Why it’s important to receive travel vaccinations

It won’t be before too long that people are allowed to travel overseas again, and with everything we’ve experienced in the past year it’s become even more obvious why travel vaccinations are important. Sure, you will most likely need to have had your COVID-19 vaccination to be able to travel overseas in the coming years, but don’t forget about the other important vaccinations that you might have to get to travel to certain places.

Travel vaccinations are a vital part of travelling overseas. Whether you’re heading to Asia for your gap year or planning a Caribbean cruise, it is always advised that you are vaccinated for visiting different parts of the world where certain diseases might be common. From meningococcal to the typhoid vaccination, there are a range of different vaccines you may have to take depending on where you go.

But are they really important?

The answers, simply put, is yes – they are important.

Backpackers through to twilight cruisers often head to locations where diseases are common, and this makes them susceptible to these diseases. But this is nothing to worry about, especially as being vaccinated for such diseases greatly reduces your likelihood of catching them in the first place.

But it is important to get vaccinated as it is more than likely you haven’t been exposed to these diseases before. This means you will have little to no immunity if you were to come across the disease for the first time. This is why you need to be vaccinated. Diseases can be much more problematic for people being exposed to them for the first time, so you want to be sure you can travel safely with the knowledge you are at far less risk of contracting the disease itself.

Routine vaccinations & travel vaccinations are two different things

Travel vaccinations work as reinforcements to your routine vaccinations. They provide you with a level of protection from diseases you are yet to encounter and are therefore not yet well protected from.

Travel vaccinations are provided separate from regular vaccinations because they are not part of your country’s necessary vaccine package. For example, in Australia it is unnecessary to receive a yellow fever vaccination unless you are travelling to a place where it is commonly contracted.

The vaccinations you will be provided depend on where you are going, how long you are going for, some risk factors and a look at your past medical history. You might want to check out some Australian health and travel advice pages to get a clearer understanding of what you might need before receiving your vaccinations.

Prices

Travel vaccinations cost more – that’s a given. But this is because are outside of regular vaccination packaging. Depending on where you are going and what you need the cost can add up quickly, but you can’t put a price on your health, and if you are heading somewhere where disease is more common it is a good idea to pay the extra money to ensure that added level of protection.

Many travellers often try to get away with only receiving the vaccinations for their destination’s most common diseases. They may walk out of a travel clinic saying, “I don’t want that – it’s far too expensive”. And yes, why they do cost more than your standard vaccination, it is something you want to do to ensure you can fully enjoy your trip without the fear of contracting something nasty!