If you’re preparing for a trip, you have lots of things to think about: booking flights, choosing a hotel, making an itinerary, packing, and so on. As you think about travelling, make sure you don’t forget one of the most important parts of travel preparation: travel vaccinations.

As worldwide tourism has taken people to more and more far-flung destinations, travellers are being exposed to more diseases. Many places outside of the UK, particularly those in tropical regions or rural areas, have diseases that are not common at home.

This means that you have no natural immunity built up towards them, and you have probably not been vaccinated against them as a child. This means that, as a traveller, you can be highly vulnerable to new and very dangerous diseases.

No matter where you’re travelling to, you should speak with our specialist travel clinician about what travel vaccinations you may need. Health risks vary from year to year, and you may be exposed to new diseases even in highly developed areas. To ensure that you stay healthy while travelling and avoid coming home with a serious illness, make sure that you get any travel vaccinations you need before leaving on a trip.