Travel Tattoos

Indulge in your most favourite location, destination, place of beauty, memorable offshoots or pleasant and gorgeous designation… Simply by looking into the mirror… And seeing the reflection of your beloved.

Now I know what you´re thinking. You´re thinking about your partner right? Someone you perhaps have strong feelings for? Or even yourself if your ego extends thus far? But wrong, wrong and wrong again. I´m talking about that exquisite work of art staring back at you from the mirror. Again, no not you! The reflection of your tattoo my love, is the adornment of today’s most wanderlust occasion.

With tattoos signifying such importance in the world heritage of today, it´s impossible not to understand the powerful message and love behind each and every piece. That forlorn beauty that ironically differs from the eye of the beholder. Each and every time. But I suppose you could also say this is what signifies the beauty of your tattoo. The fact that everyone has their own viewpoint. That one piece of art can have so many diversifications. It´s almost quite magical if you think about it.

Though the popularity for tattoos has soared in the past decade, they have been around for many many years and signify countless beliefs, across various cultures. With a rich cultural history, tattoos were first used to showcase life achievements. Tribal tattoos at the time – and of course once again popular today – were designated to different achievements in life. You would find yourself receiving such a gift to welcome wedlock, signify adulthood and to even celebrate hunting skills. It was also popular to receive travel tattoos, where travelers would represent a location. Such as a sailor having an anchor to represent work or an animal to represent a particular country. A common and popular idea would be the Dragon to signify China travels.

It was from hereon that Travel tattoos became a thing of the future and are present across the oceans, far and wide! Gaining significant popularity, today many travelers receive tattoos to mark a milestone of travel. In the States alone you will find 1 in 5 American have tattoos! Let´s not even get started on the UK… It seems this new ´hipster´ trend is really not so new after all.

Now to brief you on the difference of travel tattoos; these tattoos have become the newest of souvenirs and tend to remind us of trips away, adventures, lessons learned, people we met along the way and the love of all these combined – and are reserved solely for 3 occasions.

• Tattoos you receive while travelling
• Travelling specifically to obtain a tattoo
• Or to inspire you to travel

The most popular travel tattoos have soared in number and are as follows: World map, compass rose, GPS coordinates, a tiny anchor, the word wanderlust, tattoo quotes, cityscapes and love in a foreign language. Today you will also find maps, airplanes or sparrows – represent freedom – included in this trend. The universality is why travel tattoos are so very loved and popular.

Tip Nº 1: Whether you are a fresh face to the tattoo scene or whether you have been inked before, no one wants the same tattoos. Definitely do not ask for a tattoo someone else has! A tattoo signifies important to something that applies to you.  So make sure you have an idea drawn out, however badly sketched it may seem. It will give the artist an exact idea of what you are looking for. After that, it´s fine to ask for recommendations, but always based on the original idea. No one wants a tattoo design they may later regret… As the saying goes, give it 100! or nothing at all.

Tip nº 2: Is to make sure you have a good relationship with your tattooist. You want someone who understands the tattoo idea and concept as well as you do. If you are travelling to receive your tattoo, make sure you contact the tattooist beforehand and get to know them a little. Get comfortable before they etch permanence onto your virgin – or not so virgin skin.

For those of you still unsure about getting inked, don´t do it! As I said previously, unless you are 100%, then do not even try. Getting a tattoo is a very big and emotional step for most. Instead, why not try something a little more temporary, just to get a feel for it.

Temporary tattoos can help you get comfortable earlier on, even Henna is a good alternative for a shorter period of time. But for the hardcore fans out there, I suggest you try a more traditional approach for tribal designs– Tattooed via bamboo tapping, the painful but original route.

So go ahead, blow up your phone with ideas and concepts and find something unique and relevant to you. Getting a tattoo is always an emotional, memorable, magical and painful experience. I give you one final piece of advice … Be prepared or go home. This is a big deal.