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It’s nearly summer and chances are you’re looking forward to enjoying a few days of vacation at the beach, a golf resort, or a hotel with a great swimming pool. Everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, folks are spending more time outside these days as the weather gets warmer.

In any case, skin cancer is the farthest thing from your mind and I hate to be a drag – but this is a blog about Staying Healthy On the Road – and just one melanoma could put a permanent end to your traveling days.

So what’s a sun lover to do? Practice safe sun – starting with a broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with a high SPF rating. For all-over use, my favorite is La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios 60. It’s fragrance free and water resistant. When I’m going to be in and out of the water a lot, I opt for waterproof Bull Frog Sunblock instead – the one most surfers choose.

Depending on where you live, sunscreen might be something you just use away from home, but since I live in sunny Southern California, I put TI-SILC by Neova on my face every morning – even if rain is falling. I get the tinted one and use it instead of foundation.

I first heard “Slip-Slop-Slap” in Australia. It’s a mantra down there – and for good reason. Oz has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world. The now-famous health slogan means "slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, and slap on a hat."

Hats are particularly important for young children and anyone else with a minimal amount of hair (think bald) and people with fair skin. The best hats have a flap that covers the back of the neck and a wide brim to shade the face. These practical head coverings won’t make you look cool, but sun glasses will – so never leave home without them.

Sun-sensitive travelers might also want to consider purchasing sun-protective clothing. Here in La Jolla, California, we have several stores that sell Solumbra shirts, jackets, and pants for men, women, and children that offer greater than 30+ SPF even after many launderings. Coolibar, Patagonia, and L. L. Bean are other popular brands.

The techies among you might also be interested in a customizable iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad “UV Safe Timer” app by KINeSYS that helps you calculate how long you can stay in the sun. Users can check the weather and UV rating of their destination, set a timer for safe sun exposure, and locate sunscreen retailers all with the tap of a finger. Each user and their friends and family members create their own skin type and activities- based profiles. The timer then calculates these factors for a selected profile and creates an appropriate time frame for safe sunscreen reapplication.

Personally, I prefer the low-tech slip-slop-slap mantra because it conjures up fond memories of travels to Australia…beautiful beaches, sailing on Sydney Harbour, and the hot dry Red Centre. All good places to slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat – and open a tinny.

Photo credit: ADAMS / HANSEN STOCK PHOTOS.