Sunless Tanning On Vacation

Whether you are on a luxury cruise, or visiting your sister in Florida, you can stay bronzed on vacation—and still have plenty of time for fun.

When I traveled in the 1990s, I lugged along a large cosmetic case packed with whatever dozen or so sunless tanners were striking my fancy.

A look in the case may have convinced you I was prepared for a sunless tanning apocalypse.

Times have changed. Due to carry-on luggage restrictions, it's no longer sensible (okay, it was never sensible) to cram a gallon of sunless tanner into your purse.

To stay bronzed while traveling light, some basics apply.

The Basics

• Sunless tanners with instant color (bronzer included) can make application easier. But they are not necessarily travel-friendly. Stick to sunless tanners that are clear or only lightly tinted, with a separate bronzer for back-up.
• You'll need just three products: a medium/dark sunless tanner, a light sunless tanner, and a bronzer. Use the medium/dark product every 5-7 days, and maintain color with a light product applied every other day (alas, a sunless tan is short-lived). The light product is also ideal for hands and feet, which absorb sunless tanners more readily.
• If you plan to maintain a light sunless tan, not a dark one, all you need is a single product: a light sunless tanner.
• Get to work on your sunless tan a couple of weeks before your journey. The day you leave is not the time to experiment with new products.
• Sunless tanners may lose their caps when subjected to atmospheric changes in a plane cargo hold, creating a real mess in your luggage. So stuff your sunless tanners into a spill-resistant container (I'm fond of doubled Ziplocs) before packing them in a suitcase.
• Due to airline and shipping restrictions, pressurized sunless products (in a metal container? it's pressurized) should be left at home.
• If your sunless application skills are shaky, it's easy to find a Mystic Tan or VersaSpa these days. Or, for an ultra natural looking sunless tan, locate a skilled airbrush tanning technician through yelp (search on "airbrush tan"). Expect to pay $20-$35 for a spray booth tan, $40 and up for a custom airbrush tan. For best results, get your first application a week ahead, with a second application a day or two before your trip.
• Pack the application basics: cotton swabs, wet wipes, snug fitting disposable gloves, back applicator, exfoliating cloth or mitts, body lotion, ample sunscreen. If your hair is long, don't forget a hair band to keep your hair off your face.
• Crucial when privacy is in short supply: a dark, lightweight cover-up to wear while your sunless tanner dries.
• Are you going to "tan" all over? If you aren't sure, I recommend the nearly-all-over method: apply everywhere not covered by bathing suit bottoms or underwear—except for the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet, which should always remain "untanned."
• Bathing suits worn during sunless tanning application should be navy blue, dark brown, or black. Sunless tanners can permanently stain nylon, which most swimsuits contain.
• The best time to apply a sunless tanner is in the late afternoon/early evening, when the bathroom is likely to be free for a quick shower.

With the basics out of the way, onward to four vacation scenarios! To reduce shipping costs, I'm recommending four product "bundles" from different merchants.

1. Luxury Cruise

You might have fantasies of vast staterooms and sunken tubs; the reality is you may barely have room to turn around.

But it will still be amazing. A cruise is the perfect time to pamper yourself with spa brand sunless tanners. Au Courant is the one I recommend to friends and family.

From Au Courant:
Medium/dark product: Au Courant Platinum Sunless Tanning Spray
Light product: Au Courant Platinum Sunless Tanning Lotion
Bronzer: Au Courant Eclipse

Au Courant has a great tip: apply a light coat of Au Courant Platinum Sunless Tanning Clear Spray, then immediately apply Au Courant Platinum Sunless Tanning Lotion over it, rubbing it in well. This is the quick way to a dark and even sunless tan.

To make ordering easier, Au Courant offers a kit which includes spray, lotion, and a back applicator.

Have questions about which products to order, or when your products will arrive? See aucourant.com for phone and email contact information.

2. The Beach House

It's going to be a blast! But you'll need to brush up on stealth sunless tanning—essential when you are sharing a bathroom with seven of your closest friends.

To save on shipping, you can shop two sites, drugstore.com and beauty.com, with a single basket.

The question is: to shimmer, or not to shimmer?

Subtle shimmer:
Medium/dark product: Too Faced Tanning Bed In a Tube
Light product: L'Oreal Sublime Glow Daily Moisturizer
Bronzer: Rimmel Natural Bronzer in Sun Bronze

No shimmer:
Medium/dark product: Bain de Soleil Mega Tan
Light product: Jergens Natural Glow Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 20
Bronzer: Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder

Swimming and other prolonged exposure to water can fade a sunless tan fast. The only way to prevent water-related fading is to exfoliate well before applying a sunless tanner.

A wet, sandy beach isn't kind to sunless-tanned feet. If your feet give you trouble, skip tanning them. Put on beach shoes before applying your sunless tanning lotion, then apply from the shoe up.

3. Visiting Your Sister In Florida

The bad news: it will be humid. Quick-drying sunless products are the way to go.

The good news: you won't have to hide your sunless tan from your sister. She should be cheering you on, not encouraging you to roast yourself in the sun. And you can go sunless tanning shopping with her! How about Sephora?

Order in advance from Sephora.com:
Medium/dark product: TanTowel Plus For Face & Body
Bronzer: Benefit Boxed Collection in Hoola
Buy at a Sephora store near your sister:
Light product: Sephora Collection Body Self-Tanning Tinted Bronzing Mist

Sunless tanning towelettes give you a fast-drying tan—sometimes too fast. If a towelette goes dry before you're done with application, your results could be streaky. Sephora's Bronzing Mist comes to the rescue! Spritz it (or any sunless spray) on your TanTowel to refresh it, and keep going!

Sephora's Bronzing Mist is pressurized, so don't take it home with you on the plane. I'm afraid you'll have to leave it with your sister!

4. Whitewater Rafting Trip

Forget about it. You will not be able to maintain a sunless tan while rafting down the Colorado. Ditto for scuba diving, kayaking, and all extreme sports.

Regardless of where your vacation takes you, consider this: if keeping up a sunless tan cuts into your fun, skip it, and be your natural pale self. You will never look back on your vacation and wish you'd spent more time getting bronzed!

Instead, the day before you go back to work or school, get bronzed the sunless way, and bask in the compliments on your "vacation tan."

Related Articles
Step-By-Step Guide
Perfect Hands And Feet
Preventing Sunless Tanning Problems
How to Get Your Sunless Tan Off Safely and Quickly