"Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life" ~ Michael Palin

I recently read this quote, and it made me think of another (somewhat related) topic......immunizations before travelling.

Before traveling to a foreign destination, do you check the US Government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) travel-related website?  Have you ever thought to get any shots before going?

This has been on my mind lately, as our next big adventure includes a three day safari...in tents!  Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!    So after reading the CDC website and noting that nothing is actually required, I have been wrestling with the idea of whether or not to visit a travel clinic (yes, there are doctors that specialize in travel immunizations).

So after much thought, today was the day I visited the travel clinic!  After a lengthy consult with the travel doctor, I decided to only get the Hepatitis A vaccine.  He also gave with an antibiotic prescription that can help with Typhoid as well as other ailments (err, traveler's diarrhea).  Hopefully the prescription is not needed, but it is better to have it just in case.

On a side note, the doctor also recommended getting the seasonal flu shot (which I never get), so that is a new thing to consider....

One item to note, while it is better to be safe than sorry, travel clinics do not accept insurance, so the cost is all out of pocket.  In case you are considering, here is a link to the CDC website and a list of travel clinic nationwide.


So what are your thoughts about travel immunizations?  Have you even thought about it before? Have you done it?