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The traditional travel calendar is shifting. As summers grow hotter and busier, more travellers are opting to explore the world in the cooler, calmer months of September and October, avoiding heatwaves, overcrowding and the rising cost of peak‑season travel.¹ ‘Shoulder season’ bookings rose by 20% in 2025 compared with the previous year,² signalling a clear move towards autumn getaways. This shift is driving interest in destinations such as Borneo, The Baltics, Northern Spain and Colombia,³ regions where the risk of exposure to infectious diseases can be higher, even beyond the summer peak. These off-peak months can create a false sense of reassurance, with travellers often perceiving them as having lower health risks due to milder weather and fewer crowds, despite the continued risk of infectious diseases. Travellers and travel health providers need to be aware of how these changing patterns influence travel health needs.

Unlike in previous years, this shift is not limited to one age group. While the majority of older adults aged 55+ years (64%) prefer to go abroad in September, demand for early‑autumn holidays is rising across all age groups, with notable increases among 18–24‑year‑olds and 35–44‑year‑olds.¹ Some UK regions have also extended the October school half term, giving families greater flexibility to travel in these months.² As a result, a broader group of travellers are now holidaying during months when certain infectious diseases remain in circulation,⁴ highlighting the need for continued awareness among travellers and travel health providers.

Travellers are going further and staying longer

Recent global events have influenced destination choices for many travellers, contributing to a surge in demand for alternative regions. While European countries remain popular, interest in more far-flung destinations is growing, demonstrated by increased demand in Asia-Pacific airlines (+11.5%) and African airlines (+20.6%).⁵ In addition, travellers are increasingly seeking more meaningful experiences from their holidays by immersing themselves in local culture and spending more time in a single destination,^1,6 and blended travel is becoming more common too, with remote workers turning short breaks into extended trips.⁷ Longer stays bring a wider range of health risks, while rural or immersive destinations can further increase the likelihood of infection.^8,9

Preparedness matters more than ever

The redistribution of international travel into the autumn months, alongside more complex itineraries and longer, more immersive trips highlights the importance of proactive year-round travel health engagement and evidence‑based travel health advice. As travel patterns become more varied and risks more complex, the role of travel health providers in assessing and communicating the impacts on travel health is increasingly important. By offering clear, practical advice and access to essential vaccinations, pharmacists can help travellers stay protected so they can focus on enjoying their trip. 

Experts in travel vaccines

To support pharmacists in meeting these evolving demands, access to reliable vaccines and trusted expertise is essential. Bavarian Nordic brings over 30 years of vaccine R&D experience, along with strong insight into real-world travel health practice. This helps us understand the challenges travel health professionals face and provide meaningful support.

Beyond vaccine manufacturing and supply, Bavarian Nordic supports disease awareness, collaboration and dialogue across the travel health community. With a dedicated portfolio and global manufacturing expertise, we focus on consistency of access and quality, ensuring that even in a changing environment, we are offering reliability and reassurance to healthcare professionals.  

Vincent Macias, UK Country Director, Bavarian Nordic

“Travel patterns are changing, and with more people exploring new destinations, the role of the travel health provider has never been more important. At Bavarian Nordic, we’re committed to partnering with the pharmacy community, enabling them to provide reliable vaccines and practical insight so that every traveller can be prepared for their journey.”

As a future-focused partner, we’re working alongside healthcare professionals to strengthen preparedness and help protect travellers as global travel continues to evolve, and today this commitment is reflected in our dedicated vaccine portfolio:

Vimkunya^®▼ (Chikungunya vaccine – Recombinant, adsorbed)¹⁰

The first and only virus-like particle (VLP), single-dose, pre-filled syringe vaccine against chikungunya.¹⁰ Vimkunya is indicated for active immunisation for the prevention of disease caused by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in individuals 12 years and older.¹⁰ The most common local adverse reaction after vaccine administration was injection site pain (24.0%). The most common systemic adverse reactions observed after vaccination were fatigue (17.8%), headache (16.7%) and myalgia (16.5%).¹⁰ Click here for UK prescribing information and adverse event reporting.

Rabipur^® (Rabies vaccine – Inactivated)¹¹

With a 40-year history, Rabipur has a clinically well-established safety and immunogenicity profile for both pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis.^11,12 Rabipur is indicated for active immunisation against rabies in individuals of all ages.¹¹ In a clinical trial comparing Rabipur, a purified chick embryo cell culture rabies vaccine (PCECV), to human diploid cell culture rabies vaccine (HDCV) in previously unimmunised subjects, all participants (82/82) who received Rabipur pre-exposure achieved an adequate immune response (rabies virus neutralising antibodies [RVNAs] >0.5 IU/mL) by day 28 of a primary series of three injections of Rabipur. This response persisted for over 1 year in all subjects who volunteered to participate in the year 2 post-exposure study who had previously received Rabipur (67/67) after primary immunisation without booster doses.¹³ In a separate comparison study of previously unimmunised participants, only one person who received Rabipur failed to maintain adequate antibody titres (>11*) approximately 2 years after a primary series of three injections^† without booster doses.¹⁴ Rabipur is generally well tolerated – the most commonly reported adverse reactions were headache, dizziness, rash, malaise, fatigue, asthenia, fever, and injection site reactions (pain [30–85%] or induration [15–35%]).^11,12 Click here for UK prescribing information and adverse event reporting.

Vivotif^® (Typhoid vaccine – Live, oral, attenuated Ty21a)¹⁵

The only oral typhoid fever vaccine.¹⁵ Vivotif is indicated for active oral immunisation against typhoid fever, caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi), in adults and children aged 5 years and older.¹⁵ Vivotif is generally well tolerated – the most commonly reported adverse reactions were abdominal pain (6.4%), nausea (5.8%), headache (4.8%), fever (3.3%), diarrhoea (2.9%), vomiting (1.5%) and skin rash (1.0%).^15,16 Click here for UK prescribing information and adverse event reporting.

Vaxchora^® (Cholera vaccine – Recombinant, live, oral)¹⁷

The only single-dose oral cholera vaccine.¹⁷ Vaxchora is indicated for active immunisation against disease caused by Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1 in people aged 2 years and older.¹⁷ Taken as a single oral dose, it provides rapid and sustained protection from cholera. Vaxchora demonstrated 90% protective efficacy in just 10 days in a human challenge study (n=35), and serum vibriocidal antibodies remained elevated for at least 6 months post-vaccination.¹⁷ Vaxchora is generally well tolerated – the most commonly reported adverse reactions in adults were tiredness (30.2%), headache (28.3%), abdominal pain (18.4%), nausea/vomiting (17.9%) and lack of appetite (15.7%).¹⁷ Click here for UK prescribing information and adverse event reporting.

Imvanex^®▼ (Smallpox and mpox vaccine – Live modified vaccinia virus Ankara)¹⁸

Imvanex is indicated for active immunisation against smallpox, monkeypox and disease caused by vaccinia virus in adults.¹⁸ Imvanex is generally tolerated – the most commonly reported adverse reactions were injection site reactions and common systemic reactions typical for vaccines, which were mild to moderate in intensity and resolved without intervention within 7 days following vaccination.¹⁸ The vaccine is available as part of the UK government’s mpox immunisation programme.¹⁹ Click here for UK prescribing information and adverse event reporting.

The use of any of these vaccines should be in accordance with official recommendations.

For more information about Bavarian Nordic UK and how to order our vaccines, visit our promotional website: https://www.bnvaccines.com/en-GB

* The US Public Health Service has determined that a rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test titre of ≥1:11 is considered as adequate. Results are reported as reciprocal titres rather than international units (IU) due to the inherent problem of comparing results reported in IU for titres from sera not tested in parallel.¹⁴

† In the 2-year persistence study, participants received PCECV or HDCV via either intramuscular or intradermal administration; persistence data are reported for the combined study population.¹⁴

References:

1. Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA). Travel trends for 2026. Accessed September 2026. https://www.abta.com/industry-zone/reports-and-publications/abta-travel-trends-reports/travel-trends-2026
2. Advantage Travel Partnership. Advantage reveals a significant rise in shoulder season bookings promoting new discussions around school holidays. Published 22 July 2025. Accessed September 2026. https://www.advantagetravelpartnership.com/advantage-reveals-a-significant-rise-in-shoulder-season-bookings
3. Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA). Destinations to watch 2026. Accessed September 2026. https://www.abta.com/industry-zone/reports-and-publications/abta-travel-trends-reports/destinations-to-watch-2026
4. Venkatesan P. Expanding threat of chikungunya in 2025. Lancet Microbe. 2025;6(12):101261.
5. TravelPulse. IATA report reveals Middle East war's impact on air travel. Updated 30 April 2026. Accessed September 2026. https://www.travelpulse.com/news/airlines-airports/iata-report-reveals-middle-east-wars-impact-on-air-travel
6. Hilton. New vacation trends. Slow travel: the growing desire to travel like a local. Accessed September 2026. https://stories.hilton.com/2025trends/slow-travel-the-growing-desire-to-travel-like-a-local 
7. American Express Global Business Travel. Meet tomorrow’s business travelers. Published 24 March 2025. Accessed September 2026. https://explorer.amexglobalbusinesstravel.com/rs/346-POJ-129/images/Meet-tomorrows-business-travelers-report.pdf
8. GOV.UK. Travel-associated infections in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: January to June 2025. Updated 26 March 2026. Accessed September 2026. 
   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/travel-associated-infections/travel-associated-infections-in-england-wales-and-northern-irelandjanuary-to-june-2025
9. Mobility Foresights. UK travel vaccine market size, share, trends and forecasts 2031. Updated 25 August 2025. Accessed September 2026. https://mobilityforesights.com/product/uk-travel-vaccine-market
10. Vimkunya. Summary of Product Characteristics. Accessed September 2026. https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/100819/smpc#gref  
11. Rabipur. Summary of Product Characteristics. Accessed September 2026. https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/100651/smpc
12. Giesen A, Gniel D, Malerczyk C. 30 years of rabies vaccination with Rabipur: a summary of clinical data and global experience. Expert Rev Vaccines. 2015;14(3):351–367. doi: 10.1586/14760584.2015.1011134.
13. Briggs DJ, et al. Purified chick embryo cell culture rabies vaccine: interchangeability with human diploid cell culture rabies vaccine and comparison of one versus two-dose post-exposure booster regimen for previously immunized persons. Vaccine. 2001;19(9–10):1055–1060.
14. Dreesen DW, et al. Two-year comparative trial on the immunogenicity and adverse effects of purified chick embryo cell rabies vaccine for pre-exposure immunization. Vaccine. 1989;7(5):397–400.
15. Vivotif. Summary of Product Characteristics. Accessed September 2026. https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/100636/smpc
16. RxList. Vivotif. Last updated 13 December 2023. Accessed September 2026. https://www.rxlist.com/vivotif-drug.htm#description
17. Vaxchora. Summary of Product Characteristics. Accessed September 2026. https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/100640/smpc
18. Imvanex. Summary of Product Characteristics. Updated 21 March 2025. Accessed September 2026. https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/100639/smpc/print
19. NHS. Mpox vaccine. Last reviewed 28 August 2025. Accessed September 2026. https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/mpox-vaccine/  

UK-PORT-0040| September 2026