quick question--
i am leaving for europe for a month in a week and just realized that i need a plug converter to charge the battery in my camera. do hostels usually have these to borrow? i don't really feel like buying a different converter for every country, but at the same time if that's what it takes to be able to have pictures, then i will.
thanks!
katie

Well, unfortunately hostels do not have converters to borrow. But, all the countries in western Europe use the same plug so you should only have to buy one for that whole area. What countries do you plan on visiting??

If you are in the States, you can usually go to an office supply store, such as Staples or OfficeMax and get an adaptor kit that has a bunch of different adapters in a little pouch that doesn't take up too much room. Just bring the Europe adapters and you should be good to go.

Radio Shack and Target tend to have 'em cheap... and remember, you just need the plug adapter, not the voltage converter - unless you plan on taking a hair dryer with you, which generally isn't necessary ;)

Also make sure you know the voltage on your appliances.. England has a much higher voltage and can blow stuff.

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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MolsonGirl @ Aug 9 2006, 05:17 PM) [snapback]134383[/snapback]</div>
I've been meaning to ask a question along these lines. - omi obviously I have to have an adapter and I plan to get mine from Target, but what is with the voltage converters? If I'm just taking my comp and camera with me, do they need converters, or does the adopter do that? I heard that for your comp you should buy a special one, made specifically for it. Is it just hair tools (curling irons and blow dryers) that need to be converted?

Thanks guys!

I have stayed at many hostels and never seen any with converters to borrow. Look at your plug for your devices and it should have a range of in volts that it can handle. Here is a list of things that I know for a fact will work with 110v or 220v:

Most Laptops (check charger cord)
Ipods
Cell Phone chargers (check cord)
All Apple laptops

Since all of my items fall in this list I only need the converter only for plugs and not the bigger box that converts voltage. Hope this helps

Foo

:cheers:

Pretty much most modern electronics are multi-voltage, because it saves the manufacturer in production costs.

Like Foo said, look at the cable (or the power brick) that came with your device. Usually they'll have some indication of ~110V-~240V which means they'll work abroad with just a plug adapter. If there's no sign at all, look at the documentation (sometimes found on the manufacturer's web site) or a box at the store for specs.