Travel Adapters and Voltage Converters By Country

When visiting foreign countries, travelers love to take their favorite electric powered items with them. Hair dryers, styling irons, cell phones and computers are a high priority when packing for a trip to places such as Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, but even seasoned travelers get confused by the different outlets and voltages in various countries.

In most cases, you’ll need a travel adapter (aka power adapter).  However, in some situations, you’ll also need a voltage converter/transformer.

There are 14 different shapes and sizes of plug sockets from Type A to Type N with power supplies ranging between 100 to 240 volts. A power adapter will let you plug your device into an electrical socket that is different from the type used in your home country. These international travel adapters do not convert electricity, they simply allow your device’s plug to fit into the foreign outlet.

The world runs on two different types of electricity or voltage ratings: 110/125V or 220/240V. The U.S. and Canada run on 110/125V Most of the other countries around the world use 220/240V. A travel converter or travel transformer changes the voltage coming out of the wall outlet to match the voltage of your appliance.