fat buggers the size of your thumbnail.
Actual removal techniques: the red-hot needle tip is simple, but it isn't recommended if they get into your hair. Flammability and all that rot. Normally, if you get two fingers on the buggers (lift them up, make sure to hold carefully and gently), you can pull strong and steady and guarantee a clean extraction.
Vaseline is also rumored to work -- they breathe through their tails, so coating them in vaseline (or similar) suffocates them, so they have to pull out to breathe -- or so goes the story. Theoretically, It takes a while, though, 'coz they don't breathe much. In experiments, I have placed fed ticks in quart jars full of water. The blood sinks, weighting the ticks to the bottom. Ticks were known to survive this process indefinitely. I did not run any experiments longer than 2 weeks, so I don't know how long it would take to kill them that way.
Once they're out, have a mug of boiling saltwater handy. The salt gives a slightly higher boiling temp, which keeps the cup hotter for longer. When hot, it'll kill ticks almost instantly. Good stuff, and way simpler than chopping them up. You won't be able to kill them by stepping on them.
Have fun, and don't stress too much about the ticks.
Dan