Best Travel Adapters
Whether you’re recharging your smartphone or plugging in your hair dryer, having the right Travel Adapters can mean the difference between a quick charge and blowing a fuse. Electricity standards vary across the world, and many countries still follow their own guidelines for outlet pins (round, flat, or triangular) and socket voltages (120V vs. 220V).
Travel Adapters: Must-Have Gadgets for Global Explorers
A travel adapter fits a U.S.-style plug into an outlet in another country, but it does not change the electrical current. For that, you need a converter, which also fits into the outlet but changes power from 120V to 220V. You may also need a transformer for appliances that have a chip and cannot operate at a lower voltage, such as most laptops and tablets.
Fortunately, you can find universal travel adapters that do everything—switching between different plug types and converting voltage—for one or two regions of the world. This makes them the best travel adapters for most people. We’ve found that most of the best ones have USB ports, which can be useful for charging phones and tablets. They’re bulky, however, and can take longer than a dedicated USB wall charger to charge your devices. If you’re looking for a more compact option, we recommend this set from Ceptics Black. It comes in a five-pack that works in most of the world, and they also sell three-packs for specific regions. These are more affordable but only cover outlets in a limited number of countries.
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