It seems like whenever I travel now with my wife we have far too many devices that need to be recharged - two iPhones, two iPads, a laptop, bluetooth earpieces and headphones, spare external batteries for iPhones, etc. Around the US it usually isn’t an issue because there are enough outlets around the room, but internationally it is another story since I would need a plug converter and current conversion for each device plugged in…
So, what do people do when traveling internationally? Bring a power strip that has both 3-4 plugs and USB slots? Was thinking about getting one of these which will hopefully do the trick for both voltage conversion and sufficient outlets - reviews seem good but still skeptical given the price - Amazon.com
Never needed current conversion devices when charging my phones, laptops, iPads, iPhones, etc. during any travels whether in Europe or in Asia. I just bring a compact electrical socket adapter that comes with multiple (normally 4) sockets so that I can charge multiple devices.
Only need a socket adaptor. There are very cheap ones at places like kohls, bed bath beyond, Walmart. You don’t need the $50 version. Also, people accidentally leaves these in the hotel and the front desk always has a box of cables, chargers, and adapters which they are more than happy to share.
I travel with my laptop and use that as a base station plugging devices into the USB ports.
iPad mini, ipad regular, Macbooks, iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, and Toshiba laptop - we’ve brought these or some of these during various travels and we charge them at different airports/hotels. None of them blew up.
Voltage difference isn’t a concern for these modern electronic devices… for like a electronic toothbrush u might want to check… as long as it says 110-220v on the plug, u’re good.
I’ll throw the radical idea in… You are on holiday. Leave them behind and enjoy the scenery. Throw off the daily regime, and reliance on technology, and enjoy what is there.
For us we take one plug with usb adaptors for tablet, satnav if we take it, and one phone, plus gb to eur conversion plug. Also the brains of the operation takes her electric toothbrush. That is it for us and thus easy to stay charged
I’ve been in Brazil 5 weeks and never had a problem charging any device. All of mine are 110 to 220 ready right out of the box. Just read the fine print on your device or the charger for your device. The voltage range for your device should be clearly printed somewhere albeit in very small print.
Now adapters to get your American flat blade plugs to fit their spaghetti monster outlets…that’s a different story. But those can usually be obtained locally in a hardware store for next to nothing once you arrive in country.
Do not get this one! It is the low current model and will take forever to charge an iPad. If you read the reviews, they are all complaining about the older, low-current model. The one to get is the 2.1 amp / 10 Watt version:
Otherwise it’s fantastic. Swivel head so it can fit in any orientation, and very compact. It even has a light that will flicker if the load is too high for the outlet. Even our Sonicare toothbrush could handle 220V. I bought mine at Wal-Mart. (Believe me, no one was more surprised than me to find a tech item there that I wanted to buy at a price I was willing to pay.)
If you can’t get one in time for your trip, PM me and you can borrow mine as long as you promise to send it back!
Yep, the earlier models didn’t have a dual-voltage charger, so be sure to double check all your electronics before you plug them in!
Our newer Sonicare “Flexcare” toothbrushes are dual-voltage, with the added benefit that the new charger is much smaller than the old series. On top of that, we saved a fair bit of space and weight by bringing only one handle and switching heads. The new heads are just pull-on/off, so it’s a snap compared to the old screw thread version. It even comes with a nice travel case that holds two heads and one handle.
Overall, it was a pleasant surprise that we didn’t need to bring a converter at all for a 2.5 week trip with tablets, phones, and toothbrushes. Even our Eneloop battery charger was dual voltage. A simple plug adapter and the Belkin above was all we needed. And I felt that for me, the electronics were a help at being immersed in the country. You can read the local news, research restaurants, etc. Having traveled with just paper guidebooks and maps, vs. with cell service, I feel the latter is more spontaneous and enjoyable, assuming you can stop yourself from Facebooking and Twitting every minute. Probably I shouldn’t say the same thing for my six year old, who was great on the 10 hour flight, but was constantly asking for “screen time”, heedless of the priceless culture and cuisine surrounding us.
