Learn More About Our Travel Consultations
Serving patients throughout Lethbridge, Palliser Medical & Travel Clinic invites you to learn more about our travel consultation services on this page. A travel consultation can help you stay healthy and safe while you're overseas, and we ask that you book your consultation at least 6 to 8 weeks prior to your travels.
Please note, seeing a physician solely for a travel consultation does not make you a regular patient of that physician. If you'd like to schedule an appointment, please contact us today.
TRAVEL CONSULTATION OVERVIEW
In a travel consultation, we only need about 1 or 2 hours of your time to focus on keeping you as healthy as possible during your travel. To allow us to give you the most complete information, we need you to book your consultation with us at least 6 to 8 weeks prior to your travel. You will also need to complete our travel consultation online as soon as possible so that we can do our research for you ahead of time.
We want to make sure that you have completed all your vaccinations at least 10 days ahead and will request that you bring us a record of all your previous immunizations from your local public health department or call Alberta Health Services. We need as much medical information on your health history as possible including the medications you are on as well as any allergies that you might have.
A detailed travel itinerary from you will help us determine your risks such as malaria, yellow fever and altitude sickness. We can also help you with visa and employment medicals, and these need to be booked ahead of time so that we may able to arrange any blood tests or X-rays that you might need. Our goal is to be able to give you the best up-to-date information and help you with safe travel. If you are pregnant or travelling with children we will request that you bring your pregnancy record and the children's immunization records.
Please book your appointments in advance as soon as you can. We are a designated ‘yellow fever centre’. Yellow fever vaccinations must be completed at least 10 days ahead of your travel. We will give you a schedule of any booster vaccinations that you may need during or after your travel. You may not have completed your vaccination series from a previous travel.
We carry all vaccines on site and will give you a record of all the vaccines you receive. We will give you any prescriptions you need for self-treatment of traveller's diarrhea, altitude sickness and malaria. Palliser Medical & Travel Clinic is a primary care practice.
Travel Consultation and Questionnaire
A pre-travel questionnaire should be completed by each traveller and returned to us at least 2 to 3 days before your appointment at our clinic. They can be sent to us by email, by fax or in person. It is also important that you contact the community health office(s) where you received vaccinations and request that they fax your records to our clinic.
Other things to keep in mind about our consultations:
- Please schedule consultation at least 6 weeks ahead
- The costs of travel vaccines are not covered by Alberta Health Care
- The consultation fee is $50 for the first person and $25 for additional travellers
- Missed appointments will be billed to the credit card you provide if not cancelled 2 days ahead of your scheduled appointment
What's Included in a Travel Consultation
Wondering what to expect during your travel consultation? Here are a few things to expect.
Itinerary Assessment
We will ask where you're travelling to, how long you will be travelling and the purpose of your journey.
Accommodation Assessment
We ask where you will be staying (e.g. hotel, resort, hostel, family dwelling, tent, and so on).
Travel Disease Prevention
We go into detail about how to prevent the diseases that you may be at high risk for while in the region you're travelling through.
Food & Water Safety
We give you tips on food and water safety.
Routine Immunization Assessment
We check your immunization history in order to make certain that you're protected against the most common diseases.
Country and Region Specific Immunizations
Some countries and regions are at higher risks for certain diseases, and some have laws that will prevent you from entering that country unless you have proof of an immunization for diseases such as yellow fever.
Administration of Recommended Immunizations
If you require, or if it is recommended that you have certain immunizations before travelling, we carry and can administer most immunizations at the clinic. There is a return injection fee for those that require more than one dose. We are also a certified yellow fever vaccination center.
Additional links
The following links are meant to provide you with additional resources: