Tips from a Travel Clinic Physician

Our travel clinic at HCMC, similar to other dedicated travel clinics, primarily does pre-travel counseling for people who are traveling internationally, whether it is for tourism, visiting friends and relatives, business, study abroad, etc. When you meet with a provider, we talk about your health, go through patient education on how to stay safe and healthy while traveling, and decide what medications and vaccinations you might need based on where you are going and other specific details of your trip. It is a very tailored experience.  

Another smaller, but still important, part of our services is post-travel care. If you’re feeling sick after travel, especially with a fever, it is important to seek medical care. Our recommendation is to visit a travel clinic, if possible. In instances where that is not possible, visit your primary care provider or an urgent care doctor and let them know of any international travel within the last year.  

A good general rule is a month before travel. However, we have seen people in our travel clinic that are leaving the same day, so it is never too late to visit a travel clinic. For prolonged or high-risk trips, or if you have unique circumstances (e.g., transplant patient, have an extensive medicine list, are on dialysis etc.), schedule a visit even earlier. A general rule that I like to share is “however long your trip is, that’s how far in advance you should come to the travel clinic.”

Talk to your primary care provider. They may have some baseline knowledge or may know where to seek the information. If that’s not feasible for whatever reason, MDH and CDC have resources for international travelers. However, it is always best to talk to a health care provider, when possible, as they have access to resources that individual travelers do not have access to.  

Minnesota state insurance and most of the main insurance companies that are utilized in Minnesota tend to cover many travel services, but things can change regularly in terms of coverage and cost. I recommend calling your health insurance to see what is covered prior to your visit. Travel clinics have a lot of experience with navigating costs and affordability. Often, we can help you figure out the best route forward, so please tell your health care provider if cost is an issue.  

For patients coming in without insurance, we do have payment plans and if a vaccine they need is covered by the Uninsured and Underinsured Adult Vaccine Program or the Minnesota Vaccines for Children Program (MnVFC), the cost of the vaccine will be waived. 

Also remember, the cost of preventing an infection is always less than the hospital associated costs if you get very sick.

At HCMC we work very closely with our pharmacies to try and make medications affordable. Otherwise, there are often discount prescription codes that travel clinics utilize, including online discount pharmacies like GoodRx or CostPlus. There is also the potential for accessing quality medications and vaccinations abroad. In these instances, you will want to talk to your travel provider because they may have more extensive knowledge on where to go in certain countries. Medications in certain countries can have higher rates of being expired or counterfeit, so you want to get some guidance on how to navigate this in other countries.

That travel clinics exist! And that they should be utilized, especially as international travel, particularly to low- and middle-income countries, continues to increase. Even if you are traveling to a place you know well, or are a medical provider yourself, there is always merit in visiting a travel clinic to make sure you are as informed and as prepared as you can be.