Eurotravelguys - ? about voltage conversion (1 Viewer)

[Evilgrin 72]

Headed to Europe in a few months (Germany, France, Netherlands primarily) and have a few questions about voltage conversion and what I need to buy. We're going to have anywhere from 2 (Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note 2 for sure) to 5 (Nexus 7 tablet, ASUS MeMo Pad 7 tablet, ASUS X205TA laptop all possible) mobile devices with us. In addition, we'll also possibly have a travel hairdryer and a Li-Ion wall charger for rechargables. I also have a videocamera that charges to a wall socket.

So, given that I read that a) most European hotel rooms have 1 outlet, b) Everything over there is 220V, and c) The outlets won't accept US plugs due to shape, I obviously need to pick up some accessories.

I'll need adapters, obviously, something that converts voltage so I don't fry anything, as well as some sort of power strip/multi outlet device so that we can charge 4-5 devices at a time if necessary. For anyone that travels in Europe a lot, what set up would be most practical/economical and are there any hints/tips I need to know?

TIA.

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

back pack solar charger

Can use upon your return to U.S. as well. It avoids the whole voltage issue for electronics. As for hair dryers, just purchase one there, if the Hotels do not provide them, which likely they do.

 

[imjackdupp]

This is what I bought. Worked great for charging everything and using laptop and all my other crap.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

back pack solar charger

Can use upon your return to U.S. as well. It avoids the whole voltage issue for electronics. As for hair dryers, just purchase one there, if the Hotels do not provide them, which likely they do.

I could give a tin #### about the hair dryer, but my wife will lose her mind if we get to a hotel and they don't have one. I'll do a bit more research on that.

A back pack charger sounds like a great idea, but the problem I believe we're going to run into is that the airlines will count it as a bag/personal item and we're already at our limit (2 small suitcases, 2 backpacks.) I am NOT checking luggage for 5 separate flights, I'd rather not go.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

This is what I bought. Worked great for charging everything and using laptop and all my other crap.

That looks like just what I was envisioning. 3 sockets and 2 USB would probably just about get the job done. I have a couple of portable chargers as well, so I think that would cover it. You don't need any adapters with that, right? The sockets on it look funky, I assume to accommodate multiple plug types.

 

[3C's]

Most if not all of your electronic devices will work from 100-240V. Should be on a label somewhere. You just need an adapter to plug into their outlets.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Most if not all of your electronic devices will work from 100-240V. Should be on a label somewhere. You just need an adapter to plug into their outlets.

I'll have to look for that - I had read that was the case, but something in me doesn't trust it. Perhaps it was my idiot friend Rob last time I was in Amsterdam (14 years ago) buying an adapter only and plugging his radio into the wall. We got about 3 seconds of "Woman From Tokyo" before the thing basically melted.

 

[imjackdupp]

This is what I bought. Worked great for charging everything and using laptop and all my other crap.

That looks like just what I was envisioning. 3 sockets and 2 USB would probably just about get the job done. I have a couple of portable chargers as well, so I think that would cover it. You don't need any adapters with that, right? The sockets on it look funky, I assume to accommodate multiple plug types.

The weird looking plugs are universal they will accept all country types of plugs so if you buy something in the one country and take it with you you can use it in a country with different outlet type.

And yes most phone chargers and crap like that will work with 110 or 220 but hair dryers and radios not so much.

 

[gianmarco]

Headed to Europe in a few months (Germany, France, Netherlands primarily) and have a few questions about voltage conversion and what I need to buy. We're going to have anywhere from 2 (Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note 2 for sure) to 5 (Nexus 7 tablet, ASUS MeMo Pad 7 tablet, ASUS X205TA laptop all possible) mobile devices with us. In addition, we'll also possibly have a travel hairdryer and a Li-Ion wall charger for rechargables. I also have a videocamera that charges to a wall socket.

So, given that I read that a) most European hotel rooms have 1 outlet, b) Everything over there is 220V, and c) The outlets won't accept US plugs due to shape, I obviously need to pick up some accessories.

I'll need adapters, obviously, something that converts voltage so I don't fry anything, as well as some sort of power strip/multi outlet device so that we can charge 4-5 devices at a time if necessary. For anyone that travels in Europe a lot, what set up would be most practical/economical and are there any hints/tips I need to know?

TIA.

1) Most hotels have more than one outlet

2) Bring less stuff

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Headed to Europe in a few months (Germany, France, Netherlands primarily) and have a few questions about voltage conversion and what I need to buy. We're going to have anywhere from 2 (Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note 2 for sure) to 5 (Nexus 7 tablet, ASUS MeMo Pad 7 tablet, ASUS X205TA laptop all possible) mobile devices with us. In addition, we'll also possibly have a travel hairdryer and a Li-Ion wall charger for rechargables. I also have a videocamera that charges to a wall socket.

So, given that I read that a) most European hotel rooms have 1 outlet, b) Everything over there is 220V, and c) The outlets won't accept US plugs due to shape, I obviously need to pick up some accessories.

I'll need adapters, obviously, something that converts voltage so I don't fry anything, as well as some sort of power strip/multi outlet device so that we can charge 4-5 devices at a time if necessary. For anyone that travels in Europe a lot, what set up would be most practical/economical and are there any hints/tips I need to know?

TIA.

1) Most hotels have more than one outlet

2) Bring less stuff

1) I hope so

2) Are you married?

 

[Evilgrin 72]

This is what I bought. Worked great for charging everything and using laptop and all my other crap.

That looks like just what I was envisioning. 3 sockets and 2 USB would probably just about get the job done. I have a couple of portable chargers as well, so I think that would cover it. You don't need any adapters with that, right? The sockets on it look funky, I assume to accommodate multiple plug types.

The weird looking plugs are universal they will accept all country types of plugs so if you buy something in the one country and take it with you you can use it in a country with different outlet type.

And yes most phone chargers and crap like that will work with 110 or 220 but hair dryers and radios not so much.

Cool, thanks man.

 

[imjackdupp]

No prob. and if your bringing the wife I would suggest these.

 

[gianmarco]

Headed to Europe in a few months (Germany, France, Netherlands primarily) and have a few questions about voltage conversion and what I need to buy. We're going to have anywhere from 2 (Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note 2 for sure) to 5 (Nexus 7 tablet, ASUS MeMo Pad 7 tablet, ASUS X205TA laptop all possible) mobile devices with us. In addition, we'll also possibly have a travel hairdryer and a Li-Ion wall charger for rechargables. I also have a videocamera that charges to a wall socket.

So, given that I read that a) most European hotel rooms have 1 outlet, b) Everything over there is 220V, and c) The outlets won't accept US plugs due to shape, I obviously need to pick up some accessories.

I'll need adapters, obviously, something that converts voltage so I don't fry anything, as well as some sort of power strip/multi outlet device so that we can charge 4-5 devices at a time if necessary. For anyone that travels in Europe a lot, what set up would be most practical/economical and are there any hints/tips I need to know?

TIA.

1) Most hotels have more than one outlet

2) Bring less stuff

1) I hope so

2) Are you married?

Yes and I know the deal with electronics. You're going to Europe and there is so much you can do there (and late) that your electronics simply aren't necessary. Bring a phone if you're going to use it to make calls or get around but just leave the rest of it at home. Or if you bring it, you don't need everything fully charged every night.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

No prob. and if your bringing the wife I would suggest these.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Headed to Europe in a few months (Germany, France, Netherlands primarily) and have a few questions about voltage conversion and what I need to buy. We're going to have anywhere from 2 (Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note 2 for sure) to 5 (Nexus 7 tablet, ASUS MeMo Pad 7 tablet, ASUS X205TA laptop all possible) mobile devices with us. In addition, we'll also possibly have a travel hairdryer and a Li-Ion wall charger for rechargables. I also have a videocamera that charges to a wall socket.

So, given that I read that a) most European hotel rooms have 1 outlet, b) Everything over there is 220V, and c) The outlets won't accept US plugs due to shape, I obviously need to pick up some accessories.

I'll need adapters, obviously, something that converts voltage so I don't fry anything, as well as some sort of power strip/multi outlet device so that we can charge 4-5 devices at a time if necessary. For anyone that travels in Europe a lot, what set up would be most practical/economical and are there any hints/tips I need to know?

TIA.

1) Most hotels have more than one outlet

2) Bring less stuff

1) I hope so

2) Are you married?

Yes and I know the deal with electronics. You're going to Europe and there is so much you can do there (and late) that your electronics simply aren't necessary. Bring a phone if you're going to use it to make calls or get around but just leave the rest of it at home. Or if you bring it, you don't need everything fully charged every night.

I'm bringing my phone and my camcorder and that's it. She's going to want to bring her phone, laptop, tablet, digital camera, etc. etc. You should have seen how hard I had to try to convince her to pack in a carry-on. I ended up having to threaten to cancel the entire trip and then had to rent an apartment in Paris on AirBNB that has a washer/dryer in it so she can do laundry mid-trip just to get her to comply. I just want to make sure we're covered and nothing gets fried, but it seems like the power strip above will get the job done.

 

[Fat Nick]

Most if not all of your electronic devices will work from 100-240V. Should be on a label somewhere. You just need an adapter to plug into their outlets.

This. Just look at the input voltage. Most say 120V-240V or something like that. The plug adapters are a lot cheaper than transformers. Some hair dryers have a switch that switches between 120 and 240 as well...Might be cheaper to buy a new travel hair dryer than an inverter to change the voltage. Straighteners too...

In general, electronics are easy as they take a wide range of inputs. Heating devices (Irons, curling irons, straighteners, hair dryers) not so much...

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Most if not all of your electronic devices will work from 100-240V. Should be on a label somewhere. You just need an adapter to plug into their outlets.

This. Just look at the input voltage. Most say 120V-240V or something like that. The plug adapters are a lot cheaper than transformers. Some hair dryers have a switch that switches between 120 and 240 as well...Might be cheaper to buy a new travel hair dryer than an inverter to change the voltage. Straighteners too...

In general, electronics are easy as they take a wide range of inputs. Heating devices (Irons, curling irons, straighteners, hair dryers) not so much...

Thanks. It's the charger I need to look at for the 120V-240V information rather than the device itself, right? Of everything I listed, I only have the Note 2 on me at the moment and I don't see anything about 120V-240V, I imagine it's probably on the charger they sent with it, no?

 

[3C's]

Most if not all of your electronic devices will work from 100-240V. Should be on a label somewhere. You just need an adapter to plug into their outlets.

This. Just look at the input voltage. Most say 120V-240V or something like that. The plug adapters are a lot cheaper than transformers. Some hair dryers have a switch that switches between 120 and 240 as well...Might be cheaper to buy a new travel hair dryer than an inverter to change the voltage. Straighteners too...

In general, electronics are easy as they take a wide range of inputs. Heating devices (Irons, curling irons, straighteners, hair dryers) not so much...

Thanks. It's the charger I need to look at for the 120V-240V information rather than the device itself, right? Of everything I listed, I only have the Note 2 on me at the moment and I don't see anything about 120V-240V, I imagine it's probably on the charger they sent with it, no?

Correct

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Cool, thanks for the help, all.

 

[cstu]

Most if not all of your electronic devices will work from 100-240V. Should be on a label somewhere. You just need an adapter to plug into their outlets.

If you are want to use something that only uses 110 you have to buy a step down transformer

http://www.110220volts.com/7-ss200w.html

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-SurgePlus-3-Outlet-Charger-Protector/dp/B00ATZJ5YS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1428507019&sr=8-2&keywords=travel+power+strip

 

[Fat Nick]

Most if not all of your electronic devices will work from 100-240V. Should be on a label somewhere. You just need an adapter to plug into their outlets.

This. Just look at the input voltage. Most say 120V-240V or something like that. The plug adapters are a lot cheaper than transformers. Some hair dryers have a switch that switches between 120 and 240 as well...Might be cheaper to buy a new travel hair dryer than an inverter to change the voltage. Straighteners too...

In general, electronics are easy as they take a wide range of inputs. Heating devices (Irons, curling irons, straighteners, hair dryers) not so much...

Thanks. It's the charger I need to look at for the 120V-240V information rather than the device itself, right? Of everything I listed, I only have the Note 2 on me at the moment and I don't see anything about 120V-240V, I imagine it's probably on the charger they sent with it, no?

Correct. It'll look something like THIS.

If it says: Input: 100-240V like this one does, you're good to go voltage wise...you just need the plug adapter (unless you know they have the universal plugs where you are going).

 

[jon_mx]

Most if not all of your electronic devices will work from 100-240V. Should be on a label somewhere. You just need an adapter to plug into their outlets.

Hair dryers are the worst. You plug those suckers into 240V and watch the fireworks begin. Computer and other electroinc bricks are usually designed for the full range of voltages and just any adapter will do the job without the need for converting voltages.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Most if not all of your electronic devices will work from 100-240V. Should be on a label somewhere. You just need an adapter to plug into their outlets.

If you are want to use something that only uses 110 you have to buy a step down transformer

http://www.110220volts.com/7-ss200w.html

I was just able to confirm that 4 of our 5 hotels definitely have a hairdryer, so hopefully I can get her to leave that behind. Not bringing a radio either, so I think all we'll have that may be 110 only is my video camera. Thanks for the link.. I may need it.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-SurgePlus-3-Outlet-Charger-Protector/dp/B00ATZJ5YS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1428507019&sr=8-2&keywords=travel+power+strip

What do you know, I have this exact item in my house as we speak.