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We've been providing trusted health information for 30 years. Learn More](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/celebrating-30-years.html) - [Teens Home](https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/) - [Sitio para adolescentes](https://kidshealth.org/es/teens/) - [All Categories](https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/all-categories.html) - [All Wellness Centers](https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/centers/center.html) - [KidsHealth](https://kidshealth.org/) - [Parents](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/) - Do Kids Need Vaccines Before Traveling? # Do Kids Need Vaccines Before Traveling? en español: [¿Necesita vacunarse mi hijo antes de viajar al extranjero?](https://kidshealth.org/es/parents/travel-vaccinations.html) Medically reviewed by: [Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, MDThis link opens in a new tab](https://www.nemours.org/about/kidshealth-medical-editors.html) [Learn About Primary Care Pediatrics at Nemours Children's HealthThis link opens in a new tab](https://www.nemours.org/locations/primary-care.html) - [Listen](https://app-na.readspeaker.com/cgi-bin/rsent?customerid=5202&lang=en_us&readid=khcontent_article&url=kidshealth.org/en/parents/travel-vaccinations.html "Listen to this page using ReadSpeaker") Play Stop Volume [mp3](https://app-na.readspeaker.com/cgi-bin/rsent?customerid=5202&lang=en_us&readid=khcontent_article&url=kidshealth.org/en/parents/travel-vaccinations.html&audiofilename=KidsHealth_&save=1 "mp3") Settings Close Player - Larger text size Large text size Regular text size - [Print]() If your family plans to travel abroad or internationally, you and your kids might need to get certain vaccines. Different countries have different health risks and may require specific vaccines. For example, a family will need the yellow fever vaccine if they're traveling to certain parts of Africa or South America. To find out which vaccines your family needs, ask your doctor or visit the [CDC's travelers' health website](https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel) for a list of recommended or required vaccines (you can search by destination). You might need to visit a clinic that specializes in travel medicine if your doctor doesn’t stock the vaccines you need. Most vaccines should be given at least 1 month before travel, so try to schedule a doctor's visit 4–6 weeks before your trip. This gives plenty of time for the vaccines to take effect, and allows for vaccines to be given over a period of days or weeks, if necessary. But even if you're leaving in less than 4 weeks, you should still make an appointment, as kids might still benefit from shots or medicines. Depending on your travel plans, your doctor may recommend that besides routine [vaccines](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/vaccine.html), you and/or your kids be vaccinated against: - [typhoid](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/typhoid.html) - yellow fever - Japanese encephalitis - tick-borne encephalitis - [rabies](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/rabies.html) - cholera All kids get the [measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/mmr-vaccine.html) at 12–15 months of age, and the [hepatitis A](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/hepatitis-a.html) vaccine between their first and second birthdays. But any who will travel outside the United States before that can get these vaccines as early as 6 months of age. They will still need the routine vaccines after their first birthday. Preteens and teens routinely get [meningococcal vaccines](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/meningitis-vaccine.html), but children as young as 2 months old also can get them (depending on the vaccine brand) if they will be traveling. They'll still need to get the routine vaccines later according to the [vaccine schedule](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/immunization-chart.html). Adults who were fully vaccinated against [polio](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/polio-vaccine.html) as children can get a booster dose if they will travel to an area where there is a high risk of catching polio. Kids of any age can get [malaria](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/malaria.html), so if you're traveling to a country with a malaria risk, talk to your doctor about antimalarial drugs. An updated [COVID-19 vaccine](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/covid-vaccines.html) is recommended for all adults and kids ages 6 months and up, as is the yearly [flu vaccine](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/flu-vaccine-good.html). Traveling can involve exposure to crowded airports and vacation destinations, which makes the spread of respiratory viruses much more likely. That's why experts strongly recommend that people make sure they're up to date on COVID-19 and flu vaccines before travel. And if you're traveling internationally, be sure to take your kids' vaccine records with you when you go. **Medically reviewed by:** [Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, MDThis link opens in a new tab](https://www.nemours.org/about/kidshealth-medical-editors.html) Date reviewed: June 2024 ## More on this topic for: - Parents - Teens ## More on this topic For Parents - [Your Child's Vaccines](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/vaccine.html) - [How Vaccines Help (Video)](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/vaccine-video.html) - [Staying Healthy While You Travel](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/family-travel.html) - [Vaccine Schedule: Vaccines for Children by Age](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/immunization-chart.html) ## More on this topic For Teens - [Vaccine Basics](https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/immunizations.html) View more Share: - Share to Facebook - Share to Twitter - Share to Pinterest ## RELATED CATEGORIES - [Vaccines](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/system/immunizations.html) - [Safety Away From Home](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/firstaid-safe/travel.html) - [Immunizations](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/infections/immunizations.html) /content/kidshealth/misc/medicalcodes/parents/articles/travel-vaccinations ##### Who We Are - [About Us](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/about.html) ##### Working With Us - [Partners](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/partners.html) - [Editorial Policy](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/editorial-policy.html) - [Permissions Guidelines](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/permissions-guidelines.html) - [Media Requests This link opens in a new tab](https://nemours.mediaroom.com/journalist-resources) - [Contact Us](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/general-information/contact-us) ##### Legal & Privacy - [Privacy Policy & Terms of Use](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/policy.html) - [Notice of Nondiscrimination](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/nondiscrimination.html) ##### All Categories - [For Parents](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/all-categories.html) - [For Kids](https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/all-categories.html) - [For Teens](https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/all-categories.html) ##### Wellness Centers - [For Parents](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/centers/center.html) - [For Kids](https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/centers/center.html) - [For Teens](https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/centers/center.html) - [](https://www.facebook.com/nemourskidshealth/) - [](https://x.com/nemours) - [](https://www.youtube.com/@NemoursKidsHealth) [](https://www.nemours.org/?external_id=RE2350803010600) Note: All information on Nemours KidsHealth® is for educational purposes only. 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If your family plans to travel abroad or internationally, you and your kids might need to get certain vaccines. Different countries have different health risks and may require specific vaccines. For example, a family will need the yellow fever vaccine if they're traveling to certain parts of Africa or South America. To find out which vaccines your family needs, ask your doctor or visit the [CDC's travelers' health website](https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel) for a list of recommended or required vaccines (you can search by destination). You might need to visit a clinic that specializes in travel medicine if your doctor doesn’t stock the vaccines you need. Most vaccines should be given at least 1 month before travel, so try to schedule a doctor's visit 4–6 weeks before your trip. This gives plenty of time for the vaccines to take effect, and allows for vaccines to be given over a period of days or weeks, if necessary. But even if you're leaving in less than 4 weeks, you should still make an appointment, as kids might still benefit from shots or medicines. Depending on your travel plans, your doctor may recommend that besides routine [vaccines](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/vaccine.html), you and/or your kids be vaccinated against: - [typhoid](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/typhoid.html) - yellow fever - Japanese encephalitis - tick-borne encephalitis - [rabies](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/rabies.html) - cholera All kids get the [measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/mmr-vaccine.html) at 12–15 months of age, and the [hepatitis A](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/hepatitis-a.html) vaccine between their first and second birthdays. But any who will travel outside the United States before that can get these vaccines as early as 6 months of age. They will still need the routine vaccines after their first birthday. Preteens and teens routinely get [meningococcal vaccines](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/meningitis-vaccine.html), but children as young as 2 months old also can get them (depending on the vaccine brand) if they will be traveling. They'll still need to get the routine vaccines later according to the [vaccine schedule](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/immunization-chart.html). Adults who were fully vaccinated against [polio](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/polio-vaccine.html) as children can get a booster dose if they will travel to an area where there is a high risk of catching polio. Kids of any age can get [malaria](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/malaria.html), so if you're traveling to a country with a malaria risk, talk to your doctor about antimalarial drugs. An updated [COVID-19 vaccine](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/covid-vaccines.html) is recommended for all adults and kids ages 6 months and up, as is the yearly [flu vaccine](https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/flu-vaccine-good.html). Traveling can involve exposure to crowded airports and vacation destinations, which makes the spread of respiratory viruses much more likely. That's why experts strongly recommend that people make sure they're up to date on COVID-19 and flu vaccines before travel. And if you're traveling internationally, be sure to take your kids' vaccine records with you when you go.