Book the travel clinic first.

No — and anything that claims to from a country name alone is guessing. What you need depends on the exact regions, the season, your accommodation and activities, your age, pregnancy status and medical history. What the guide does is get you to a travel clinic with the right information, and gives you the questions to ask: what's required for entry versus recommended, whether a certificate is checked at the border, and what applies to your specific itinerary.

Later than people think. The calculator shows it: a three-dose course with four weeks between doses needs about 12 weeks including getting an appointment — so at eight weeks out you're four weeks short and can realistically get two doses, and at three weeks out, none. Book anyway: partial protection plus advice on food, water, bites and medication is far better than nothing.

Because medicines that are ordinary at home can be controlled or prohibited elsewhere — including some cold and allergy remedies, codeine-containing painkillers, and stimulant or sleep medications — and travellers have been detained over it. Check each one with the destination's embassy or official customs guidance, including any country you merely transit through, and carry everything in original labelled packaging with a doctor's letter.

Declaring everything, for everyone travelling — including conditions you consider minor or well controlled, since undeclared conditions are a leading reason medical claims are refused. Then check medical evacuation and repatriation cover, the medical excess, and whether your activities are excluded: diving, motorcycling, high-altitude trekking and winter sports often need an add-on. Evacuation by air ambulance can cost more than the entire trip.

Usually food and water rather than exotic disease, followed by heat, sun and insect bites. The guide covers the everyday precautions, plus one thing people underestimate: avoid contact with animals, and treat any bite, scratch or lick on broken skin as urgent — wash it immediately and get medical assessment, because some infections are only preventable if treated quickly. And mention your travel to any doctor afterwards, since some illnesses appear weeks or months later.