amy_torres_sd

I like your way of thinking, kybourbon. I can leave my big & clunky European power strip at home and take a couple of these (there are 4 of us going and many devices.)

smm_18

Well! How informative is this? Amazing. Thanks, Heimdall! Hopefully will be the trip of a lifetime. We travel in September, so good to get all this sort of thing out of the way early.

Thanks for info, Patrick. At the coalface. If I stuff things up this end, good to know there's a back-up.

kybourbon: I still don't understand how 2 adaptors designed to take Aussie plugs can plug into each other. How would the 2 euro prongs fit into the Aussie plug end? What have I missed?

But that does look like a great little gizmo instead of the power board! I will scout around. Thanks.

Heimdall

>><i>kybourbon: I still don't understand how 2 adaptors designed to take Aussie plugs can plug into each other. How would the 2 euro prongs fit into the Aussie plug end? What have I missed?</i><<

You are correct, smm_18 — they can't! Clearly kybourbon has never seen an Aussie electrical plug! I am looking at one now, left over from my last trip to Australia. I have never seen so much misleading information on one thread in all the years I have been on Fodor's!

Heimdall

Incidentally, my adapter is made by Korjo, an Australian company: http://www.korjo.com/Adaptor-Guide.aspx. Check it out, smm_18 — they make good adapters at reasonable prices. Stick with your power board, which is much safer than multiple outlets.

smm_18

Thanks again, Heimdall - that's a great link to an Aussie company. Terrific. And I think I will stick to power board. Even if it takes up more space, they're readily available and cheap and I just 'know' them! Not heavy, either.

I'm sure all the advice has been well intentioned, even if I have wandered up a few garden paths... Been interesting!

sf7307

<<<Lately I take one of these adapters. >>>

kybourbon, so I can use this instead of the Magellan power strip I posted to earlier? Just add an adapter end for the country I'll be in (Turkey, Netherlands, Belgium) and then plug in 3 American-style plugs at the same time?

Heimdall

Sf7307, stick with your power strip. Multi-plug adapters are banned in virtually all university dormitories, and in many offices and workplaces. It wouldn't surprise me if some hotels also prohibit their use, as fire safety is a major concern in places where large numbers of people are present. This is a quote from Wikipedia:

"Power strips are generally considered a safer alternative to "double adapters", "two-way plugs", "three-way plugs" or "cube taps" which plug directly into the socket with no lead for multiple appliances. These low-cost adapters are generally not fused (although more modern ones in the UK and Ireland are). Therefore in many cases the only protection against overload is the branch circuit fuse which may well have a rating higher than the adapter. The weight of the plugs pulling on the adapter (and often pulling it part way out of the socket) can also be an issue if adapters are stacked or if they are used with brick-style power supplies. Such adapters, while still available, have largely fallen out of use in some countries (although two- and three-way adapters are still common in the US, UK, and Ireland)."

Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_strip (look under the section on Safety).

sf7307

Heimdall, thanks. I already have two of the Magellan power strips (two rooms, multiple devices to be charged), so we'll just take those.

ziegler

I am traveling to Ireland from USA and have the appropriate converter/adapter plug kit, however it states on package that it should not be used for electronic circuitry .. will this work for charging my cellphone and Kindle or do I need yet another gadget to safely plug into the converter/adapter? Please help this technically-challenged person ;-) .. THANK YOU!

janisj

Almost all (I'd say ALL but who knows) electronic chargers - cameras, phones, pcs, tablets - are dual voltage and all you need is the appropriate plug adapter. I have no idea what that warning is about???

Heimdall

Do NOT use a solid state voltage converter on any electronic device. Have a look at the specs on the chargers, and they will almost certainly read "100-240V 50-60Hz" or something similar. That means they can be plugged directly into a wall socket in any country that has those voltages.

All you need is a simple plug adapter which shouldn't cost more than a few dollars. Voltage converters are almost useless unless you need them for a heating device that doesn't have a motor or electronic circuitry. Janis, that is what the warning is about.

Hooameye

Don't take anything with a heater in it (tongs, hairdryer etc), all you'll need is plug adapters, DON'T BRING A CONVERTER. If you want the technical reason:
http://www.enjoy-europe.com/hte/chap11/converter.htm

ziegler

Thanks janisj, Heimdall & Hooameye for your responses. The phone/Kindle adapter does read "100-240V,50-60Hz" so now I'll know how to pack.
Thx again, folks