A pre-travel consultation is a $95 office visit where a travel medicine specialist reviews your destination, itinerary, and health history, then gives you the vaccines and prescriptions you need during the same visit. Book as soon as your dates are set, ideally 4 to 6 weeks before departure.
If you need travel vaccinations, visit our Manhattan travel medicine office. Whether you are traveling to Guatemala, Kenya, Tanzania, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, or anywhere else on the planet, our travel medicine nurse practitioners can prepare you for your trip. During the consultation, we will determine which travel vaccines and medications are recommended for your itinerary. Every vaccine is listed with its cost on our vaccines and pricing page, and our destination pages set out what CDC recommends for the countries we are asked about most.
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The pre-travel consultation
What is travel medicine?
Travel medicine is an interdisciplinary specialty concerned with the prevention and management of health problems associated with travel. The travel health practitioner is an expert in destination-specific health risks and preventive measures. Travel medicine specialists address and respond to travelers' diseases, epidemics, and vaccination issues, and monitor governmental and regulatory agencies such as the CDC and WHO.
Many people are surprised to learn that some doctors and nurses specialize in health issues related to travel. Travel medicine evolved in response to a need among leisure and business travelers for accurate, up-to-date, and reliable information on destination-specific health risks. More about the specialty, our history, and our clinicians.
What is a pre-travel consultation?
Your pre-travel consultation is with one of our nurse practitioners, who see travelers every day and work closely with our founder and medical director, Dr. Bradley A. Connor.
A pre-travel consultation is an office visit designed to provide you with the information you need to understand any potential health risks associated with your travel plans, including diseases that are present and prevalent in your destination. We offer in-depth information about potential disease risks from food and water sources as well as insect-borne diseases and diseases that may be passed by other infected people or animals.
During your consultation, you will receive information about available vaccines and when and how often they should be administered for optimal effectiveness. You will also receive details about how to decrease your risk of contracting serious illnesses, including malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, and typhoid fever.
What does the consultation entail?
The consultation is individualized and specialized to your itinerary, with attention to the following:
- Required and recommended vaccines
- Food and water precautions
- Malaria risks
- Personal safety risks
- Medical contacts in the area of travel
- Appropriate prescriptions and discussion regarding travelers' diarrhea, malaria prevention, altitude sickness, and other destination-specific health risks
I am planning to relocate overseas. Should I schedule a pre-travel consultation, or is it just for short-term travelers?
Yes, you should. We offer consultation services for people who are relocating to other areas of the world, as well as for those planning extended vacations or stays associated with work, pleasure, research, or other reasons. In addition, we offer special consultation for international adoption and for people who have special needs or preexisting medical conditions.
How soon should I schedule a pre-travel consultation?
Ideally, you should schedule your consultation as soon as you have confirmed your travel dates. Scheduling in advance ensures you will have ample time to receive the vaccinations you need to avoid serious infections and diseases. You will also receive other information that can help you understand the disease and health risks you will be facing, as well as how and where to get treatment in your destination if you become ill.
What do I do if I become ill while traveling?
We have an extensive network of physicians worldwide, personally known to us, and we can provide you with contact information before your departure. We recommend travel and evacuation insurance. We can also provide you with 24-hour contact information and email access.
If you are sick after you return, post-travel visits are booked through Dr. Connor's practice at drconnornyc.com (opens in a new tab) or (212) 988-2800. Read more about care for illness after travel.
Yellow fever vaccine: do I really need it?
Have you ever found yourself planning a trip, and at the last minute, you realize that you missed a major detail? All of a sudden, you are saying, “Oh my God! I cannot get into the country without a yellow fever vaccine!” So you wind up searching endlessly on Google to find a nearby travel clinic that can give you the shot today because you are leaving in two days. And as you are frantically searching, a thought comes to you: “Do I really need a yellow fever vaccine?”
We have all been there. Some of us have planned trips to the Amazon with plans to hike and camp and catch our dinner, without ever giving a second thought to yellow fever or even malaria, for that matter. So, for those of us who never really understood why the vaccine is important, here is yellow fever summed up in a few sentences.
Yellow fever occurs in tropical sub-Saharan Africa and in the rainforests of tropical South America. Transmitted by infected mosquitoes, yellow fever infection causes fever, severe liver issues, acute kidney problems, bleeding, and shock. Case fatality is 10% to 50% in the indigenous population in an endemic area, but approaches 90% in unimmunized travelers.
So, back to the original question: “Do I really need a yellow fever vaccine?” In most cases, the answer is yes! As not all patients are eligible to receive the yellow fever vaccine, consult with your travel health professional prior to any international travel to understand your risk and how to protect yourself.
We are an official Yellow Fever Vaccination Center, and the vaccine (YF-Vax) is $295. Read more about the yellow fever vaccine and the yellow card in New York City.
Travel essentials: what should I pack?
Prepare a travel health kit with items you may need, especially those that may be difficult to find at your destination. Include your prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines and take enough to last your entire trip, plus extra in case of travel delays. Pack medications in a carry-on in case your luggage is lost or delayed. Preparing a travel medicine kit can save you a lot of time and trouble on the road.
If you are traveling to more remote or less traveled destinations, having access to prescription and non-prescription medications can not only prevent disruption to your long-planned vacation or business trip but could also be lifesaving. Having the appropriate antibiotic for a urinary tract infection, for example, can prevent you from developing a more serious kidney infection (pyelonephritis).
Being able to promptly treat common travel ailments such as travelers' diarrhea, altitude illness, and motion sickness can allow you to enjoy your travels without interruption. Having a basic travel medicine kit, even for travel to destinations not known for exotic infections, can be helpful. Rather than trying to locate an all-night pharmacy, you have your commonly used medications with you in your hotel room and can treat your headache or back pain and get back to sleep, ready to take on the adventures that await you the next day.
We offer travel medical kits for $25. Ask at your appointment or reserve one in advance.
Dengue fever awareness
What is dengue fever?
Dengue fever is a viral infection acquired through the bite of daytime mosquitoes. Risk is increased for travelers going to populated urban areas of affected tropical and subtropical countries. Symptoms include high fever, rash, severe headache, muscle and joint pain, and back pain. Dengue is usually self-limited, with illness lasting 3 to 5 days. Chronic fatigue is common, lasting weeks to months. A small percentage of people can get very sick, with symptoms related to bleeding, shock, and in rare cases death.
Is there a vaccine available against dengue fever?
Currently, there are no dengue vaccines commercially available to travelers in the U.S. Two vaccines, Dengvaxia and Qdenga, are available in other countries, but they are only approved for individuals living in dengue-endemic areas and, in some cases, for those who have had a prior dengue infection. For travelers, mosquito bite prevention remains the primary way to reduce risk, including repellents, protective clothing, and avoiding peak mosquito activity.
How can I prevent dengue fever?
Observe daytime personal protective measures against mosquito bites: use insect repellent with 34% DEET and spray permethrin on clothing. Wear long sleeves and long pants. Peak times for biting activity are 2 to 3 hours after dawn and mid to late afternoon. On overcast days, mosquitoes may be present all day. Remain in well-screened or air-conditioned buildings during the day, and schedule evening events for after sundown.
Be aware that the mosquitoes that transmit dengue may be found indoors and in close contact with humans. Mosquitoes are commonly found in poorly screened areas and in places near stagnant water, such as flowerpots, discarded tires, or blocked rain gutters, which may host mosquito larvae.
Tick-borne encephalitis: what travelers should know
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is an infection that is transmitted via the bite of an infected tick. TBE is endemic in focal areas of Europe and Asia, extending from eastern and southern England to northern Japan, and from northern Russia to Albania. The incidence of TBE in Europe is increasing both to the north and west (reaching the Scandinavian countries), as well as at higher altitudes in Central Europe.
Vaccination may be indicated for travel to some countries. The TBE vaccine is approved for persons 1 year of age and older and is recommended or should be considered for some travelers who are at increased risk for infection based on travel season, location, activities, and duration.
We carry the TBE vaccine (TicoVac) at $415 per dose. See all vaccine prices.
What if I skip a vaccine or do not finish the series?
International travel may increase a person's chance of contracting and spreading diseases that are rare or not found in the United States. Some infections are unpredictable and can have long-term consequences. Vaccines help the body learn how to defend itself from disease without the dangers of a full-blown infection.
Many vaccines require more than one dose, and the number of doses needed depends on the type of vaccine. With some vaccines, such as rabies and Japanese encephalitis, antibody levels may be insufficient to protect from disease after only one dose, and the traveler may be at risk of contracting the disease, which can have severe consequences. One dose of hepatitis A vaccine may protect for a few years, but a second dose is required for long-term, possibly lifelong protection.
It is never too late for a pre-travel consultation. In our clinic, you can receive immunizations during your visit and discuss the need for booster doses with one of our healthcare providers. If you are catching up on routine shots as well, see routine vaccines for adults and children.
Holiday travel tips
Whether you plan to visit friends or relatives overseas, attend Carnival in Brazil or the Diwali Festival of Lights in India, go on an African safari during the winter holidays, or simply relax on a beautiful beach in Thailand, following these tips can help you have a healthy and safe holiday season:
- Pack a travel health kit.
- Make sure that you are up to date with vaccines. Some countries require that you receive a yellow fever vaccine and ask for proof of vaccination.
- Avoid bug bites.
- Protect yourself from the sun.
- Stay hydrated.
- Plan ahead. Schedule an appointment (opens in a new tab) with one of our travel medicine providers in advance to allow enough time to receive all the necessary immunizations and fill prescribed medications for your trip.
For current outbreaks and vaccine news, see our travel health alerts.