An alarm clock for use in Europe (esp the UK)

Why not just use your phone?

My guess is a Walmart or Target type store. You can always plug it into a transformer for use in Europe. You should be able to get a transformer at a travel store, AAA, Lowe’s, or Home Depot. Most people use the clock on their phone or tablet. Travel clocks are hard to come by nowadays.

You could always wait and buy one in the UK.

Buy a battery operated one if you want to take it with you. Search for “travel alarm clock” on Amazon or Walmart or Target’s website.

If you want one that plugs in, just buy one when you get to the UK.

I travel with a small battery operated alarm clock. The alarm is loud, it weighs a few ounces, and the battery lasts at least six months.

Unfortuanately, the model I have is not currently available on Amazon. But there are others. Just search for "travel alarm clocks."

Why are you insisting on a plug in clock?

A US plug in clock will not serve you well in Europe. Even if you were to purchase a heavy voltage converting transformer it would still not serve you well. The clock would run slow (I believe that is correct .. one of you EE majors can correct me). It will run slow because it was designed for 60hz and Europe is 50hz.

Buy a cheap battery operated clock. The alarm is suprisingly loud. Mine starts of fairly quiet but gets increasingly loud and insistent if ignored

I picked up a couple of 10 Euro battery operated alarm clocks at Media Markt in Germany a couple of years ago. They go for ages, there is a continuous display of time, date, day, and temperature, you tap the top and get a lovely blue backlight so very easy to see in bed, variable alarm, and best of all it automatically receives time signals by radio so it is always correct to the second.

When we change time zones (Western Europe to UK) changing time zone is easy.

All for 10 Euro.

If you are travelling, a plug in is so clumsy.

If you are moving here, get a plug in if you want to but wait until you get here.

Go to Argos, John Lewis, Amazon (be careful of anything plug in at Amazon), Currys or a Tesco Extra (their biggest ones).

Back before the age of smart phones and smart watches, I used to carry an old-fashioned, fold-up, wind-up alarm clock. Now, I can't imagine traveling without a phone that serves that purpose and many more.

As others have suggested, get a battery operated one and not worry about using the local electricity. They are light, small, and loud. We got one from Rick Steves a numbet of years ago and another from Magellen's Travel Store. Both are still working well.

Hi all:
Thanks for all of your answers to my question. Unfortunately I might be over complicating the situation so I would like to provide some background information.

Whatever alarm I get has to be loud to penetrate the ear plugs that I sometimes wear at bedtime to block the ambient sounds that accompany the place where I am staying. In 2018 I stayed in the Victoria neighborhood in a studio apartment that was at the street level just a few feet from the sidewalk and had only a single glass pane window. I needed those ear plugs in order to sleep. I am staying in Victoria for my upcoming trip though I will not be staying at the same facility.

My concern with battery powered travel alarm clocks is that they might not be loud enough to wake me. When I visited London in the early 2010's there was a company called Sonic Alert that made the ideal travel clock: it was loud, there was a optional accessory which shook the bed, and it operated both on 120 volt 60 hz power and 220 volt 50 hz power if you purchased the accessory transformer and cable. Unfortunately today's version of their product is only available in 120/60. I am currently testing a "Big Ben" battery clock and the alarm is not loud. I would appreciate recommendations for a loud travel clock and see if a Walmart or Target has it is stock and will allow me to test the alarm.

My smart phone has a reasonably loud alarm. However, the phone operates on a CDMA network which does not seem to be used in the UK (only GSM) which makes it useless for my trip. I am not going to bring a $500 phone just to use its alarm feature. In the past I have gone to CarphoneWarehouse in London to buy a cheap GSM phone. It typically is a no frills phone so I don't know if it would come with an alarm.

There are few stores in the USA that might carry the item which I am seeking (e.g., worldwidevoltage.com) but I would like to read first hand experiences from people who have used these firms.

Again, thanks for your help.

I have a wind up (not battery) alarm clock. If I know I have to be up at stupid o'clock then I set that as I know that is the one which will always wake me up. In fact it might wake the dead in the village cemetery close by!

That clock has passed it's golden anniversary and is not in daily use, only for alarm calls between 1am and 5am.

You should get those for £10 to £15. They are still made.

Also the alarm on my distinctly non smart-phone (a very simple flip style phone that just does 'phone calls and texts) does not need any signal or network or even a sim card to work.

Sometimes the simple, low tech, really cheap solutions are best.

I also have a wind up travel alarm which is of similar vintage to isn31c's. I once made the mistake of packing it in my carry on case and it got picked up by the security scanner at Manchester airport. I had to unpack the suitcase. The person had never seen anything like it before and his comment was 'awesome'.

Just remember, changing the voltage alone will probably not work. The clock will need to be designed for 50hz use or it may not run at the correct speed.

it's 2024, do not do the voltage transformer thing. Buy something now to hold you over and then if needed buy a local clock once you're there which is guaranteed to work.

Instead of the complicated alarm system, you may want to look into staying in a Premier Inn or Hub by Premier Inn. I stayed in two different ones in London last year, one at the start of my trip and another at the end and noticed that they both had virtually soundproof windows. I am typically a very light sleeper as well and need perfect quiet to fall asleep and sleep well and the soundproofed windows combined with my white noise app on my phone worked perfectly.

All phones have alarms. I have a very cheap GSM phone and it has about 50 different settings for sound/volume of alarm. You will be spoilt for choice. CDMA as you note definitely doesn't work in the UK, or in much of the rest of the world.

speaking of alarms, ALWAYS check the alarm clock in your room when you check in. it's quite likely that someone before you has it set to go off at Zero Dark Thirty since that's when you have to get up to catch planes.