With my leave date fast approaching and my savings growing so slowly, I’ve been looking hard at my budget and trying to find any savings I can. I had $300 budgeted for vaccinations, but a little research suggested that it might be even more expensive that that. Recent posts on the Lonely Planet Forums lamented a $160 bill for a single typhoid vaccination and $120 for a yellow fever stab. Another poster reported a $500 quote for “meningitis, typhoid booster, yellow fever, hep A booster, polio booster, and malaria pills” from a clinic, while others ran as high as $800+.

My cheap-ass insurance covers very little in the way of travel immunizations, unless I’m traveling for work, so I was getting worried. Then I had a classic “Face, meet Palm” moment: if people travel to Thailand and other countries to get hips, knees, and naughty bits replaced, surely I can find safe, inexpensive shots there.

A little internet sleuthing led me to the Thai Red Cross Society where you can get inexpensive shots for tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningitis, encephalitis, cholera, polio, and typhoid. That $160 typhoid shot? Less than $10 from the Red Cross. The hep A is the most expensive, at nearly $23 — outrageous! The difference in cost of just two shots will pay for nearly a week’s travel. Numerous hospitals and clinics offer similar services.

Now, obviously, there are limitations and downsides to this idea and this will not work for many travelers. Many shots take a fair amount of time to become effective or even require boosters a month or two after the first shot. If I were only spending a few weeks in Thailand, this wouldn’t really do me much good at all. For the long-term traveler, however, it works quite well. I’ll be in Thailand for at least 2 months and will most likely pass back through Bangkok for an onward flight. I’ll have plenty opportunities for follow-up shots.