The Facts on Old School Travel Clinics vs Virtual Travel Clinic

Skip the lineup. Skip the drive. Skip the hassle. Start your trip prepared.

Planning a vacation should be exciting, not a hassle of phone calls, parking, and waiting rooms. That’s why more Canadians are turning to VirtualTravelClinic.ca as a faster, easier, and smarter way to get travel health advice and prescriptions.

We help you save over 2 hours, so you can get back to planning the fun stuff.

Why Choose Virtual Over In-Person?

When you book with a traditional travel clinic, you’re often stuck with:

Long hold times just to book an appointment
Driving across town (and back again)
Paying for parking
Waiting in a crowded lobby
You will need a second trip to the pharmacy to pick up your prescriptions.

We eliminate all of that.

With VirtualTravelClinic.ca, everything is done from your couch; even prescriptions are sent directly to a pharmacy that has your meds in stock.

Let’s break it down:

✈️ Let’s Compare the Full Journey

	VirtualTravelClinic.ca	Traditional Travel Clinics
Booking Time	✅ ~3 min (online)	❌ ~10 min (often requires calling)
Commute to Clinic	✅ None	❌ 20–40+ minutes roundtrip
Finding Parking	✅ None, Free	❌ 5–15 minutes (Cost: $1.50- $6.75 per hour)
Wait Time at Clinic	✅ None	❌ 10–20 minutes
Prescription Included?	✅ Yes	❌ sometimes
Dispensing of Medications (99% of visits include this)	✅ Yes (Mail only, otherwise you can pick up at a pharmacy near you, leave the research to us!)	❌ No
Pharmacy Research Time	✅ 0 minutes	❌ Up to 2 hours
Total Time Invested	✅ ~3–10 minutes	❌ 2–3+ hours
Anywhere in Canada?	✅ Yes	❌ Often limited to major cities

Now that you have seen the full-time savings graph, here is a breakdown of what you can expect.

⌛ How Much Time Do You Actually Save?

Booking & Attending Your Consultation:

Step	VirtualTravelClinic.ca	Traditional Travel Clinics
Booking Time	~3 minutes	~10 minutes (if they answer)
Travel to Appointment	0 minutes	~20 minutes
Parking Time	0 minutes	~10 minutes
In-Clinic Wait Time	0 minutes	~10–20 minutes
Total Time	✅ ~3 minutes	❌ ~40–60 minutes

Prescriptions & Pharmacy Coordination

99% of travel consultations require a prescription (for antimalarials or traveller’s diarrhea prevention). Traditional clinics can prescribe, but don’t send it directly to a pharmacy, so you’re left calling pharmacies yourself and hoping they have stock.

We take care of all of that for you. Your prescriptions are sent directly to a nearby pharmacy, no extra appointments, no running around. We confirm the medication is in stock before you arrive, and in many cases, you can pick it up the same day. Compared to the 1–2.5 hours often spent coordinating everything yourself, VirtualTravelClinic.ca saves you time, hassle, and unnecessary delays.

📍 Geography Matters: What If You’re Outside the City?

In cities like Vancouver and Toronto, travel clinics are often located in high-traffic areas. That means:

Extra driving time if you live in the suburbs

Limited parking (and it’s not free)

Traffic stress during business hours

VirtualTravelClinic.ca works anywhere in Canada: urban or rural. From Nunavut to Tofino to Halifax, you get expert advice from licensed Canadian professionals, all from home.

💊 What About Vaccines & Medications?

Let’s be honest, most travel clinics don’t carry all the vaccines and can’t administer the medications you need.

Many can give you a shot on-site, but they can’t prescribe meds like:

Malaria prevention pills
Traveller’s diarrhea kits
High-altitude meds
Motion sickness patches

That means an extra trip to your doctor or a walk-in, then another one to the pharmacy.

With VirtualTravelClinic.ca:

Your consultation includes prescriptions
We send them to a nearby pharmacy that has them in stock
You pick them up at the same time you get any vaccinations, hassle-free (or opt for delivery in some areas)
Have questions about your medications? We’ve got you covered with that, too. Our team is happy to answer questions that you might have, even after your consultation.

Now, you might be wondering, “What kind of prescriptions could I need for travel?” Great question, it all depends on your destination, planned activities, and personal health history, but 99% of all travel consultations require a prescription.

Here’s a breakdown of the top 25 travel-related prescriptions commonly recommended by our certified travel health team:

Prescription

Common Use

Azithromycin (TD)

Ciprofloxacin (TD)

Rifaximin (TD)

Atovaquone/Proguanil (Malarone)

Doxycycline (for malaria)

Mefloquine

Bismuth subsalicylate regimen

Ondansetron ODT

Metoclopramide

Prochlorperazine

Scopolamine Patch

Acetazolamide (Diamox)

Dexamethasone (HACE standby)

Nifedipine (HAPE standby)

Valacyclovir

Oseltamivir (Tamiflu)

Fluconazole

Nitrofurantoin

Zopiclone (short-term)

Epinephrine Auto-Injector (2-pack)

Permethrin 5% Cream

Betamethasone Valerate 0.1% Cream

Mupirocin Ointment

Amoxicillin-Clavulanate

Traveller’s Diarrhea – Treatment

Malaria Prophylaxis

Traveller’s Diarrhea – Prevention

Nausea Relief

Motion Sickness

Altitude Sickness

Antiviral (Herpes Suppression)

Antiviral (Flu Treatment/Prevention)

Yeast Infections

UTI Standby (Women’s Health)

Jet Lag / Sleep Aid

Severe Allergies / Anaphylaxis

Skin Infections / Insect Bites

Skin Irritations / Rashes

Skin Infections / Minor Wounds

Animal Bite Prophylaxis

Note: Your exact prescription will be based on your consultation with our travel medicine experts, considering your health history and travel plans.

🧳 Bottom Line: Virtual Just Makes Sense

We built VirtualTravelClinic.ca to make travel health easier for Canadians – wherever you are, and whenever you’re planning to go. We’ve helped over 20,000 travellers get ready for their adventures, with 500+ 5-star reviews and coast-to-coast support.