International travel, electricity, and converters--Help!

Parent Cafe
1

For those of you familiar with international travel, will you clarify my understanding of electricity? If the country’s output is 220, iPads and androids are constructed to handle both 110 and 220 currents. Is that correct? Or is the plug the converter for those units? If our daughter takes a plug converter (but not a current converter) that allows USB charging, her phone and iPad would be able to charge directly the USB ports, right? Or does she need to use their actual plugs?

Sorry if that is a dense question.

2

Yes, with respect to iPhones and iPads; they can be charged with a plug adapter only, with no need for a current converter. Many small appliances, such as many curling irons, are the same these days. Don’t know abt Android devices.

3

Interesting question as one who has traveled with Iphone and Ipad extensively in Europe and Asia - always carefully carrying and using Apple’s World Travel Adapter kit. As I research on the Apple website, it seems that any simple plug converter picked up anywhere would be sufficient. Personally, I’ll continue to use the Apple product since it has the wide variety of plugs that I sometimes need.

4

I have only used plug converter (not current converter) for my Apple products. I have a converter which could be used at most countries.

5

A lot of hotels in Europe these days simply have UBS jacks built into the wall, so you don’t need a plug at all.

Paris has them at bus stops, so you can charge your phone on the street if you have your UBS cord with you. It is the best thing ever!

Do any US cities have this (charger stations on the street?) We need it!

6

USB

7

the plug adapter is fine for laptops, iphones, ipads, android phones and kindles.

8

It is usually the heating appliances that need a converter, though as notelling stated, many are now dual. We travel with 2 adapter styles as some hotels can have those deeply recessed outlets.

If the plug in the bathroom says shavers only…do not try to use it for a curling iron!

adapter -adapts to fit your existing cord.
converter - converts the current

9

I have a voltage converter and many adapters for different countries.
I use a hot air hair brush which doesn’t work well in 220V even if it says it’s dual voltage. I bought one in Europe and will use that one exclusively when I travel to Asia and Europe where the electric current is mostly 220V.
All other electronics like cell phones,computers, tablets, cameras etc work well worldwide.

10

If you are taking just a plug adapted make sure you take the one for the country. United Kingdom has different wall plug configuration than Italy and France.

11

Thank you for all of the responses.

And thank you, @justforthis and @cbreeze for confirming that androids are fine as well as Apple products. (I found a lot of websites specifically stating that was the case for iPads.)

@Kajon Thanks for clarifying the terminology difference between adapter/converter.