I like to consider myself a world traveler in the sense I have done a lot of traveling in my life time. My adventures for both business (saw the twin towers in NY twice pre-911) and pleasure (traveled to Mexico solo for my 30th) have taken me both near and far and for some once you travel, the travel bug never really leaves you, it only gets silenced until the next time.
With kids and a family, money and traveling become less frequent for many of us as we focus on the kids schooling and activities. And when the time comes for us to create a new experience for our family, the travel itch starts and we can’t shake it until we are on the plane.
When traveling outside of your country, it’s a good idea to check out what virus and disease risks there could be in your destination country. Yes this includes Mexico people. If you are on a return trip you may need a booster. Make sure you check to see what is going on (ie: are there any outbreaks) and ensure you are protected. Did you know some countries require proof of vaccinations before they let you in the country – not kidding!
Months ago when we began our discussions and research about where we wanted to travel this Fall, we checked in with our family doctor about vaccinations. Once we had decided on a destination, our doctor advised we make sure our Canadian vaccinations and immunizations were up to date, get a copy of them if we could and book an appointment at a travel clinic. We recommend you always start with your doctor since some of us live in the city where we have everything and others small towns that do not have travel clinics.
After googling to find a clinic here in Calgary, we came across Prepared Traveller Travel Clinic at Shoppers Drug Mart Northhill Centre. Their website has a frequently asked questions section, vaccination price list to help with sticker shock, and allows you to book an appointment for a consult right through the website. For those questions we still needed answers to we sent in a message and very quickly received a response to our questions from Pharmacist Adrian. Thrilled by this quick response, we booked our appointments for a consultation (note: there are consultation fees involved) and to get vaccinated.
Important to note when you book appointments through the Prepared Traveller Travel clinic website you are encouraged and required to answer several questions about your trip and immunization history before you come in for your consultation allowing the Pharmacist time to prepare a traveler report for you even if you do not have the exact travel dates.
While most people do not like needles, we felt very at ease with our Pharmacist Adrian and Pharmacist Bryan who had recently traveled to Bali. Adrian kept things very light, joked and laughed a lot and reviewed all information about the areas we would be traveling to. Our report included routine and recommended vaccinations allowing us to make confident decisions about how to proceed.
When it comes to needles, I’d say out of all of us, Hailey my daughter was the most dramatic, followed by Rob my husband. Yup it’s true. Needles and balloons freak him the heck out. I’ve had so many needles after having two kids that I just get it done even though I don’t love them either. My son Aiden wins the prize for coolest cucumber of the bunch.
What was decided for our family:
- Rabies
- Twinrix or Hep A or Hep B
- Japanese Encephalitis
- Typhoid
- Cholera
- Medication for Bali Belly
We made the decision to get the rabies vaccination which they tell us is good for life, however if bitten, ever, a booster will still be required. Since vaccinations are not cheap, it is good to do your research ahead of time and even check your benefits plan through work to see if there is any coverage. We were fortunate in that Rob my husband’s work paid for ALL the vaccinations.
With a little over a week until we leave, we have gotten all our required vaccinations including taking the tablets for Typhoid and Cholera. They only vaccinations left for us are the Twinrix or Hep B or A, with the final dose coming in December.
The process has been easy, and we were thrilled with the Pharmacists at the Prepared Traveller Travel Clinic in Calgary who helped make this part of the trip seamless. Important to note this post is not sponsored, we just really loved our service at this particular clinic. We wouldn’t hesitate to return for anything.
Regardless of whether you are booking your trip through a travel agent, or doing the research and booking yourself, you really need to protect yourself and your family and the vaccination part is up to you! Let the countdown begin!
So we need to know: have you ever traveled anywhere that required additional vaccinations?! If so where?!
