When traveling abroad, it’s recommended travelers get a checklist of vaccinations to ensure no one falls ill during a good time. Many vaccinations are standard: MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), polio, malaria, hepatitis B and flu vaccines. Depending on where travel plans lie, some travelers will get more vaccines than others. Many countries now require all travelers to have the basics of vaccines: MMR, typhoid, polio, TDP, pneumoccal and Hepatitis A and B.

Some shots you haven’t even heard of—varicella and twinrix, just to name two—you’ll have to take as early as six months out from your trip, just to allow you and your pet’s immune systems a chance to adapt to the change.To make sure everything’s on par with the recommended list, you can check with clinics in your area that specialize in travel vaccines. They know what’s needed—and when it has to be given—before you embark on the destined country. If you decide to travel with your beloved dog or cat, their veterinarian will give the needed shots for them to stay safe during their journey, too. And, since your have an idea of where you’re headed, they’ll need their shots well ahead of time as well.

Where you travel is key. If you’re going to underdeveloped countries, traveling fourth class, planning stay for a long while (one to three months) and look to take “roads less traveled”, chances are you’re going to need a lot more booster shots than your fellow traveler who goes overseas more often than you, but stays in well-known hotels and sticks to more populated places.