, Some tourists are spending thousands of dollars on “vacation prep”. (Representative)
Flights and hotels aren’t the only costs rising in a summer budget. Some tourists are spending thousands of dollars on “vacation prep” before even sending an out-of-office message.
Creators on TikTok and Instagram are showcasing self-care and other last-minute appointments in the days leading up to the holidays. On TikTok, the topic “preparing for the holidays” has been viewed more than 81 million times, and hashtags like #vacayprep and #vacationpreparation help the video garner thousands of views and comments. In addition to videos showing last-minute packing and noting that passports should be kept securely, several women were shown balancing outfits purchased before their trip, along with hair, nail and other beauty appointments Has gone.
Vacations were meant to be an escape from work, family and responsibilities. Traveling in the social media age comes with performance concerns, no matter how far off the grid you are going. When Toronto-based TikToker Monique Smith started posting regularly, she started preparing for the holidays. “It makes me feel confident, especially if I’m putting myself on camera,” she says.
In a video describing her routine ahead of a recent vacation, she revealed how much her braids, manicures, and lashes cost. Overall, it grossed C$1,045 ($785) to mixed reviews.
Ms Smith says, “Some people say it’s a lot, but a lot of women who comment say, ‘Oh, actually I spend more than that.'” It’s good to be transparent. It also gives you an idea of how much things are starting to grow.” A year ago, lashes at her regular salon cost C$100, she says, compared to C$150 today.
The prices documented in some of the videos were enough to deter Aspen Sierra Evans, an Atlanta-based travel photographer.
“I saw a TikTok where someone posted that she spent a few thousand dollars on getting her hair and nails done,” she says. “I don’t know what it is, but in this economy, I don’t have several thousand dollars to spend on getting ready for the trip. You haven’t arrived at the destination yet, and you’re already some distance away.” Magnificent.”
I saw a girl spend a thousand US dollars on holiday prep and that’s when I knew the bad bitch lifestyle wasn’t for me. Hair, nails, eyelashes, wax, costumes. Like you all got it. I just have to look like a 12 year old in another country.
– Your Favorite Traveling Photographer 🇧🇿📸 (@aspencphoto) 18 June 2023
I saw a girl spend a thousand US dollars on holiday prep and that’s when I knew the bad bitch lifestyle wasn’t for me. Hair, nails, eyelashes, wax, costumes. Like you all got it. I just have to look like a 12 year old in another country.
– Your Favorite Travel Photographer ???????????? (@aspencphoto) June 18, 2023
Ms. Evans is nothing new to spending money on her appearance; Depending on the trip, she’ll book a manicure, get her eyebrows done and make sure her hair is styled in a way that she can maintain it while traveling. But the rising cost of hair and other beauty services, as well as the rise in fast-fashion “halls” on social media, have forced her to examine the beauty standards people follow for a picturesque Instagram snapshot, with as well as his financial length. Will try to maintain it.
“A lot of the people who come here are visiting from out of town,” says Lauren Woods, store manager of the Sugaring Salon outpost in West Palm Beach, Florida. This is just one of many businesses that are seeing an increase in pre-travel planning. She says her clients are usually moving to places with warmer climates. “Jamaica, Puerto Rico. They usually come here two days before for a leg wax, the Brazilian [wax] and a keratin lash lift.” If someone is getting all three, the price is $259 before tax and tip.
According to a survey published in November by the Chicago-area Clinic Advanced Dermatology, the average American woman spends $877 per year on appearance, primarily on skin care and hair products, haircuts and color. On average, men spend somewhat less, $592 per year. One in six people say they spend more than they can afford on beauty and health.
Lakin Carlton, a personal stylist and sustainable-fashion educator in Los Angeles, says that for some black women, getting braids or other protective hairstyles helps save time they might otherwise spend on their hair during the holidays. Are. Consumers aren’t particularly paying attention to luxury purchases and clothing, but the beauty industry is showing little sign of slowing.
“As consumers spend more on actual travel, it’s almost like give and take,” says Jessica Ramirez, senior retail research analyst at Jan Halley & Associates. Consumers who know how much they’ll spend on a flight, she says, may choose to reuse last year’s bathing suit or rent a dress for the destination wedding they’re attending. . That logic cannot apply to beauty.
Pre-trip gel manicures have long been popular because they are less likely to get sticky; With social media highlighting the routine, it may seem even more necessary for impressionable audiences. And gone are the days when bringing your own beauty products meant picking up a tiny $2 bottle of Dove Body Wash from the pharmacy. High-end brands like Tata Harper now sell TSA-approved bottles of serum, cleanser, and moisturizer in kits that cost more than $80.
Being transparent about your routine can be beneficial to an extent. It can also keep up with the standards that the makers are highlighting. “Transparency is always a good thing, but I don’t know that it’s necessarily moving the needle on beauty culture,” says beauty culture critic Jessica Defino, who writes the Unpublishable newsletter. “In fact, it can be more validating to see it reflected and normalized in other people. It’s a way of connecting with other people and saying, ‘Oh, I do this too. It’s normal and it’s okay.’ “
For Maria Kalpakian, preparing for the holidays depends on many factors—it’s all a matter of timing.
“If I have to get lip fillers, I’ll do it a week or two in advance,” she says. “I get my nails, brows, and spray tan done the day before so they’ll last longer. And I got laser hair removal so I don’t have to worry about waxing.” The architecture student living in Buenos Aires began documenting the process on her personal TikTok after seeing influencer Alix Earl’s Get Ready With Me video.
Maria Kalpakian estimates she spends about $750 on such treatments before each vacation, mainly because she wants to look and feel her best in the photos she takes during her travels. “Otherwise, I feel like other people judge or judge me,” she says.
All of these treatments reflect what TikTok calls “high maintenance to low maintenance,” a term referring to the work required to look like you “got up like this.” As users increasingly chronicle their #beautyroutines and post #grwm (get ready with me) videos, they also document the day-to-day and the effort involved in getting ready for photos on a beautiful beach in Italy are exposed.
“Beauty standards are so embedded in society and within us that for many people, if you don’t think you look good, it’s almost impossible to enjoy it,” says Jessica Defino. “It’s really become the baseline for survival.”
How much travel photographer Ms. Evans is willing to spend ultimately depends on the goal of her trip. Is it for work, sightseeing or unplugging?
“If I’m traveling and I just want to experience things, I don’t really care what I’m wearing,” she says. “But if I’m on vacation—I want to relax, I want to take beautiful pictures—then I’m probably willing to spend more on how my hair and nails look and what clothes I’m bringing.”
Still, she has only one trip planned this summer, to New York. Flying is too expensive to justify anything else.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV Staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)