As we discussed in 5 Simple Tips for Pre-Trip Travel Health Success, you need to find a good travel health consultant to tell you which vaccinations you need for your trip, and the prices for vaccinations can vary a great deal, so shop around a bit.

As a starting point for your research, these are the vaccinations we got for our long-term backpacking trip through Asia and what we paid for them in 2009:

1. Polio $35

2. Meningitis $123

3. Tetanus, Diphteria and Pertussis $36

4. Hepatitis A and B $78

5. Japanese Encephalitis $414

6. Rabies $645

7. Typhoid $65

And

Malaria
Technically, you can’t vaccinate against Malaria, but you can take one of several prophylactics to help prevent it. Malaria is a very individual- and trip-specific subject so you must consult your own health provider for accurate assessment and recommendation.

For our trip beginning in August, we began our immunizations in January, because some of them take multiple visits spread out over certain intervals of time, notably the Twinrix for Hep A and B, which had the longest spread. We had our three doses on January 16, February 16, and July 16 or “months 0, 1 and 6″ as you should get accustomed to seeing.

We left the two-week buffer between our last shots and the start of the trip to allow for any adverse side-effects that might crop up, last minute needs, and general pre-departure pandemonium. As with any good insurance plan, we didn’t need it but it was good to have in case we did.

Speaking of insurance, your health insurance may actually help cover some of the costs (even though most travel clinics don’t take insurance, so you’ll have to submit paperwork), so talk to someone with your company about what your policy covers and you might save yourself some money. My Human Resources friend Marnie became my best friend during this process and saved me a boatload of cash that will now be much better spent on Thai massages on the beach.

She hates me for it, but at least she got a postcard out of the deal.

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