<p>Looking for suggestions on the best place in the states to buy electric outlet converters so that it’s possible to use a laptop and a hair dryer overseas. D2 is going to study abroad (Moscow) in a couple of weeks. I know Brookstone has these, but I’m not a fan of their products; I’ve purchased a number of things from them that simply stopped working. For Russia, one needs a 220 volt converter with 2 round plugs. I’m sure D could purchase a hair dryer, but she’ll need the converter for her laptop.</p>
<p>Next question: is an international student identity card useful? Anyone’s kids get one when studying overseas?</p>
<p>Final question: What’s the best way to keep cash/passport safe? Program recommendations–a travel pouch with a string around the neck. D2 thinks that is incredibly geeky. Any alternative? We will make copies of her passport and student visa and her ATM and one credit card, which we’ll keep at home. We’ve heard theft can be a problem in Moscow, even more than in other European cities. (Makes me nervous–D2 thinks I’m getting myself worked up over nothing, but I believe in using an abundance of caution.)</p>
<p>Ebay is the best place. I went to Radio Shack and Brookstone, but they mostly had a complete set for international travel. I wanted a lot of adapters for Australia for our daughter. I ended up getting 10 of those adapters for a few dollars. You also do not need a converter for many electronics, especially for a laptop.</p>
<p>Oldfort is correct. In fact you DON’T want to use a converter for most electronic devices (cell phones, computers, etc.). It typically even states so on the converter packaging. You also need to be careful with the maximum wattage. Hairdryers often use a higher amount, and some converters have lower maximums. We bought our converter at AAA, but they also have them at local discount stores slightly cheaper (Target, Walmart, etc.). AAA also gave us a helpful brochure that explained all the requirements and limits. </p>
<p>We went to the UK in the spring, and researched all the requirements. I’d summarize for you, but have already forgotten most of the information. Geees…getting old! The AAA brochure was very helpful. We never needed a converter at all since we didn’t bring a hairdryer and most hotels had their own. We did need several adapters. However, we found it was actually a lot cheaper (even with the poor exchange rate) to buy them in the UK at a hardware or pharmacy general store (not tourist spots).</p>
<p>S’s just got back from Europe and said the international student card was worth its price in Switzerland and Spain. His school doesn’t have dates on student IDs and some places wouldn’t honor student pricing without something dated and international card evidently provided that feature.</p>
<p>If you have a Frys Electronics store nearby - try them since they have a better selection and much better prices than Radio Shack and certainly Brookstone. If you want to purchase online, try Frys or Amazon (Amazon has almost everything).</p>
<p>My kids traveled all over Europe while abroad (including Poland, but not Russia) and neither had the international ID. They had no problems at all.</p>
<p>They each (reluctantly) took a passport case to wear under jeans. I had suggested keeping some cash in there as well as a credit card too.</p>
<p>You don’t need a converter for most laptop and cell phone power adapters since they are dual voltage. You’ll need a few of simple $3 outlet adapters (that’s what we used). Get more than one, since she will be using more than one outlet. Your D can get a hair dryer in Moscow, they should not be too expensive, especially now with a more favorable exchange rate.</p>
<p>Pickpocketing is a problem in Russian cities; your D will have to be extra vigilant and wear her bag (fully zipped!) under her arm at all times. That was the advice of our female Russian tour guide in Saint Petersburg, and we followed it. If you put something of value in your backpack or in a pocket and go down a busy subway station, you might as well say goodbye to that thing. In Russia, if you are a foreigner, the only offical ID is your passport, but apparently one can carry a color copy and that would be OK. Police can stop you at any time and ask for an ID for no apparent reason. It never happened to us because we looked European enough, but I’ve seen cops questioning men who looked Middle-Eastern. If your D decides to wear a money belt or some other type of a cash pouch, she should never reach into it in public; she should have a daily stash of cash in her purse.</p>
<p>Your D should also check if she needs additional visas or travel documents if she decides to travel outside of Moscow.</p>
<p>We need another outlet converter when we were in Scotland because we had two laptops with us. We went to a computer store there and just got another powerccord, a little bit more expensive, but nice not to deal with the fiddly converters.</p>
<p>I agree with bunsenburner - as long as the devices you plan to plug in accept the 220-240 voltage range, and most laptops, camera chargers, cell phone chargers do nowadays, then you just need the inexpensive plug adapter - not a more expensive voltage converter. If one has a laptop then lots of cell phones can charge from a USB cable attached to the laptop. You can usually validate that the charger accepts 220-240v by looking at the printing on the adapter/charger. It’d usually say something like: Input 100v-240v.</p>
<p>Doublecheck the input voltage of the hair dryer - it could easily be rated at only 120v and if so would be unsafe to plug into 220v. </p>
<p>Be aware:
‘We need another outlet converter when we were in Scotland because we had two laptops with us. We went to a computer store there and just got another powerccord, a little bit more expensive, but nice not to deal with the fiddly converters.’
the laptop power adapters are dual converters, but the power cords are specific to the country where purchased, so get the appropriate cord or a converter.</p>