No. I'm going to burn, anyway. Plan all you like, I just don't think it'll help unless you're under that sunshine everyday.
Then again, I'm Irish...-takes a few weeks for me to brown...
Mmmm...-Potatoes...!
MJ

I have a friend at work that does it everytime before she goes on vacation. It looks really good on her. I was always nervous about getting it done because i'm very light skinned, light blonde hair and I thought I would look orange. Guess that goes back to the days when I tried using the tanners in cream form.

As far as tanning machines, they're no good for you and I stopped that years ago.

Jim, you can always buy the spf60+. Look for the one for babies, that should help:-)

Last year, one of the girls in our group went and got in the tanning bed a few times before we went. She was the only one of us who didn't get burned.

I am thinking about it, but I don't know if I'll have time.

I generally burn pretty easily in the island sun, so I'm tanning before our visit/wedding in November. I know the beds are bad for you, but the last thing I want is a sunburn for my wedding - partly for the aesthetics and partly for the comfort level. I don't know much about the airbrush, but that's really just a self-tanner, right? She may look good, but I don't think that's going to protect her if she burns easily. Just a thought...

I'll tell you the reason that I stopped tanning.

The last time I went, at least 5 years ago, I was getting dressed and I could smell hair burning...it wasn't hair, it was my skin. That was the last time that I went.

I know it sounds gross, but that's the truth.

I know people are passionate about this topic but no rebuttal necessary - to each their own, and I'm just relating my experience.

I do pre-tan. Yes, I know that any tanning is bad. BUT, for me, and confirmed by my dermatologist, no sun or UV is best but a burn for me is the absolute worst, much worse than the beds. I am Irish-fair, the sun is insidious and i just can't seem to get the lotion every darn place. I start about 6 weeks before we leave and I start with about 4 minutes in the lowest power bed. After about 4 weeks I am up to 15 minutes and that's all I do, a couple of times a week. By the time we leave, I have lost some sun sensitivity, not really having a tan, but SPF 45 - 60 will work for me then so I don't burn. I didn't do as much pre-tanning for our last trip. I spent the first morning in the shade with 50 stuff on and I burned. Hubs was able to do more pre-tanning so he was ok. I was miserable so I will go back to my pre-sun regimen for the next trip.

If you want a cosmetic tan but don't want to deal with lotions, sprays, going to a salon, etc., the best "tan" for me comes from the Tan Towel towelettes. The easiest to use, the quickest drying so you can put on clothes (literally in seconds) no staining, no yucky odor, the best color development, easiest to pack. No, I don't own stock in these but I wish I did. To me, they are the best! This is how I develop some color on vacation.

Connie - that smell from the UV beds was most likely not your skin burning - most likely, it was the chemical reaction that sometimes occurs between UV and the normal bacteria on a person's skin. If your skin or hair were really burning, that salon owner should be put out of business.

We fly in to STT tomorrow evening. The weather channel says 30% chance of rain every day during the week we're there. 🙁 Wonder how it affects the snorkeling???

Just wanted to add about the air-brush application. It seems to be pretty popular around here; even among men.The lady that did it was trained in California. She chooses a color based on individual's skin, complexion, whatever. It doesn't claim to give you any protection. She said to use a sunblock 45+ SP and highly recommended BullFrog waterproof lotion - not the gel or the spray. Only thing is we couldn't find the Bullfrog brand at any store around here. We did find it online but couldn't get it here in time. Maybe next time.

It says it's going to rain every day in the islands, and somedays it does, and somedays it doesn't. As long as there is no tropical weather system developing, your trip will probably be sunny and wonderful.

I got the Bull Frog spray at Toys R Us, and I will say that it works better than most sunscreens I've used.

UV rays are bad whether you're exposed to them on a beach or on a tanning bed. Maybe the gradual tanning is less of a shock to your system...

I turned forty this year and have no desire to speed up the aging process with tanning beds or getting burned at the beach. I use the tanning creams and sprays and then lather up with sunblock when I head to the beach.

Molly

Margy, that incident was enough for me, just because the smell reminded me of burning hair. I have never gone back.

Molly, you're right. Not only does it speed up the aging process, but it can send you to a dermotologist pretty fast. I've already been there a few times and it's a scarey situation.

In my teens and 20's I'd put on baby oil with iodine in it (we al did)...now I use 30 all the time and a hat and sunglasses too.

Before I use to lay out and "bake". Now I head for the shade wherever I can find it.

You can still get a tan. We all look better with a tan*-) don't we?

"We all look better with a tan don't we?"

No. Tanned skin is damaged skin, and we need to adjust our perspective if we think damaged skin is better looking than healthy skin.

We always tan B4 we leave for vacation south.....we call it ~Sunburn Inoculation~.
Don't like to be a smathered down with lotions but DON'T want to burn either, so we just pop in a bed a couple times B4 we leave & no problems while in vacation!

We do both. We'll hit the tanning beds for a couple visits (high end - most UV protection) prior to going (to help prevent the immediate burn of that tropical sun), and still use a generous amount of SPF 30 while in the islands. Using the sun protection is critical - and it certainly doesn't keep me from tanning. I LOVE being in the sun and enjoying all the fun that comes with the beach/waters of the VI. I also know how critical it is to keep yourself protected with quality lotions.

Just a quick response to OP loleep who said, "Of course, you all living in the islands no doubt have a good tan the natural way, right?"

Well, if you're a black resident you've got the color anyway. The majority of longtime white residents remain pretty pale because we're working so damned hard that we either don't really get much of an opportunity to maintain a steady tan or, if we're involved in tourist activities that require we be in the sun for a long time, remain cautious about sun exposure and slather up with sunblock and otherwise seek shade. Cheers!