We offer pre-travel consultations for individuals or groups needing immunizations, up-to-date travel health counseling, and prescriptions. We offer post-travel consultations for travelers who become ill during or following their trip, or who need post-travel screening.
A Travel Clinic consultation usually takes between 45 and 60 minutes and may include:
- Counseling about how to prevent travel-related illnesses, such as infectious diseases transmitted by animals, insects, food and water; altitude sickness; "jet lag;" and others.
- Recommendations for medications to prevent malaria, altitude sickness, and for emergency treatment of travel-related diarrhea.
- Recommendations about immunizations you may need for your travel. The vaccines you need depend on your age, health, and which vaccines you have already had. For most adults who received all their recommended vaccines as children, only a yearly flu vaccine and a tetanus booster every 10 years are needed. Learn more about vaccinations.
Pre-travel consultation
Before your appointment
We will mail you information about what to expect during your appointment. We will also send you a questionnaire to fill out and return before your appointment. This questionnaire includes questions about your health, any current medications, whether you have allergies, and your vaccine history. If you choose to provide us this information before your appointment, we will be able to make your visit more personalized and efficient.
Please bring with you:
- Your certificate of immunization document (“yellow book”), if you have one
- A list of all medications you take, either regularly or just as needed
- Records of vaccinations you have already received. If you received vaccinations at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, we will have these records.
- Your detailed travel itinerary
You can also fax this information to us before your appointment.
During your appointment
A nurse will administer your vaccinations and help set up follow-up appointments for any vaccines that require multiple doses. Depending on the vaccine, we may recommend that you stay for about 15 minutes after receiving the vaccine so we can monitor you for any reactions.
Group visits
Business, religious, civic, and school groups may want to take advantage of our group visits. In these appointments, the travel clinician meets with the group as a whole for the counseling and education portion of the visit. After that, each person in the group is seen individually for a brief visit to review medical history, medications, and immunizations to determine what immunizations and prescriptions are needed.
These appointments need more advance notice for scheduling, so please have the trip coordinator contact the International Travel Clinic as far in advance as possible.
Travelers are billed at a group visit rate.
Unaccompanied travelers under the age of 18 will need parental/guardian consent for vaccinations. We will arrange for vaccine information sheets and consent forms at the time of scheduling.
Post-travel visits
We hope you have many great experiences while traveling. Unfortunately, sometimes travelers develop illness while traveling. Most of the time, these illnesses are mild, such as a cold or upset stomach. If you are concerned about a travel-related illness, call us to discuss management and need for an appointment with an International Travel Clinic provider.