Travel health and vaccinations: a UK guide

Planning before you travel

Good travel health starts weeks before departure. Ideally, arrange a travel health appointment with your GP practice, practice nurse or a travel clinic about six to eight weeks before you go, as some vaccines need time to work or come as a course of several doses. The advice depends on where you are going, what you will do, how long you will stay, and your own health, age and any pregnancy. Reputable UK resources such as the NHS Fit for Travel and TravelHealthPro websites give up-to-date, country-specific guidance. It is also wise to check the Foreign Office travel advice, sort out travel insurance that covers your activities and any existing conditions, and carry a summary of your regular medicines.

Travel vaccinations

Some travel vaccines are free on the NHS because they protect public health — these often include hepatitis A, typhoid, cholera and, for some destinations, polio boosters combined with tetanus and diphtheria. Others, such as yellow fever, hepatitis B, rabies, Japanese encephalitis and tick-borne encephalitis, usually carry a charge at a travel clinic and depend on your destination and activities. Yellow fever is special: some countries legally require a certificate of vaccination for entry, and it is only given at registered centres. It is also a good moment to check that your routine UK vaccinations — such as measles, mumps and rubella, and tetanus — are up to date, as some of these diseases are more common abroad.

Malaria and insect bites

In many tropical regions, mosquito bites can transmit serious diseases, most notably malaria, which can be life-threatening. There is no vaccine in routine travel use for most travellers, so protection rests on two pillars: avoiding bites and, where recommended, taking antimalarial tablets. Bite avoidance means using an effective insect repellent, covering up at dawn and dusk when many mosquitoes bite, and sleeping under a treated bed net where needed. If your destination has malaria risk, a clinician will advise whether antimalarial medicine is recommended and which type suits you and the area, as this varies. The same bite-avoidance measures also reduce the risk of other mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue, for which prevention relies on avoiding bites.

Food, water and sun safety

Travellers' diarrhoea is the most common travel illness, usually caught from contaminated food or water. Sensible precautions cut the risk: in higher-risk areas, drink bottled, boiled or properly treated water, avoid ice of uncertain origin, choose food that is freshly and thoroughly cooked and served hot, be cautious with raw salads, unpeeled fruit and shellfish, and wash or sanitise your hands before eating. If diarrhoea strikes, the priority is staying hydrated with safe fluids and oral rehydration, and seeking medical help if it is severe, bloody or accompanied by high fever. Do not overlook sun and heat either — sunburn, dehydration and heat exhaustion are common and preventable with shade, water, and good sun protection.

Staying healthy while away and on return

Pack a small travel health kit with any regular medicines in their original packaging, plus basics like plasters, rehydration sachets, sun protection and insect repellent, and carry medicines in your hand luggage. On long-haul flights, move around and keep hydrated to reduce the risk of blood clots, especially if you are already at higher risk. Practise the same personal precautions abroad as at home, including safer sex. Importantly, some illnesses appear only after you get back: if you develop a fever, flu-like illness, persistent diarrhoea or any worrying symptoms within weeks of returning — particularly from a malaria area — seek medical advice promptly and tell the clinician where you have been, as this changes what they look for.