These days, we seem to carry fewer books and more gear, and while a lot of the gear goes under the heading of "wireless," it really isn't, because eventually it all needs to be charged. We'll take a look here at some of the electrical questions that come up when you "go off the (home) grid" and have to deal with different plugs and power, and also at some strategies for keeping your tech kit small.
This is going to center on Europe, because I know that best, but the basics apply everywhere. Let's start with electric power itself. I'm not going to get technical here—I couldn't—but almost everything you need to know for this purpose is listed on your toys and tools. Take a look at the labels (similar to the samples below) and you should be able to identify
- the voltage it's made for (110/120, 220-240, or both, or dual-voltage)
- Cycles or Hertz (50 or 60, only matters for devices with motors)
- Watts (only important for heaters, like hairdryers)
- Amps (or milliAmps. 1000mA = 1 amp)
Since nearly everything you might be taking these days, except maybe your hairdryer, but including your computer, tablet, phone and camera is set up for dual voltage, your only necessary tool is a plug adapter to connect the flat prongs of your device to the different prongs used elsewhere.
The devices you will really need to check on are the hairdryer or your electric shaver. If they are not dual voltage, instead of an adapter you'll need a transformer. The brick that's part of your computer power cord is a transformer; it steps the power down to 12 volts. But ones that can do 220 to 110 for your heating devices are bigger and more expensive; if you really need a hairdryer on your trip you may be better off buying a cheap one on arrival. If you do buy a transformer, be sure it can handle not only the voltage but the wattage of your device.
So...why do amps matter? They determine how long it takes to charge your phone's or tablet's battery. Most phones come with a charger (USB and/or wall plug on one end and USB micro plug on the other) that's rated at 1 amp, or 1000mA. That will charge your phone at twice the speed of a .5 amp charger. If you're buying a new charger, keep that in mind. Some phones (Samsung, for instance) call for even more than 1 amp. They'll still charge, but more slowly. And iPads call for 2.1 amps or even more to prevent slow charging.
4-in-1 charger (l) saves space...but check for enough capacity for your devices.
Model at left has ports for different devices with different outputs.
I mention all this because you probably have several devices with you and have seen various 2-in-1 or more-in-1 devices that let you charge several devices at one. They're a great idea...I couldn't live without...but check the TOTAL output. I had a nice little 4-in-1 I bought before I realized all this. It split 1 amp into 4 shares, and it took a loooong night to charge two phones and a pair of Kindles. If you check carefully, you can find some with enough capacity to charge several, and some that have high-output ports for iPads.
An issue that comes up less and less often is surge protection. I don't want to say that nothing bad can happen, but if you are traveling in areas where the electricity is stable and consistent (such as Europe and North America, generally), it's probably not worth carrying around a bulky surge protector. But if you do, be sure you buy one that's adapted to local voltage. Without getting technical, the range of voltage allowed and considered "normal" on a 240-volt system is above the voltage at which a 110-volt surge protector will turn on the alarm and fry itself to protect your equipment.
Outlet strips, even compact ones as at left, take luggage space; cube tap has 3 outlets, is quite small, and even handles those big plugs some of your stuff comes with.
Ah, but those surge protectors and power strips provide a bunch of U.S.-style outlets to plug everything into, right? Well, yes, but they take up a chunk of space in your suitcase, and they mean you have to more-or-less plug everything into one outlet. A simple 3-way cube tap (I just bought a couple for 99c apiece) paired with a plug adapter (about the same price) give you 3 outlets and the combo is cheap enough you can use them wherever in your room or apartment you want to plug in.
In the end, what's worth carrying aside from your gadgets? Here's my list for the kit.
- 3 or 4 cube tap+plug adapter combos
- A multi-port charger with iPad and regular ports
- Your chargers and a couple of extra USB to USB-micro cables
- a 3-ft Ethernet cable (once in a while the internet is NOT wireless!)
- spare plug adapters
- external battery or spare battery for your phone.
The whole thing will fit into a quart-size ziploc bag.
Other goodies that might also fit your lifestyle (and if you have space). I travel with a MagicJack phone dongle that connects a plain phone handset to a USB port and gives me a U.S. phone number connection. We started with that when we needed to be reachable by elderly parents; not as useful now, but Your Mileage May Vary.
BUYING ADVICE
Don't spend a lot on things that are cheap and simple. The cube tap above is an example. Another is the plug adapters. Basically, they are a piece of plastic with contacts to connect two sets of prongs to each other. You can pay $9.90 apiece, or you can buy 6 for $7.50.
Save your gadget money for where more money buys something: your multi-port charger or an external battery for your phone. You'll find that a charger with more power output, and enough for iPads and other tablets in particular, will run you in the $18-$20 dollar range...but is worth it. If you are buying an external battery for your phone, look for one with at least twice the capacity of the phone; a 3600mA battery will charge most phones twice.
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