Before you call
What happens at your appointment
A travel consultation is a conversation first and an injection second. Here is exactly what happens, what to bring, and what it costs you to find out you need less than you feared.
Four steps, in this order
Step 1: Tell us the itinerary
Every country on the route, in order, with dates - including airports you only change planes in. Half the decisions in a travel consultation turn on a transit stop or a single rural week, so the detail is not a formality.
Step 2: A pharmacist assesses you, not your destination
Your vaccination history, the medicines you take, your medical history, whether you are pregnant or trying to be, and what you will actually be doing out there. Two people on the same flight often need different courses.
Step 3: You see the plan and the price before anything is given
What is recommended, what is optional, what it costs in total, and how many visits it takes. Nothing is administered until you have agreed to it, and you are free to take the plan away and think about it.
Step 4: Vaccinations, tablets and the paperwork
Given the same day where the schedule allows, with any certificate issued before you leave, your record written up, and the dates of any follow-up doses in your hand.
What to bring
None of it is compulsory and all of it makes the appointment better. The itinerary matters most: half the decisions in a travel consultation turn on a transit stop or a single rural week.
- Your full itinerary: countries in order, dates, and any transit stops
- Any vaccination records you can find - a red book, a GP printout, an old yellow fever certificate, a photo of a card from another country
- A list of the medicines you take, including anything bought over the counter
- Photo identification if you need a certificate, because the name on it must match your passport
- Details of any allergies, and of any reaction you have had to a vaccine before
What it costs, and what it does not
Every price on this site is published before you book, including the per-tablet antimalarial prices and the certificate charges. You see the plan and the total, and you agree to it, before anything is given.
You are not charged for being told you need less than you expected. A consultation that ends with “two of those five are not worth it for this trip” is the consultation doing its job, and it is the reason a travel appointment is worth more than a price list.
Some travel vaccines are free from a GP surgery — typically hepatitis A, typhoid, and the diphtheria, tetanus and polio booster. We will tell you when that applies to something on your list, and you are welcome to take that route.
Questions people ask before calling
How far ahead should I book a travel appointment?
Six to eight weeks is comfortable and lets any multi-dose course finish before you fly. Four weeks is workable for most itineraries. If you are travelling sooner than that, come in anyway - accelerated schedules exist for several vaccines, and partial protection plus good advice beats neither.
Is it too late if I fly next week?
Almost never. Some vaccines work within days, several have rapid schedules, antimalarials can be started close to departure, and the bite avoidance and food and water advice loses nothing for being given late. The one thing we cannot compress is a yellow fever certificate, which is not valid until ten days after the dose.
Do I need an appointment, or can I walk in?
Call the clinic you want to use. A travel consultation takes longer than a routine pharmacy visit and some vaccines are ordered in rather than held in the fridge, so a booked slot means the stock and the time are both there when you arrive.
How much will it cost?
Every price is published on this site before you book, including the per-tablet antimalarial prices and the certificate charges. What your trip costs depends on which vaccines you need, and you see that total and agree to it before anything is given.
Can I get travel vaccines free on the NHS?
A few are NHS-funded for travel at a GP surgery - typically hepatitis A, typhoid, and diphtheria, tetanus and polio boosters. The rest are private wherever you have them. We will tell you if something on your list is one your GP could give you free, and you are welcome to take that route.
Can children have travel vaccinations here?
Yes, with paediatric doses and schedules where they differ, and some vaccines have a minimum age. Bring the red book. Children are more vulnerable to several travel infections than adults, so this is worth doing properly rather than skipping.
I am pregnant. Can I still be seen?
Yes, and you should be. Some vaccines can be given safely in pregnancy and the live ones generally cannot, so the consultation is more important rather than less. Tell us when you book so we can set aside enough time.
Can I have several vaccines on the same day?
Usually, yes - most can be given together, one in each arm, which is why we would rather see you once properly than four times briefly. A few live vaccines need either the same day or a four-week gap, and we will sequence those around your departure date.
What if I do not know what I have had before?
That is normal and it is workable. We will take whatever history you have, treat anything unverifiable as not given, and start you on a documented record you can use for every future trip.
Do you give travel advice as well as vaccines?
It is the larger part of the appointment. Food and water, insect bites, altitude, sun, road safety, what to pack and when to seek help abroad - most of what goes wrong on a trip has no vaccine, and that is where a consultation earns its money.