Did you know that you can save money on your travel vaccines by traveling to Thailand? One of the ‘to do’ items on the lists of travelers who are about to set off on a trip around the world is getting the proper vaccinations. In the United States, our healthcare system is notorious for being overpriced, and many of the shots that are needed for travel to far away destinations are considered unnecessary or “elective.” Therefore, many insurance companies in the US won’t cover a number of travel-related vaccinations. The cost of these vaccines can really add up, but one way to help keep the expense down is to get your shots in countries overseas, such as Thailand!
Medical Tourism in Thailand
Now before you freak out, you may be surprised to know that Thailand actually has good healthcare facilities. In fact, “medical tourism” is a pretty large industry in Thailand; people travel here specifically for some procedures that are too expensive back home. So if you are planning a trip to Thailand, you might as well consider if you need any medical work done too! (We’ve also had dental work done in Thailand too.)
(In fact, there is a really great episode that Morgan Spurlock did specifically about Medical Tourism in Thailand in his documentary series “Inside Man” — definitely check it out!)
READ: Do I need International Travel Health Insurance?
As we prepared for our Around the World trip, we knew that we were going to need almost every vaccine out there. But when we priced it out in the states, we realized it was going to cost each of us a couple thousand dollars; mainly because insurance wouldn’t cover anything beyond basic, routine shots. So we decided to get our routine shots at home (those that were covered) and get the rest of the “elective” CDC travel vaccinations in Thailand.
Getting our Recommended CDC Travel Vaccines in Thailand
Thailand was the first stop on our overseas trip, so it was a perfect place to get our vaccines since it was at the beginning of the trip. We did our research well in advance so that we knew exactly what shots were needed for the countries that we plan to visit in the coming years, and we found a hospital in Bangkok that offered what we needed.
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So on our first full day in Bangkok, Thailand we headed to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases at Mahidol University in Bangkok to get poked with a bunch of shots! A great way to spend our first day, right?!?! We arrived at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases and got the process started. One thing to keep in mind is that you do NOT need to have health insurance to get vaccinated in Thailand, but you will have to pay. However, the price is reasonable (as we will share below).
A Unique, but Effective, Process in Thailand’s Hospitals
It was interesting to walk into a hospital in Thailand for the first time. We approached the front desk and told them what we needed. We filled out the new patient paperwork and handed it to them with our passports. They left, and returned shortly with our new patient identification cards. Then we were sent upstairs to the doctor’s office for the vaccines
When we arrived in the doctor’s office, we were greeted by smiling nurses who took down our vital stats and made note on our files. We told them the exact vaccines that we were looking to receive, then we sat in the waiting room until we were called. Within about 15 minutes, we were called to see the doctor.
We walked into a small room and shut the door behind us. The young doctor sat at his desk and reviewed all of our files with us, going over each vaccine that we identified that we needed. He then advised us on any additional vaccines or treatments that we may / may not need, such as malaria tablets, depending on where we planned to travel. After all was confirmed, he wrote out the official prescriptions, made a note in the system, and gave us our paperwork. Then we were sent back out to see the nurses.
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We returned to the nurse station with our paperwork and they made a final review, then they sent us downstairs to pay for the vaccines. So we headed back downstairs and went through the payment process, much easier than here in the States! Then after we paid, we were sent over to the pharmacy (same building but next to the cashier).
When we arrived at the pharmacy, we gave them our paperwork and they pulled out all the proper vaccines, and put together in a nice packet for each of us. They too made notes in the system and sent us back upstairs with bags of our vaccines. Pretty interesting process, but hey, it works!
We returned to the doctor’s office to see the nurses, this time with our bag of vaccines. The nurses then took us into a patient room where they prepared each vaccine carefully, sterilizing the trays and using latex gloves, then they injected us. The injections went very quick, and the nurses were quite skilled; I’ve actually had shots that hurt worse in the states!
Afterwards, they had us stick around for a bit to make sure we felt well, then we headed out. Overall, it was a good experience and I would recommend that other travelers keep this option in mind.
In the end, we paid about $300 total for each of us to get 5 shots…that’s 10 shots at an average of $30 each. And one of those shots in particular, Japanese Encephilitis, costs more than $300 in the states for just 1 shot (and it’s a series of 3 of them in the States, where it is only 1 shot in Thailand).
Why Are Vaccines Inexpensive in Thailand?
The bigger question is why is healthcare so insanely expensive in the States?! But one of the reasons that these vaccines are cheaper is because that some of them, such as rabies and Japanese Encephalitis, are routine in Thailand; where they are not usually given in the States.
Since they are bought in bulk in Thailand and given to children as a part of their routine vaccinations, the price is less. In fact, when we told the nurse about why we were getting the shots in Thailand, she told us that about 70% of their patients are foreign…for the same reason, it’s cheaper!
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Getting our Vaccines in Thailand Worked Out Great!
So if you plan to do some traveling in the future and you want to be prepared with all the vaccines you need, look into getting those shots overseas, and Thailand in particular. You will save a lot of money, and the experience is just as good as back home. Even though the process is a little different (running around with our paperwork and picking up bags of vaccines), it totally works, and everyone is kind and helpful during the process.
I loved your recent newsletter about how safe Thailand is after the coup, and then this wonderful post! I am a recruiter for teachers in Thailand (one of the many hats I wear) and I’ve been trying to explain how safe it is, but it’s so nice to hear it from someone who’s there now. I wonder if you’d be interested in writing a similar article (either one about the coup, or one about getting vaccinations, or both) for my site, www.teachenglishesl.com? I’m trying to get the blog feature up and running, but I’m bogged down with too many other things. Get in touch if you’re interested, and keep enjoying the place that stole my heart! Choke dee na ka.
Hello Jessica – thanks for reaching out! We will definitely send you a note, we would be happy to do this for you. We are all about getting people back over here. Their economy is hurting while they try to bounce back, and Thailand is such and awesome place.
Will be in touch!
– Liz
I was thinking that a plane ticket to Thailand would spoil all the savings you would get at the hospital, but that is a lot less money than I was thinking, and if you are going to Thailand anyway that’s a good investment. I would assume that you can do similar things in Canada, but I doubt it would be that cheap. Thanks for the tips, I’ll keep that in mind for the next time I travel abroad.
Did you experience any side serious effects after all your vaccinations while you were there? I know getting sick is worse than vaccination side effects but I’m scared this might put me out of commission for a bit when I’m only there for so long.
Hi there Vanessa – thanks for reading and for the comment.
No side effects whatsoever. For me, the only issue I had was a sore shoulder for a couple days. But Josh didn’t even get that. So no problems at all 🙂
Cheers!
Liz
Thank you for sharing this gold mind of information. I just made my appointment for March day after I arrive in Bangkok. Usually travelers are recommended to have vaccines prior to their arrival due to development of antibodies? SHOULD ONE really be Concerned about this?
Thanks for reading & for the comment Lisa! Technically, yes your body will need some time to develop the immunity – it can be different for the various vaccines. So it is a risk to take if you are going to wait to get your shots abroad to take advantage of the cheaper prices, because your body will NOT be immediately immune. Take care in the meantime if you plan to start exploring immediately.
Safe travels!
– Liz
Great post guys!
One question, did the doctor said anything about getting more than one vaccination at the same time? That’s my only concern so far.. I’m researching that now, but you definitely convinced me!
Hey Gabi – thanks for reading and for the comment!
We had a sit down with the doctor, and he reviewed everything before getting the shots. There weren’t any issues with getting these shots at the same time, although there could be with some shots. Actually, I felt like we had a longer conversation with the doctor than we get with some in the States. He was very helpful and reviewed everything with us. In fact, we are back in Bangkok now and will be going back to the same clinic next week for an update to our Typhoid shot (which we need every 3 years).
Glad the post helped you – happy travels!
Liz
Hi Liz,
I have to say that your post is the most helpful post I have read yet! (and I have spent hours and hours researching this subject) so thank you for that!
My concern is that for example in the UK you have to do several shots some time apart (e.g. for Hep B you have to do 2 shots 1 month apart), did you encounter anything like that when you got your shots done?
Also (if you haven’t done so already), would it be possible for you to share which vaccines you guys got?
Hello Natalie – thank you so much for reading, and for the comment. I am very glad to know that you found this post helpful.
You are correct, some shots are given in a series (more than one). It depends on the shot. This is something to keep in mind, because you might need to stick around for the next shot. We had this happen to us while in Bangkok because we got the rabies vaccine – which is a series of 3 over the course of a month. We ended up staying in Bangkok for the first two shots, then we traveled around for a couple weeks and returned to Bangkok for the final shot. But we could have also gone to international hospitals in other cities for the final shot – as long as they use the same type. They documented on all of our CDC vaccine cards the shots we got, so the next hospital would know.
For hep B, we also got the 2nd shot in Bangkok (even though we got the first shot in the States before we left). Other vaccines that we got in Bangkok included Yellow Fever, Meningitis, Japanese Encephalitis (this is actually 3 shots back home in the USA – but it was only 1 shot in Bangkok). We were going to get Typhoid too, but they didn’t have any in stock.
I hope this helps. Thanks again for reading and let me know if you have any other questions.
Happy travels!
Liz
Hey Liz,
Amazing! Thanks so much for all the info! That’s super helpful and I am definitely going to be doing the same! Did you guys get anti-malarials?
No prob! We consulted with the doctor about anti-malarials. He advised us not to use them because of where we were going, in fact, most of the touristy places in SE Asia you really don’t need to take them (it actually causes a bigger problem with creating resistance to the drug). But it’s always best to consult with them. During our visits (and we’ve been to this hospital in Bangkok at least 4 times now) we found that we had more one-on-one time with the doctors to actually chat with them and learn more than we do back home in the States. They can really help advise you and answer questions you have.
Hope this helps!
Liz
Great read and very informative! Will certainly consider doing this next visit to SE Asia.
Happy to hear that you found it helpful David. Thanks for reading and happy travels to you!
– Liz