Travel Information

Travel Vaccinations

There's no point spending hours choosing your swimwear, beach bag and flip-flops if you barely think about the bugs and other health risks that could ruin your holiday.

Almost one in four UK holidaymakers don't get any vaccinations despite travelling to areas that have life-threatening infectious disease.

We are able to give travel vaccines that are available free on the NHS to our own patients at Lonsdale Medical Centre. These are Hepatitis A, Typhoid and Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio vaccines. We will also provide private prescriptions for drugs to prevent malaria at a cost of £12 per prescription.

If your holiday itinerary is more complicated, for example multiple destinations, dangerous activities, working and living with the local population, or you are away for over one month, we would encourage you to go to a private travel clinic for a "travel risk assessment". They will also be able to provide private vaccinations for Hepatitis B, Rabies, Japanese Encephalitis, Meningitis ACW and Y and Yellow Fever. You can still have the free ones here at Lonsdale Medical Centre.

In the locality there is the MASTA Travel Clinic at Lloyds Pharmacy (In Sainsburys)  - telephone number 0330 100 4106, run by specialist travel nurses. Travel Vaccination Clinic can be found at Cobden House, 24b London Rd, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1DA, tel: 01892 22 22 22. You can find pharmacists trained to give travel vaccinations at Carrs Corner chemist, a service provided by City Doc (tel. 020 3794 6697) and Imperial Pharmacy at the Pantiles (tel.01892 525630), or at Boots chemists, in Tunbridge Wells. Book on the Boots website or go into the store and speak to a pharmacist to book.

In all cases as much notice as possible is requested. Complicated vaccine schedules can take up to 3 months to administer, if you add in waiting times. At Lonsdale, for NHS vaccines, a month's notice is required.

Read the latest health advice for the country you're travelling to on the Fit for Travel website, and check the travel safety updates with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

Prepare a kit of travel health essentials, including sunscreen, painkillers, antiseptic, insect repellent and anti-diarrhoea pills. These will be useful wherever you're going.

Sexual health experts advise taking condoms with you to avoid the risk of buying fake brands, which may be unsafe, when you get there.

To help us offer the appropriate advice, please fill out this online form before coming to see the nurse.