Vaccinations and Visas: Specific for Bali, Cambodia and Vietnam

Good morning you lovely people!

So I’ve woken up pretty excited this morning. 
This time in two weeks, my backpack and I will have landed in Bali ready to begin an EPIC adventure.

I will first be spending 5 days reviewing a retreat in Bali before my best friend flies out to join me. 
Together we will then begin the backpacking adventure through Bali, before going on to Cambodia and Vietnam and I am more excited than EVER to get on the road and dive back into hostel life.

Backpacking is one of the most rewarding and amazing things I have ever done (see how to plan YOUR backpacking trip here) but I also know it can be a bit of a mind field in the planning stages.

Where do you book flights? How do you get around? 
Do you need any jabs? Which Visas do you need?  etc etc.

So… 
I am going to take you with me through the whole planning process and hopefully give you a few shortcuts and bits of information to help you.

Other helpful posts / videos already on my blog / youtube:


‘What to pack in your backpack’ – See video
‘How to plan YOUR backpacking trip’ – See video
‘My beauty essentials when travelling’ – See video
‘The Beginners guide to getting a GoPro’ – See video

Note: I am not qualified to give official advice. The information below about Visas and Vaccinations is simply my guidance + so please do seek further help from the authorities and companies listed. March 2016
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Countries I am visiting on this trip:
Bali, Cambodia, Vietnam
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VISAS

Depending on what areas you are travelling to in Asia will depend on what diseases you are at exposed to and what you will need to protect yourself against.

Sorting Vaccinations is something I advise you to do as soon as you book your flights and you know your rough itinerary.

In the UK I would suggest booking an appointment with the travel nurse at your local GP. The NHS is so overbooked that I failed to get an appointment with the nurse even though I approached them 10 weeks before departure! So definitely try and book in ASAP.

Not only do you want to make sure you get an app, you need to make sure you have left the appropriate time to administer the necessary jabs before you depart. 
For example: Rabies pre-exposure vaccinations come as a course of 3, over 3 weeks and so you need to make sure you see the doctor AT LEAST 3 weeks before you depart.

If, like me, you fail to get an appointment with the NHS, don’t worry there are other options!

A lot of private practises and pharmacies offer the consultation service, some free and some with a charge.

(Simply Google ‘travel vaccination clinics in e.g. London’)

Places I know offer the free consultation:

Boots Travel Consultations

Asda Malaria Consultations

Lloyds Pharmacy Consultations

If you want to get an idea of what you’ll need before you head to an appointment, then these websites are great. Make sure you book an official appointment though to get correct advice.

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My Route:

Bali, Gili Islands, Cambodia (Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Koh Rong, Mekong Delta) Vietnam (Saigon, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Hue, Halong bay, Sapa, Hanoi)

Diseases I am at risk of during my trip:
Cholera, Diptheria, Hep A, Hep B, Japanese encephalitis, Measles, Mumps, Rabies, Rubella, Tetanus, TB, Typhoid + Malaria

Recommended Vaccinations:

Hep A + B
Typhoid
Rabies
Japanese Encephalitis

Make sure you are also up to date with routine vaccines:
DTP + MMR

+ Malaria:


I found Malaria super confusing in terms of what I needed to take, what was best to take and where was cheapest to get it. But i’ve finally got my head around it and I can hopefully simplify it for you guys!

Protection for Malaria comes in tablet form and they aren’t available through the NHS, so whatever you choose to take, you will be paying for (more money I know, but health isn’t something we want to risk is it? Nope)

Once you’ve worked out a rough itinerary for your trip, get a malaria consultation with your doctor or at a qualified outlet where you can work out what level of risk you are exposed to.

A qualified consultant will then be able to give you advise on the exact treatment you will need.

In the areas that I mentioned included in my itinerary above, I will be entering high risk areas during my trip and so my tablet options are:

Atovaquone/Proguanil
(One tablet daily. Start 2 days before entering risk area and continue for 7 days after leaving)

Doxycycline
(One tablet daily. Start 2 days before entering risk area and continue for 28 days after leaving)

Malarone
(One tablet daily. Start 2 days before entering risk area and continue for 7 days after leaving)

SO WHICH DO YOU TAKE?

Doxycycline is the cheapest tablet to take, but slightly annoying that you have to continue it for a month once you’ve left the risk area. It also is known to make you more sensitive to sunlight, something to bear in mind if you are visiting a hot country (and want to get a tan ahah!)

Malarone is the most expensive tablet of the 3 and Atovaquone + Proguanil falls somewhere in between.

The difference between Malarone and A+P?

Atovaquone + Proguanil and Malarone both contain the same active ingredient -(Atovaquone + Proguanil). 
So basically they do the same thing, they are just created / mixed with different ingredients in production.

Malarone is a branded version of A+P created by GlaxoSmithKline.
Atovaquone + Proguanil is the basic tablet.

By choosing Malarone (as far as i’m aware) you are simply paying extra money for the branding.

My conclusion?

I chose to go with the A+G basic tablet.

I was quoted £2.11 per tablet in Boots and £1.25 per tablet in Asda, so obviously I went with the cheapest offering in Asda.

To purchase the tablets you must first have a consultation with the pharmacy to get an official prescription (they don’t hand them out willy nilly).

As well as the tablets, it is strongly advised to take bite precautions and spray yourself with 50+ deet spray during your trip.


Get the insect repellant you need here