One of the quirks of traveling abroad is figuring out what you need to keep your devices powered on the road. Lucky you: I have answers.
Adapt! Plug vs voltage
There are two kinds of adapters—plug adapters fit on the end of your standard American-style plug and let it work in a European socket. You need a couple of these, and they’re available here.
Voltage adapters change the power that’s coming out of the wall socket to work with your stuff. If you’ve ever examined the tiny print on the charger that came with your electronic devices, you saw something like . . . . That means the voltage part is covered. You just need a plug adapter. [Disclaimer: I’ve never used a straightener or curler that pulls pretty hard from the grid and so don’t have a recommendation on how to make those work in Europe. Sorry. I’m a guy.]
Combo!
Avoid taking a separate charging brick for everything you own by using a multi-device charger. I pack Anker’s PowerPort Atom III. I still have to pack cables, making sure I have one USB-C to USB-C, a Lightning cable for my iPhone, and a micro-USB cable for my headphones and Kindle. But the Atom III helps me reduce bulk in my tech bag, plus you can charge a bunch of stuff at once. Buy it here.
Pack it!
I wrote about this recently, but I throw all of this stuff, plus my headphones and an AirTag, in a single bag I can grab on the plane or in my hotel room, and all these things are right there. For this I use a Thule Power Shuttle found here. (I use the plus version. They make two smaller ones, too, that’d work for just your charger, cables.) [For more on packing, start here.]
Ready to take an ⚡️electrifying⚡️ trip to Europe?? Contact me, your friendly neighborhood travel agent, Euroguru, and Schnauzer wrangler. 😎
