casanic

Does anyone know where I could buy a blowdryer in either Dublin or Milan airport? I know its a silly question, but I don't remember every seeing these for sale... If not at the airport, what type of store would sell them? (Here in the US I can get them at any CVS or Ulta store).
I don't want to bring mine with me--have had several problems in the past with them (blown fuses, poor performance, etc.) and have decided to just go ahead and buy one over there.

travelgourmet

I doubt you will find them at the airport. In Dublin, Boots is the counterpart to CVS, but I don't know if they carry hair dryers. There are Boots all over the place.

I would say that the easiest thing to do is to buy a dual voltage hair dryer in the US. In addition to those labeled as "travel" dryers, some regular dryers are also dual voltage. My wife had one that she used regularly in Europe and it never blew a fuse and performed comparably on 120V and 240V systems.

doug_stallings

Almost every airport duty-free store in the world sells various travel accessories, including multi-voltage hair dryers. You'll find that they are also sold widely in department stores and other stores in Europe. They have stores like CVS in Europe, though they don't usually have pharmacies. If you really need this, your hotel can probably direct you to a store within a couple of blocks walk.

But I just don't understand why you'd want or need to buy one. I have never stayed in a hotel in Europe that didn't have a hair dryer in the bathroom.

greg

Are you staying at non hotel accommodations? Every hotel and inn had a hair dryer either in the room or available at no cost at the front desk.

doug_stallings

And many rental-apartments have hair dryers as well. They're very common. Curling irons not so, and that's what women usually buy in Europe, though they are pretty cheap.

HappyTrvlr

I bought a travel size dual hair dryer from www.magellans.com.
All you need to do is move the switch . You need to have a two pin plug adaptor too as you will for all your electronics.

Cathinjoetown

Doug,

I have stayed in hotels in Europe where the hotels state there are dryers in the rooms. These often turn out to be the wall-mounted bathroom units that are about as effective as someone blowing on your hair.

kraines

I bought a travel sized blow dryer at CVS. I just turn the dial and change the voltage and add my adapter. Been traveling with it for years all over Europe with no issues.

Cowboy1968

If you bought one regular hair dryer in Dublin, you'd also need an adapter to plug it in when you get to Milan. The voltage would be same, but the plugs/outlets are not compatible with those used on the Continent. Maybe the aforementioned travel sized blow dryers you can buy in the US would be the best choice.
If you still want to buy one in Dublin, you could do so in the shopping centre at St Stephen's Green and check out the Argos or Dunnes stores. I would say that also the larger Boots drugstores have these kinda small electric appliances, but I am also not 100 pct sure.

casanic

We will be staying in an apartment in Bologna and a villa in Tuscany. Cath--I agree with your opinion on many hotel dryers-they work as well as just sticking my head out the window would work.
I have a dual-voltage dryer; it just doesn't seem to work as well in Europe, and I did ruin one by using it on high instead of low. Apparently when using the higher voltage, you can't use the high setting.

casanic

Also, thanks Cowboy for that info--I didn't realize the plugs are different in Dublin. We'll only be there for one night and usually travel in Italy/Spain, so will look for one there.

thursdaysd

"They have stores like CVS in Europe, though they don't usually have pharmacies"

What on earth do you mean? If you mean places like Boots don't fill prescriptions, that's just wrong.

Cowboy1968

Doug is correct. There are several drugstore chains across Europe, but they do not necessarily replace pharmacies or even have OTC drugs. Boots does both, but again, Doug was talking about what is the norm in Europe and not what is the case just in the UK or ROI.

laurie_ann

I think the poster who said "like CVS but without a pharamacy" was trying to explain that there are not often stores in Europe that are like our Walgreens or CVS where you can purchase in one store both medication and almost everything else of daily life (candy, greeting cards, pantyhose, cleaning supplies, batteries, magazines, etc. just to name a few). It was one of the small things I missed when we lived overseas that you can't just stop by one place which can be found within three blocks of wherever you are in the big city before or after work and get all those little things you need.

annhig

when we were staying in a french gite about which the worst thing that could be said was not that it lacked a hair-dryer, [that was only one of its many faults], I bought a perfectly good hairdryer from the local hypermarket for €9.

because i too hate the useless hairdryers that they have in hotel bathrooms, when we go to the continent I just pack it.

Bliss.

29FEB

Not a hair dryer, but one of my best purchases was the curling iron I bought at a Dublin Boots.

It has gone on every trip since; much easier to take adaptors than a converter.
And because its used only overseas, will no doubt last forever.

Ackislander

All I can say, not having much hair of my own left, is that I remember the day a well- traveled North American friend blew out all the fuses on the floor of the hotel where she and her husband stayed in Paris. Yes, it was dual voltage. Unless you never plan to go back to Europe again, just buy one over there. They are cheap.

Pegontheroad

I gave up dual voltage after a couple of negative experiences, and I too have been dissatisfied with many hairdryers in hotels.

I finally bought an inexpensive European hair dryer in a department store. I also purchased a cheap curling iron. I have an assortment of adaptors for various European countries, so I am good to go.

socaltraveler

Last fall when we were in Torino, we just happened to walk past an electronics store with a display of Remington hairdryers with a round roller brush which was just what I wanted. Bought it, and am keeping it with the " what I bring to Italy" things. And as it is a smaller version of what I use at home, even better for travel. I think the suggestion to not use the high setting is very good.