For anyone who is visiting Australia from the Northern hemisphere, our sun can be savage! Follow these sensible precautions so you can spend your time enjoying the sunshine, instead of being one of the two thirds of holiday-makers who get sunburnt while away from home.

After your skin has absorbed some ultraviolet radiation (UV), sunscreens won't protect you for as long, so get into the habit of protecting yourself BEFORE you go out into the sun. Even cloudy days can result in sunburn because the UV rays can penetrate all but the densest clouds. If you're spending time on the beach, be especially careful, since the sand will reflect the sun under umbrellas and hats.

If you don't protect yourself with sunscreen all day, it's very easy to get sunburnt. Skin that is not covered by clothing, shade or hats can burn very quickly in summer...especially in the middle of the day. The worst times are between 11 am and 3 pm, so try to plan your activities to be inside, or under some dense shade during those hours - it's lunch-time, enjoy your meal in the cool!

Follow these simple tips to avoid the pain of sunburn:

• Whenever you're planning an outdoors trip, be sure to pack a hat and sunscreen
• Cover up with clothing and hats whenever possible
• Densely woven material that you can't see through gives the best protection
• Be on the lookout for shade
• Try to avoid the sun in the middle of the day by taking time to relax for lunch or having a break in the shade
• Apply SPF 15 plus water resistant, broad spectrum sunscreen at least 20 minutes before going outside