There's no truth the the "base tan" idea. If you tan before going somewhere sunny, it will do nothing to protect your skin. I do my best to avoid the sun. I walk to and from work though, so I can't avoid it all together. Sunscreen and hats fro me during the summer.
Is it me, or does the sun seem to be getting stronger? I've only had about five sunburns my entire life, and they were all minor. Two weeks ago, we had a fire drill at work, and were unexpectedly outdoors for 20-30 minutes. Both my face and shoulders were sunburned by the time we went inside. I've never had that ahppen before.