The last thing you want when you are on vacation is to get a painful sunburn. These tips will help you avoid sunburn on vacation, so you can come home without looking like a giant lobster!
If you are anything like me, you burn very easily. I like to say my skin is only one of two colors: white or red. There’s simply no in-between! As much as I would love to get a little tan in the summertime, I know it is just not in the cards for me.
Besides, the sun is bad for your skin anyway (and we all know that!), so it is better to protect your skin from harmful rays than to be tan for a few weeks.
Not protecting your skin is one of the worst beach day mistakes to never make, and it is easy to understand why!
There are a ton of obvious ways to avoid sunburn on vacation, like sunscreen, hats, and avoiding the sun altogether. I don’t want to waste your time discussing these things because you already know them!
However, I have to quickly discuss my two favorite sunscreens because I have spent years trying to find a sunscreen that works for me, and FINALLY found two!
Next, I will discuss some super unique ways to avoid getting sunburned, which I think many travelers would enjoy!
Some of them are kind of wacky, but are fun to see anyway! Let’s begin!
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Going to the beach? You might be interested in what to bring on a beach day!
One of the best ways to avoid sunburn on vacation is to get a good facial moisturizer with sunscreen. I have tried a lot of facial moisturizers out there, and nothing compares to Olay Regenerist Whips! This one has SPF 25 which doesn’t seem like a lot, but even for me (someone who burns very easily), I hardly ever get burned wearing it!
I started using this moisturizer when I received a free sample of it, and have never looked back! It goes on smooth, isn’t greasy, and you can put your makeup on easily over it! It is a little expensive, but you only need a little bit of it, so it lasts for months!
Don’t neglect your face- you don’t want sun made wrinkles when you are older! Try this moisturizer- I guarantee you will like it!
As far as sunscreen for the rest of your body goes, Neutrogena SPF 100 is by far the best out there. I bought this for a vacation through Europe a couple of summers back, and I refuse to use anything else!
I typically hate sunscreen lotion because it is greasy. However, this sunscreen has a dry feel to it and doesn’t leave your skin feeling weird afterward. I wore this for an entire summer and didn’t get burned even once! Try it out- you won’t be disappointed!
SPF Clothing
Believe it or not, there are a lot of clothing items out there that have SPF! Talk about extra protection from the sun’s harmful UV rays! Here are a handful of clothing items that have SPF sun protection!
This has got to be one of the best ways to avoid sunburn on vacation. You can find SPF t-shirts and long sleeve shirts, depending on the amount of coverage you need and the weather!
It looks just like a regular shirt, but you can feel comfortable knowing you are getting SPF 50! That is more than most sunscreens people wear!
They come in all sizes and colors, so you can wear one each day of your trip! They are lightweight and will help keep you cool, even in the hot summer sun.
You can also wear these during the wintertime, as the sun in the winter is still dangerous. Or, wear them on a hike, at the beach, or on a bike ride!
Ok- Who knew these even existed?! These SPF leggings look exactly like any other pair of leggings, but with SPF 50+! We all know you are going to wear leggings anyway, so why not get a pair that will protect your skin?
They come in all sorts of colors, not just black, so you can mix and match your outfits! These are great for walking around in the hot sun, running, biking, boating, or even swimming! Yes, they are made for getting wet, so you can wear these for all your water activities!
These pants are quick-drying, stretchy, and breathable, making them the perfect bottoms for any summer activity.
You had to have known this one was coming- an SPF jacket! Even in the wintertime, the sun’s rays can be damaging to your skin. An SPF jacket will help keep you warm, plus give you protection from the sun.
It is lightweight and soft, making it a good option for cool summer mornings or nights. Wear it during a morning walk, on the boat when the wind gets chilly, or by the pool.
With the SPF shirt, pants, and jacket, the sun won’t be able to touch you!
Don’t forget about your pup! Dogs can get sunburn too, and should be protected from harmful UV rays. What better way to do this than getting them a cute summer outfit?!
This dog shirt is SPF 50+, so you can feel assured your dog is protected. Put this on your dog when you go to the beach, pool, or even out for a hike in the hot sun. It will help keep them cool, and they will look super cute wearing it!
Other Ways to Avoid Sunburn on Vacation
Besides clothing, there are a ton of other unique ways you can avoid getting sunburned. Here are just a handful of ideas you can take with you on your next vacation, so you don’t get burned!
This one is kind of silly, but it can really be helpful! This nose sun protection will prevent your nose from burning, which is never a good look for anyone! Simply clip the nose guard to your sunglasses, and it will stay in place, leaving you with the ultimate nose protection!
You can even trim the nose guard to fit your nose perfectly! You might look silly, but at least you won’t have a bright red nose after your vacation!
If you are going to the beach or pool, you will need to bring a towel. Why not bring a towel that has SPF? Your sunscreen can wear off, but you can still have protection with this SPF 50+ sun protection blanket towel!
If you feel you are beginning to burn, you can wrap your towel around your shoulders and body, to give your skin a little extra protection from the harmful UV rays. This is great for boat rides, picnics, vacations, cars, and more!
SPF Blanket
Similar to the SPF towel, there is also an SPF blanket! Maybe you are outside at your kid’s soccer game early in the morning, but the summer sun is still powerful. Maybe you are camping and the mornings are chilly but still sunny high up in the mountains.
This sun SPF blanket will help keep you warm and protected from the sun’s harmful UV rays! It sounds like a win-win to me!
SPF Arm Sleeves
I think these SPF arm sleeves are pretty cool, as they give your arms some extra protection without having to wear a long sleeve shirt. You can simply slip them on your arms if you feel they are starting to get burned, and you will have an extra SPF 50 covering your arms!
These arm sleeves will also keep your arms feeling cool in the summer! These are great for bikers out for a ride, fishing, gardening, sports, or really anything outdoors! They are stretchy enough to fit most, and will help keep your arms from getting sweaty!
This SPF sun shawl is another way to avoid sunburn on vacation. It is a cute and fashionable way to get some extra protection from the sun, whether you are at a winter or summer destination.
In the winter, this shawl will look like a cute sweater. In the summer, you can use it after swimming at the pool, early in the mornings, or after the sun goes down!
You can wear it multiple ways too! As a drape your shoulders, a scarf around your neck, or use it as a blanket to cover your legs! It comes in all different colors, and one size fits all!
Everyone knows how annoying the sun can be blasting through the windows in your car. Especially on a road trip, you don’t want to be stuck in the seat with the sun blaring down on you! Get yourself some SPF car window shades to not only give yourself some shade but to protect your skin as well!
These shades cling easily to your car window, so you can reposition them as needed. Especially if you have young children in the car, you will want them to be protected as much as possible!
These are great for everyday use, but especially for long car rides. Read our guide for what to bring on a cross country road trip!
I love this SPF 50+ umbrella. I’ve actually bought two! One as a gift for a family member, and one for myself. It is the most reasonably priced umbrella of its kind out there, and is actually huge! My whole family of 4 could all be in the shade at the beach, which was awesome!
It even has 2 windows that you can roll up or down, and you can lay it on the ground with stakes, or prop it up over a table. It is pretty simple to set up and take down, making it super simple for you to avoid sunburn on vacation!
These go out of stock a lot, so make sure you snag yours up while you can!
I must really love umbrellas because I also have this Sport-Brella! This one is more compact and portable but is much smaller. This one will provide shade for just one person. However, it is awesome because you can position it literally in any way possible!
It attaches to any surface like a table, chair, stroller, etc. Then, you can swivel each part of the umbrella to cover the sun, no matter where it is! It takes only a minute to set up, and folds up nicely as well!
Summary
I hope this list gave you plenty of ideas of ways to avoid sunburn on vacation! I did not want to bore you with the typical ‘wear a hat, wear sunscreen’ type advice, which is why some of these might have been a little silly! However, they all really work!
Hopefully, you can take away a few of these tips, and I hope you don’t get sunburned on your next vacation!
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