Beyond SPF: everything you need to survive a sun holiday

Written By Gráinne Harbison

When it comes to sun exposure, let me clear up any confusion for you: your body needs it. Not too much, not too little — just the right amount.

☀️ The Sunshine Vitamin

We’ve been taught to fear the sun — and with good reason. Sunburns, skin damage, skin cancer, and premature ageing are no joke. But in trying to protect ourselves, many of us have overcorrected and forgotten one essential fact: sunlight is your body’s main way of making Vitamin D.

Vitamin D isn’t just about bones — it acts more like a hormone and plays a huge role in:

  • Hormone balance (key at every life stage, during perimenopause and beyond)

  • Bone density and muscle strength

  • Mood and energy

  • Immune function

  • Skin health (including conditions like psoriasis, acne, and vitiligo)

If you spend most of your time indoors or live in a mixed or cloudy climate, you’re probably not getting enough. Dietary sources like oily fish, egg yolks, and liver can help — but they’re rarely enough on their own.

The easiest fix?
Take advantage of summer or your sunny getaway and top up your Vitamin D reserves the natural way.

The Goldilocks Guide to Sun Exposure

Aim for 15–20 minutes of sunshine per day, without sunscreen, on your inner arms or legs. Just enough to develop a slight pink flush — not full-on sunburn. That’s your sweet spot for safe, natural Vitamin D3 production.

Once you’ve had your dose? Time to cover up or SPF up — and that’s where we go next.

👒 What I Pack for the Sun (and Why)

If you’ve ever been burnt to a crisp, had to sit a meal out thanks to a dicky tummy, or woken up covered in mossie bites and desperate to find aloe in a foreign country, keep reading

🌞 Smart Sun Protection

  • Ultra Violette Queen Screen SPF 50 & Clean Screen SPF 30
    Mineral-based, non-whitening, Aussie-tested and approved. Protects without clogging your pores or leaving your skin ghostly white.

  • SVR Laboratoires SPF 50
    Clean ingredients, coral reef–safe, and child-friendly. Comes in oil or water-based sprays and creams that actually absorb properly.

  • Rash guard with UV protection
    For when you’re spending more time in the water or on the beach during peak UV hours. Less reapplying = more time to relax.

  • Wide-rimmed, foldable hat (with chin tie)
    Wind-proof, stylish (depending !), covers root regrowth and essential if you’re out hiking, sailing, or braving a breeze. 

  • Bandana
    Soak it in water and wrap it around your neck for an easy, instant cool-down.

🦟 Insect Protection

You could ignore the mosquitoes and hope for the best. Or you could just leave prepared for them:

  • Pranarom Mosquito Repellent (spray + roller) – natural deet alternative, effective, no nasty side effects, long-lasting.

  • Vitamin B1 (100mg) – can make your scent less attractive to insects (top tip: b vitamins work better together - uy as part of a b complex).

  • Linen long sleeves and trousers – light enough for summer, protective and glam enough for sunset dinners outdoors.

  • Garlic tablets (see gut essentials below)

🧴 Skin Saviours

Things I never travel without:

  • Aloe Vera Gel – soothes burns and bites

  • Tea Tree Oil – antibacterial, great for SOS purposes (and unwanted pimples). Caution, use a little (1 drop) not a lot and do not use on broken skin!

  • Arni-gel – brilliant for any bumps and bruises

  • Ainsworths Homeopathic kit - contains 12 remedies that cover all bases

😴 Sleep (and Sanity) Must-Haves

There’s nothing worse than arriving on holiday overtired from dealing with kids (theirs or others) — or flying long haul with jangled nerves.

  • Slip Silk Eye Mask
    Light, soft, and total blackout. I’ve used this for years — it’s worth every penny (or nudge someone else to buy it for you).

  • Sensate
    I wish I could meditate like a Buddhist monk - but I can't. Semsate is my favourite nervous system tool. Pop it on for 10 minutes when you’re flying, overthinking, or lying awake in a new bed. It’s like a deep breath for your whole body.

🤢 Gut Essentials

Foreign food, unfamiliar water, buffet roulette — travel tummy is a great way to ruin a holiday. Here’s my emergency kit:

  • Saccharomyces boulardii
    A yeast-based supplement that helps prevent and treat travellers’ diarrhoea. It’s not a probiotic, but it works like one (and it’s magic).

  • Garlic tablets
    Nature’s antibiotic. Great for immunity, gut protection, and even as a natural mosquito deterrent.

📚 Beach Reads That Don’t Disappoint

I don’t get much uninterrupted reading time, but when I do, I want something worth it. Here’s what I’ve packed in the past (and loved):

  • An American Marriage by Tayari Jones – rich, emotional, and layered - but you’ll need peace to read it!

  • The Van by Roddy Doyle - friendship, unemployment, midlife and everything in-between. Funny, short, a must-read!

  • I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron – witty, dry, and laugh-out-loud relatable

  • My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante: - A beautifully intense, emotional, complex story of female friendship. Unforgettable first book in a four book series.

Got a recommendation? I love mystery, a solid family saga, or something that makes me laugh out loud

✌️ Top Takeaways

Pack the SPF, pop the B vitamins, and use these tips to your advantage…..

  • Get your sunshine in smart doses

  • Protect what needs protecting

  • Look after your gut, skin, sleep, and sanity

  • The shorter the book, the more likely you’ll read it.

…….because nothing ruins a holiday faster than a dodgy gut, burnt nose, or bad read.

Share this post with your pale, insect-prone friends - they’ll thank you later.

Gráinne Harbison https://www.goodhealthpractice.net
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