Out of the 1,000+ things to do in preparation for our trip I decided to tackle the travel vaccinations during my Christmas break back in Pittsburgh. I checked out the CDC’s recommendations for people traveling to Vietnam as well as the recommendations from the Allegheny Health Department. The Yellow Fever Vaccination was the only one that was required, but there were other “recommended” vaccinations. Having no prior experience with vaccine pricing, I thought $101 (at the Allegheny Health Department) was a bit much. I mean, I’m trying to save every penny here! (No, I have literally been saving all of my coins for the past year). And we all know how difficult that can be with a crappy car and through the roof expenses… Since my insurance did not cover this, I was determined to find a cheaper shot. Figuring that it (my insurance) would work somewhere down in Maryland, I opted to give that a try. After endless hours of calling travel clinics and finding out the prices (around $200) I decided to resort back to the Health Department.
In my experience I learned that some travel clinics who do not accept insurance have certain “service or consulting charges and fees” that are added on to the cost of the vaccination. In my case, I was not about to pay almost $200 for a shot! Instead, I’m going to the Health Department where they have zero fees/charges added to the price of the vaccine, unless you use a debit card (don’t worry, it’s only a few dollars).
Packing lists and other trip preparation to come!
For more information about Yellow fever Click Here!
-Matt
A Twenty-Something Couple's Guide to the Galaxy 