Plug Adapters

Absolutely. Best Buy, the Shack, Robins Luggage, etc. etc. Many models from Kensington, etc. will work with most if not all countries in the EU.

Thanks =0)

Also from ACE Hardware. Get the one labeled UK, the one with three thick blades. Don't get the one with two round pins; that's for the continent.

Or Walmart, or Radio Shack.

Most come as sets of adapters that cover most places in the world. I'd recommend getting the full set, not just the huge one for London. Getting the set is much cheaper than buying them one at a time, and fewer trips to the store over the years. Since you're going to London now, you're sure to go to other places in the world some day.

Once you've got 'em, you're set to travel anywhere. Just take the English one for England, but assume you'll eventually need the continental one for Europe, the Australian one, etc.

Buying a set is very important if you expect to go to sleep in Venice and wake up in China.

Buying a set is cheaper than buying them one at a time only if you buy a lot, one at a time. I've bought 2 adapters, both Europlug (continental) adapters, in over twenty years (I recently retired the first one because it wouldn't accept a polarized US plug).

You can also get them at Target.

Stephanie,

A few more sources you could check for Plug Adapters would be the Travel Store on this website (basic Adapters are now "on sale" for $1 each - a bargain!). You could also have a look at www.magellans.com as they have an excellent selection of Adapters. I'd suggest taking at least two Adapters, in case you "misplace" one.

As the others have mentioned, the Plug Adapters for the U.K. have three large rectangular pins. Note that outlets in the U.K. are often controlled by a small switch, so be sure to check for that.

Also, as previously mentioned it's extremely important to ensure that any electrical devices you'll be using in Europe are designed for "world operation" from 100-240 VAC. If you connect a device rated for 115 VAC, it will "self destruct" almost immediately.

Happy travels!

We've mostly been talking here about the "male" side of the UK adapter, the part that plugs into the UK power socket.

But there are also some considerations on the female side of the adapter, where you plug your US appliance into the adapter. I find that most of these adapters are only designed to take US-style two prong plugs. Most won't take the third US prong (ground) found on many plugs (like my laptop cord).

So I always travel with one of these:

This lets me plug my 3-prong laptop plug into the 2-prong input side of the UK adapter.

Also note that many US plugs have a wider prong and a narrower prong. These often force you at home to rotate the plug to get it to go into the socket (so you get the polarity right). But most of the foreign plug adapters only accept 2 narrow prongs.

So on my adapter like in the photo above, I have ground down the wider prong so it's the same size as the narrow prong, so it will fit into the foreign adapter. (Just do a trial fit before you leave to make sure all your stuff will fit together into your adapters.)

Finally, I always travel with an extension cord, for a couple of reasons. First, I may want to charge/use more than one thing at a time, and I only have one foreign adapter. Also, sometimes the outlet at my destination may be too far from where I want to use my laptop or other appliance. It's really handy to have an extension cord along.

I carry the 2-prong type extension cord, since it's lighter than one that will take a 3-prong plug. But then, of course, I also need the adapter like shown above for any 3-prong devices I want to use.

Remember to grind down the wider prong on the extension cord.

I relate all this from personal experience, having gotten overseas before with all this equipment only to find that wide prongs, or third prongs, kept me from being able to fit it all together so it works!