When it comes to getting a travel tattoo, proceed with caution; once you start, there is no stopping! If you like tattoos or think bringing back a souvenir in the form of a tattoo is a good option, here are a few tips to keep in mind when looking for a tattoo artist for your travels.

How do I find the right tattoo artist for my travel tattoo?

We have all heard horror stories of people using the wrong ink for their tattoo, getting viruses, or simply getting ugly bad tattoos that doesn’t fit their personality.

So, our first suggestion to you is to look for a knowledgeable tattoo artist and a professional tattoo kit to do your travel tattoos. If you don’t know where to start looking for your travel tattoo, you can google “travel tattoo” + the city you’re in and look at the reviews online. Or, you can do what we did and search on Instagram.

In recent years, social media has become the perfect platform for tattoo artists to showcase their work. Simply search for “travel tattoos”, “travel tattoo” or hashtag #tattoos or #tattoo depending on the country/region you’re in, + the name of the city you’re in and you’ll see the tattoo artists active in your area. In our example, we have our favorite style and we tend to go for artists who like that style or something similar.

If you don’t have a favorite style and don’t know where to start looking, we suggest looking for tattoo artists who showcase healed tattoo pictures. I also tend to pay very close attention to the lines they showcase and the relationship between the final tattoo and the original design.

The more tourists in the area, the more likely they are to be used to doing tattoos for travelers. If you don’t know how to do this, you can always take inspiration from the tattoos of these travelers, but don’t try to copy them.

Making your first contact with the tattoo artist of your future

Once you decide where to get tattooed, it’s time to get in touch. Usually, the artists themselves will post their preferred contact details on their Instagram or the website of their studio. Some prefer to send messages directly on Instagram, some prefer email… it’s different for each artist.

Most of them also will show what type of message they need you to send them. Follow the instructions, and everything should be fine.

If the artist has not provided you with specific details about their public personal information, we suggest you always include the following: 

What kind of travel tattoos do you want

We suggest you not write down every single minor detail that you want. A rough idea is enough. What helps the tattoo artist is to let you refer to their work. For example, if he does traditional tattoos and you see he tattooed a flower in that style, and you only want a traditional flower, you can say “like the traditional flower you did”. That way he or she will understand the idea.

Colored or black and white travel tattoos?

Tell the tattoo artist if you want your travel tattoo to be black and white or colored.
This will have a major effect on how the design will fit your taste and the price of the tattoo.

When to go for travel tattoos?

When we travel, we usually have less time than when we are at home. That is why we suggest you mention the dates you are interested in your first email. Asking for tattoos, budgeting and all that is pointless if you are not present. It is a waste of time for both parties.

As for the exact time for when we will get our long-awaited travel tattoos, that will depend on where you are located.

Generally, we suggest you wait until the last week of your travel. Remember, tattoo care includes avoiding direct sunlight, sunbathing on the beach and sweating.

That is why we usually reserve travel tattoos shortly before coming back or when we know they can be taken care of.