Decisions Decisions Decisions

Even as I'm making final preparations for my trek there's still time to do other things, whether it be parties, hanging out at the rink, or chatting online.  Plenty of time, especially since I'm currently laid off.  Everyone I talk to, for the most part, is very positive about my decision to take a year off and travel.  Over Christmas I met some new people and they had nothing but positive things to say.  It definitely makes me feel better about traveling.

There were so many choices to make, that I often zoned out or ended up talking to myself.  It helps me think.  A list of questions that I pondered.

Where do I get vaccines?
What vaccines do I get?
Do I need travelers insurance even if I have health insurance?
Where do I buy travelers insurance?
Where should I start my trip?
When should I leave?
How do I get money out overseas?
Should I buy a Round the World Ticket or buy as I go?
How will I call home?
What am I going to do with all my stuff(furniture, etc)?

These are just a snippet of the answers I was looking for, and the more you answer the more questions you have.  Long hours have been put in, reading and investigating.  I'll comment on the vaccines and how I went about the process of being invincible.

Where do I get vaccines?

This was going to be an easy one I thought.  Call my doctor up, in, out, done.  Wrong.  Every travel blog I read spoke of a consultation, an assessment of your destinations, and vaccine booklet to verify your vaccines.  Prescriptions would also be needed if you're traveling to an area that contains malaria.   All right Google, find me a place.  Entering: Pittsburgh and Vaccines, led me to Passport Health.  They have four local offices located in Monroeville, Latrobe, Carnegie, and Cranberry.  I chose the Latrobe office out of convenience and set up an appointment.  Various forms were downloaded and completed with health information and my itinerary, which I wasn't entirely sure of.

When I arrived at Passport Health I was greeted by Karen who is a RN.  She handles every aspect at the clinic from the greeter, consultation, administering the vaccines, selling products and collecting the fee.  A total of two and a half hours was spent going over my trip, weighing the risks and making suggestions for my vaccines.  You learn that no countries require you to have vaccines except for Yellow Fever, which I did not need.  In the end, it's up to you to choose what you want and what you can go without.  I relied mainly on her suggestions as well as the various blogs I read on the matter.  The prices also swayed my choices, especially since some of the vaccines required me to get second and third doses.  Japanese Encephalitis was the only vaccine that I didn't get due to the price of $295 per dose.

Personal itinerary prepared for me by Passport Health

Here is the list of vaccines I received.
-Polio IPOL
-Tetanus Diphtheria & Pertussis
-Typhoid (Vi)
-Twinrix (adult Hep A/B)

Three doses of Twinrix are required with a 4th dose in a years time.  I also purchased the "Ultimate Traveler's Diarrhea Kit" and a permethrin concentrate kit.  My clothing needs to be soaked in permethrin so that it repels or kills the bugs that land on me.  I won't have to use as much deet insect repellent which is mildly toxic.  Doxycycline was prescribed to me to combat malaria.  I'll take one pill everyday at the same time to keep a steady flow of antibiotics in me.  Doxycycline also has side effects, such as causing an upset stomach and greater susceptibility to the sun.  Sunscreen and a hat are a must.

Permethrin Kit, Diarrhea Kit, and Doxycycline

The final costs set me back $892, but overall I had a good experience with Passport Health and I would highly recommend them if anyone needs vaccines, travel supplies, or consultation on travel.  Karen is a positive person who seemed more excited than me for the trip I'm about to take.