Foreign Outlets: Adapt to Your Surroundings

Shopping for a trip overseas can be daunting. You have to buy new clothes and shoes for the weather and terrain and you might not be able to tell what you really need from what will just take up extra space in your suitcase. You might not be familiar with some items you need to bring and that can make shopping even more difficult. Plug adapters, for instance, can be confusing to shop for. To make at least one foreign concept easier to understand, here’s a little more information.

There are more than 12 different types of outlets distinguished by letters A through L. The names are arbitrary and have no meaning, but are industry agreed-upon.

Find out the type of outlet your destination uses through the various charts available online.To determine what type of plug adapter you need, you need to take both the outlet type at your destination and type of voltage your product uses.

If you’re traveling with electrical devices, like hair dryers or electric toothbrushes, or electronic devices, like laptops, phones, and cameras, you’ll most likely need to bring an adapter with you.

Plug adapters are available at stores like Target, Best Buy, Walmart and Amazon and start as low as a few dollars. You’ll most likely only need one, but if you plan on using more than one device at a time, you can also buy a pack, which are available at the same locations mentioned above.

If you’re having trouble figuring out which adapter you need and are willing to spend a little extra cash, getting a universal plug adapter, which costs more than $10, might just help. Or, if you’re visiting a European country, there are plug adapters that are specific to that continent and will fit any European plug.