2026 Comparison
Four services reviewed honestly: Bidwell Health, Runway Health, TeleDirectMD, and TravelMeds2Go. All four prescribe common travel medications online (motion sickness, altitude, traveler's diarrhea, malaria prevention), but they differ sharply in total cost, visit format (asynchronous questionnaire vs. live video), how the medication reaches you (your local pharmacy vs. mail-order), and what they will and won't prescribe. The "best" depends on your trip and budget, here is how to choose.
Short answer: For the lowest total cost, a flat-fee visit that sends your prescription to your own pharmacy beats a service that bundles the medication price into the offer. Bidwell Health's travel medicine visit is a flat $45, asynchronous (no video); you pay your pharmacy directly for the generic, with nothing added. For a trip needing only malaria pills, that is roughly $55 to $88 total versus about $159 for a service that bundles the medication.
Four dimensions matter for online travel medicine: total cost (visit fee plus what the medication actually costs you), visit format (asynchronous questionnaire vs. required video), fulfillment (does it send to your local pharmacy, or mail-order/ship), and prescribing scope (which travel meds, and how it handles vaccines and drug interactions). We scored each service using publicly available pricing, state-licensure disclosures, and published protocols. We compare on price, speed, format, and coverage, not on clinical superiority of one visit format over another.
| Service | Visit fee | Format | Fulfillment | Medication cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bidwell Health | $45 flat | Asynchronous, no video | E-prescription to your local pharmacy | You pay your pharmacy directly, nothing added (e.g. generic doxycycline often under $20) | Lowest total cost, flat fee, no subscription, 11 states |
| Runway Health | $30 consult | Asynchronous, no video | Ships medication to your home (free) | Bundled into price (malaria $129, motion sickness $99, altitude $99, traveler's diarrhea $29) | Having the medication shipped to your door |
| TeleDirectMD | $79 flat | Live video visit | E-prescription to your local pharmacy | You pay your pharmacy directly | Widest coverage (40+ states); patients who want a live video visit |
| TravelMeds2Go | Varies (not publicly listed) | Asynchronous (video in a few states) | E-prescription to your local pharmacy | You pay your pharmacy directly | Oral typhoid + EpiPen options; Florida travelers |
The visit fee is only half the price. What matters is visit fee plus the medication. Services that ship a bundled medication tend to mark it up; services that send a prescription to your pharmacy let you pay the generic cash price (often a few dollars with GoodRx or Cost Plus Drugs). For malaria prevention, a real-world total looks like this:
| Service | Visit | Malaria medication | Total (malaria trip) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bidwell Health | $45 | Generic at your pharmacy (~$10 to $20 doxycycline / ~$43 Malarone) | ~$55 to $88 |
| Runway Health | $30 | $129 bundled | ~$159 |
| TeleDirectMD | $79 | Generic at your pharmacy | ~$89 to $122 |
The same logic applies to motion sickness, altitude, and traveler's diarrhea: a flat visit fee plus a cheap generic at your own pharmacy is usually the lowest total. You pay the generic cash price directly, often a few dollars with GoodRx or Cost Plus Drugs.
Strengths: Flat $45 asynchronous visit, no video, no subscription, and no bundled medication cost, the prescription goes to your local pharmacy and you pay the generic cash price. Nurse-practitioner-led with the clinician's NPI on the provider page. Same flat-fee model spans travel medicine plus UTI, BV, yeast, ED, hair loss, and bridge refills. Publishes its drug-interaction rules openly (for example, spacing the oral typhoid vaccine apart from doxycycline and Malarone per CDC guidance).
Limitations: Licensed in 11 states only (AZ, CO, CT, FL, IA, MD, MT, NM, UT, VA, WA). No mail-order, pharmacy pickup only. Does not administer injectable vaccines (refers to a travel clinic). Newer brand.
Who wins with Bidwell: Adults in the 11 states who want the lowest total cost, a flat fee with no subscription, and no video visit. See /travel-medicine
Strengths: Low $30 consult fee, asynchronous questionnaire, and free shipping of the medication directly to your home, convenient if you don't want a pharmacy trip. Also offers general telehealth (UTI, yeast) alongside travel meds, and includes unlimited chat support before and during travel.
Limitations: The medication price is bundled into the offer (malaria $129, motion sickness $99, altitude $99), so the total cost is typically the highest of the four despite the low consult fee. Shipping timelines mean you must order well ahead of departure.
Who wins with Runway: Travelers who value door delivery and an all-in-one bundle over the lowest price, and who order with enough lead time for shipping.
Strengths: Operates in 40+ states, the broadest coverage here, with physician-led live video visits and e-prescriptions to common pharmacies (CVS, Walgreens, Walmart). Publishes a clear travel protocol and documents key drug interactions (typhoid-doxycycline spacing, azithromycin QT cautions). Same-day appointments often available.
Limitations: The $79 visit fee is the highest, and it requires a scheduled live video visit rather than an asynchronous questionnaire, better for some patients, less convenient for others.
Who wins with TeleDirectMD: Travelers outside the 11 Bidwell states, or anyone who specifically prefers a live video visit with a physician and is comfortable with a higher visit fee.
Strengths: Asynchronous questionnaire in most states, e-prescriptions to local pharmacies, and a broader menu that includes the oral typhoid vaccine (Vivotif) and an EpiPen option. Maintains a Florida-specific travel-medicine presence.
Limitations: Visit pricing is not clearly published up front, making total cost harder to compare in advance. Coverage (~20 states) is narrower than TeleDirectMD.
Who wins with TravelMeds2Go: Travelers who specifically want an oral typhoid prescription or EpiPen alongside their travel meds, particularly in Florida.
If you live in one of Bidwell's 11 states and want the lowest total cost with no video and no subscription, Bidwell Health is the value pick. If you want the medication shipped to your door, Runway Health. If you're outside those states or prefer a live video visit, TeleDirectMD has the widest coverage. If you specifically need an oral typhoid prescription, TravelMeds2Go is the option here (Bidwell does not prescribe vaccines). Compare current checkout pricing and your destination's actual needs before deciding.
Bidwell Health is usually the lowest total cost: a flat $45 asynchronous visit with the generic filled at your own pharmacy and no bundled medication cost. Compare against Runway if door delivery matters more to you than price.
TeleDirectMD (40+ states) or Runway Health (ships nationally) are the broader options. TeleDirectMD uses a live video visit; Runway is asynchronous with shipped medication.
Online services prescribe pills and patches well, but injectable travel vaccines (yellow fever, rabies, Japanese encephalitis) require an in-person travel clinic or certified vaccination center, and multi-country or high-risk itineraries need individualized in-person assessment. Use an online service for straightforward prescriptions and a travel clinic for the rest.
The cheapest total cost usually comes from a flat-fee visit that sends the prescription to your own pharmacy, where you buy the generic with GoodRx or Cost Plus Drugs, rather than a service that bundles a marked-up medication into the price. Bidwell Health charges a flat $45 visit and does not mark up your medication; generic doxycycline for malaria can be under $20 at many pharmacies.
Yes. Several services use an asynchronous questionnaire reviewed by a licensed clinician, with no video required. Bidwell Health, Runway Health, and TravelMeds2Go (in most states) are asynchronous; TeleDirectMD uses a live video visit.
Most do not administer injectable travel vaccines such as yellow fever, rabies, or typhoid shots, because those require an in-person clinic or a certified vaccination center. The oral typhoid vaccine (Vivotif) is a capsule that some services e-prescribe, but Bidwell Health does not prescribe any vaccines, including oral typhoid, and refers you to a travel clinic for all travel vaccines.
Request them at least two weeks before departure when possible. Some malaria pills must be started before you leave, the oral typhoid vaccine must be spaced apart from certain antibiotics (per CDC guidance), and your pharmacy may need time to stock less common medications like Malarone.