Question
What are the entry, visa and vaccination requirements for an Australian couple visiting Malaysia, Britain and Spain across a period of 19 days?
- J. Patino, Casino, NSW.
Answer
You won't need any visas for this trip, as long as you're travelling for leisure and going for only a few weeks. Just make sure you have at least six months' validity on your passport, which is something that is recommended for most overseas trips.
Regarding vaccinations, I always rely on The Travel Doctor-TMVC (see tmvc.com.au) for up-to-date advice. The TMVC says that, as well as making sure your standard vaccinations (tetanus, diphtheria and others) are up to date, vaccination against hepatitis A is recommended for travel to Malaysia and Spain.
Hepatitis A is transmitted through contaminated food and drink, so anyone is susceptible to it.
You should also consider a typhoid vaccination for Malaysia and you may need anti-malarial drugs, depending on which parts of the country you are visiting.
You can email The Travel Doctor-TMVC via its website to get specific advice based on your itinerary; alternatively, seek a GP who specialises in travel medicine.
Many people find they are more susceptible to illness when they travel due to changes in season and being in close contact with other people on planes and in airports.
The Australian government says anyone going overseas should have a free H1N1 (better known as swine flu) vaccination. You can find more details at www.healthemergency.gov.au.
- Jane E. Fraser
If you have travel questions, we'd love to hear from you. Write to travelshd@fairfaxmedia.com.au. Personal correspondence cannot be entered into. Only questions appearing in print will be answered. If your question is published, you will win a Lonely Planet guidebook.
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