I’m adding sunscreen to the list of things I will remove from my pack in order to lighten my load. I brought it this past trip but hardly used it. I realized I’ve made several adjustments to the way I travel that allow me to do without it.

I grew up in an era when people used baby oil to darken their skin in an attempt to resemble the bronze colored God, Mercury. Of course, the irony is that many people from dark skinned cultures were raised being told light skin is better. Another case of “the grass is greener”. Somewhere in the 80s, however, people began to develop skin cancer, and the sun became our enemy. I remember my mom lathering me in white sun block of the highest SPF available. My grandmother was embarrassed. She said, “you don’t look like an Italian anymore”.

It’s true. I get back from months in Mexico or Asia and people can’t believe how light my skin is. The thing is that we need the sun to touch our skin. I need that vitamin D, coming from a state that only gets 3 months of sun annually. So now I do try to get some sun exposure while traveling, but here are the ways I manage it without worrying about sunscreen.

First, I always wear long sleeves and pants. There are very few cultures in the world where people wear shorts and t-shirts, so dressing like this this helps me blend in better. It also means I don’t have to worry about getting access to religious sites which often have a certain dress code. My shirts are all quick drying so I’ll go swimming in them to avoid having to cover my whole upper torso in sunscreen, and I can roll up the sleeves if I need to cool off.

People from countries where the sun is extremely intense will tell you that you keep cooler by preventing the sun from touching your skin anyway. Think about how much cooler it is to be beneath an umbrella. This is why in Africa and the Middle east, both men and women where full length draping clothing. It protects their skin from direct contact from the sun while allowing the air to flow beneath.

Another article I would never go without is a hat. I have a wide brimmed collapsible hat that keeps the sun from touching my face and neck until the sun is low enough in the sky that it can’t do much damage. I keep it oiled so it functions as a rain hat as well. Just as I’ve overprotected my skin from the sun, I’ve overprotected my eyes using sunglasses to the point that it’s hard to go without wearing them now!

Aside from how I dress, I manage my sun exposure by only going out at certain times of the day. This is early morning and late afternoon. The intensity of the sun is less during these time periods, as are the crowds if you’re visiting a popular tourist destination. Dawn and dusk also make the best time for snapping photos.

You’ll find that the streets of some countries are deserted during the midday heat, and I’ll often take a siesta during this time a day, having gotten up early in the morning to avoid the heat and crowds. A couple times I’ve been asked how I get pictures at popular sights without any people in the foreground. Heading out while everyone is eating breakfast or dinner is the way it’s accomplished.

If you must be out in the middle of the day, it’s possible to reduce the temperature by as much as ten degrees by simply walking on the shady side of the street or through alleys of buildings that are close enough to provide shade. If you ever get to the Mediterranean, you’ll find narrow streets winding through a maze of buildings. This is by design so that the buildings act as sunscreens for both the alleys and nearby buildings.

A modern adaptation of this urban design concept is demonstrated in Masdar City. The UAE is building the world’s first all electric city, something that seems incredibly proactive for a country whose primary income is dependent on oil. Here they use the time tested method of building closely together to provide shade for the people and screen adjacent buildings, which reduces the need for artificial cooling as well as sunscreen.

Using a combination of these methods has allowed me to remove another item from my pack; one which, while potentially preventing skin cancer, could possibly give me some other form a cancer because of the chemicals used in its production.