No. 5

Are you planning on taking your hair drier to Europe? Your computer? Your digital camera and battery charger? No...those aren't gremlins in your electronics, they're volts and watts, and they need to be understood. Before you go you’ll need to know what voltage your appliances require, how much wattage they draw, and which plug adapters to buy BEFORE you leave. Here’s a primer.

Wall Plug Adapters

Plug adapters allow you to plug in your two- or three-pronged American-style appliances into the various types of wall plugs found in Europe. You won’t believe what shapes and sizes they come in. Some countries even have two different types of wall plugs, because they’re converting from an old to a new style, but slowly.

Make sure to buy enough plug adapters for all of the appliances you’re bringing, from your computer to your hair drier to the battery charger for your camera. And don’t wait until you get there, they usually don’t sell adapters for American appliances anywhere but in America.

What is Voltage and Why Should You Care?

Voltage is a measure of the energy it takes to move an electrical charge from one point (the wall plug) to another (your hair drier). The difference in the amount of electric charge is measured in volts. In America, electric companies supply a current flow to wall plugs at about 120V. In Europe, the current moves at about twice that rate. As you might imagine, a 240V current will literally blow your 120V appliance away.

Travel versions of appliances, such as travel hairdryers, have a switch that lets you choose between 120V and 240V. Most laptop computers, video cameras, and battery chargers are made for both voltages, and will automatically detect and adjust the voltage. You’ll usually find the voltage capacity of the appliance on the back of the device, stamped into the plastic.

Consider Transforming

If your appliance doesn’t switch between 120 and 240V and you really really want to take it with you, consider a transformer. If you’re going to plug a 120V appliance into a 240V wall plug, you’ll need a “step-down transformer,” unless you want to blow up your hairdryer. Conversely, a 120V wall plug powering an appliance built to run on 240V is going to need a boost from a “step-up transformer.”

You can buy transformers to handle various wattages. In general, the higher the wattage the device can handle, the higher the price tag. You can buy transformers that can both step-up and step-down, which are even more expensive. They’re rather heavy boxes to lug along on a trip, but worthwhile if you’re staying in Europe for an extended period of time. What you do is plug the transformer (it looks like a box with a wall plug in it) into the wall (using your plug adapter) and plug your appliance into the transformer. But take a look at the wattage capacity first. You shouldn’t plug in a device that requires more wattage than the transformer can transform, or… poof!

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