Over the past few weeks you have read blogs about my recent adventures in Africa. A huge part of a trip like this is the preparation — lots of time and effort spent coordinating when, where and how. One step was the obligatory health check-up and required shots. Although our complex is a stone’s throw from Penn Travel Medicine, I wanted to try Passport Health, an organization I met at the recent NBTA conference in Houston. The beauty with Passport Health is its national network. You can find a location within 15 minutes of where you live anywhere across the country. I chose Passport Health Lawrenceville (New Jersey) for my consultation and shots. The meeting was very thorough. For my African safari trip, I needed a lot of coverage, including the basic flu shot, TWINRIX (for Hepatitis A and B), Typhoid and Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis). I had to make two other appointments for the TWINRIX vaccine, one just before the trip and another after the trip, within one year of return. On top of this, I was given Cipro tablets in case of serious digestive issues and Malarone malaria tablets. Some people reported having very weird dreams from the malaria pills. One guy on the safari dreamt his wife was directing traffic in Nairobi. Lastly, I was given some serious mosquito repellent, Ultrathon, which contains 34 percent DEET. This repellent is much stronger than you can receive in drug stores. I was given a summary of each area I was traveling in and the health issues I should be aware of — all very helpful. I know from other travelers that the services they used were not as thorough or complete. Passport Health has a wealth of other products you could take on your trips, depending on your need. For example, syringes, water purifiers and other medications are available depending on the destination. An informed traveler will find this to be an excellent option. The services are not cheap, but none of them are, as the first visit ran about $600. Your health — and not having the trip disrupted — are well worth it. — Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO