American travelers increasingly are selecting exotic destinations in the de
veloping world. This poses a challenge to primary care clinicians who wish
to provide recommendations to their patients regarding optimal protection f
rom infectious disease risks. Recommendations should be individualized for
each traveler and journey, accounting for personal health, health risks of
specific destinations, style of travel, and activities anticipated. This ar
ticle updates practitioners on the essentials of immunization before intern
ational travel.