How To Choose The Correct Travel Plug Adapter

Many customers often use the terms "Plug Adapter" and "Power Converter" interchangeably, which is not correct. A Plug Adapter, or Socket Adapter, is a very tiny device that simply physically changes the shape of your appliances' Power Plug so that it can fit in to a different wall outlet in a different country; it has no moving parts inside and has no motor or electrical parts.

A Power Converter, or Voltage Converter, is completely different because it deals with changing actual Voltage from one to another so that either American appliances can be used overseas or Foreign appliances can be used in the US; and while some Power Converters can be small, most are large and heavy.

Since Plug Adapters do not change Voltage, they are used mostly for items that are already Dual Voltage such as Cell Phones, Laptops, some Electric Shavers, some Hair Dryers, some Hair Straighteners, some Hair Curlers, some Clock Radios, some Portable Boomboxes, iPods, iPhones, and some other electronic items as well.

Different Plugs for Different Countries

To know which Adapter is the correct one for you, we must first understand their purpose and the issue they solve. Plug Adapters allow you to plug any power cord into a differently shaped wall outlet. For example, if you try to take an American appliance or electronic to Africa or Europe or Asia, you will see that your item won't fit into their foreign wall outlet because their wall outlets are shaped differently than American wall outlets. Here in the US, we typically use a 2-Flat Pin Plug.

But in foreign countries overseas, they use completely different plugs. This is where the Plug Adapter comes in. The Plug Adapter connects to the end of your appliance's power cord and allows you to then plug it into the appropriate wall outlet in the country you are visiting. It is important to keep in mind that a Plug Adapter does NOT convert Voltage.

A Plug Adapter has no electrical parts inside and is not a Power Converter; a Power Converter is completely different from a Plug Adapter. It is important to note that most American-bought appliances and electronics require an additional, separate Voltage Converter in combination with a Plug Adapter, in order to operate overseas. This is due to the "Voltage" difference between the US and every other country.

Voltage Outputs by Country

Now that you have a better idea of how Plug Adapters work, we can make one more thing clear that we haven't mentioned yet: some appliances and electronics are made Dual Voltage from the manufacturer. This means that those certain appliances and electronics will not need any Power Converters because they already accept both Voltages so they are referred to as being "Dual Voltage". These types of items are generally items that are common "Travel" related items, such as Cell Phones, Laptops, some Hair Dryers, some Hair Straighteners, some Electric Shavers, some Electric Toothbrushes, some Alarm Clocks, etc.

The only way to know for sure if your item is Dual Voltage is to look on the item itself. On the back or the bottom of your appliance, there should be a small label or sticker or inscription that has the electrical information written on it. There, all you have to do is look to see if it says "AC 100-240V". If it says that, then yes, that item can run on both Voltages. But, if you read "AC 110-120V", then no, that item is not Dual Voltage because it can only run on the American Voltage.

In order to give you a better idea of which voltage is used worldwide, besides looking at the map, we have comprised a list that may help you and have placed it below this paragraph; just search for the country you are traveling to. Please keep in mind that this list can change and is not permanent, due to countries being able to upgrade their infrastructure at any time. Also, please note that some countries are split voltage; their voltage is 110/120 in some parts and 220/240 in other parts.

There is no guaranteed way to know which voltage or plug type is used in these types of countries because it all depends on which specific area you are going to. So, for example, if you are travelling to Brazil or Saudi Arabia, you should check with the owner of the building you are living in or speak with the front desk clerk at the hotel you are staying at to find out which voltage or plug type they use there.

Plug Types

COUNTRY - VOLTAGE - FREQUENCY - OUTLET TYPE
(IN ORDER)