Finding a Travel Clinic

The single most common mistake: booking the appointment two weeks before departure. Some vaccine courses take 3-4 weeks to complete. Rabies pre-exposure alone is three doses over 21 days minimum. Book early — six to eight weeks out is the right call for most trips.

Where to find one

In the US, travel clinics run through private providers, hospital systems, and chains like Passport Health or CVS Travel Health. Your insurance may cover some vaccines — worth checking before you pay out of pocket, because costs add up fast.

In Europe, most countries have a mix of public and private options. In the Netherlands, GGD runs dedicated travel vaccination clinics that are reasonably priced and well-organised. In the UK, some NHS GP practices offer travel vaccines — a handful are free on the NHS, others are not — and private chains like Boots and Superdrug Travel Health are widely available. In Germany, your Hausarzt can handle most routine travel vaccines, with specialist Reisemedizin clinics for more complex itineraries.

Wherever you are, a quick search for "travel clinic near me" will turn up options. Look for clinics with staff who hold a travel medicine qualification.

What to bring

Your vaccination records — whatever form they are in. A yellow international certificate booklet, a printout from your GP, a photo on your phone of an old vaccine card. Without this, the clinic is guessing, and you might end up paying for vaccines you have already had.

Your full itinerary. Not just the country — the regions, the activities, how long you are staying, whether you are in cities or rural areas. A two-week beach holiday in Bali and a month trekking through rural Indonesia are the same country with completely different health profiles.

Any relevant medical history. Allergies, medications you are on, whether you are pregnant or planning to be, any immune conditions. Some vaccines are not suitable for everyone.

Things to avoid

Leaving it too late. Already covered this but it bears repeating — two weeks before a trip to a high-risk destination is not enough time.

Assuming last trip's vaccines still cover you. Some do, some do not. Typhoid lasts around three years. Hepatitis A lasts a lifetime after a full course. Do not assume — check.

Skipping vaccines because you are only staying in hotels. Hepatitis A and Typhoid do not care about your hotel rating. Rabies does not care that you are not planning to pet any animals — bites and scratches happen when you least expect them.

Relying solely on what your regular GP says. Some GPs are excellent on travel medicine. Others have not updated their knowledge in years. For complex itineraries or high-risk destinations, a specialist travel clinic is worth the extra cost.

After the appointment

Keep your vaccination records. The international yellow booklet is the standard — get it stamped and dated for every vaccine you receive. Yellow Fever in particular requires an official stamped certificate for entry to certain countries, and border officials do check.

If you are prescribed antimalarials, take them as directed — before, during, and after the trip. The most common reason malaria prophylaxis fails is people stopping the tablets early because they feel fine.

Check what vaccines you need for your destination on WhichVax →