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Any suggestions on travel outlets and adapters for foreign travelers?

I've been considering this vanbon universal power strip in this video.

https://youtu.be/p22B9WJ2Svg

Has anyone tried it? Im considering it for short vacays and longterm travel? Curious to anyones experience or reccomendations. Thanks~

Posted by
8889 posts

Reggie, The power strip is just considering the end you plug your kit into. More important is you need an adapter to plug into the wall socket, which is different depending on which country you go to, and whether your appliance needs a 3-pin or a 2-pin plug.
The first thing to consider is "which countries am I going to and what sort of plugs do they have", and than buy an adapter for those types of sockets.

Posted by
7846 posts

I'm sorry, I'm not going to watch an 8 minute video for a proprietary product. It looks rather big and heavy, but it depends on whether everything you own takes the same device plug (I mean, such as a Lightning connector .. ) or not. Have you gotten into a strong desk light and read the nameplate on your wall-wart chargers?

Posted by
8919 posts

Well what are you going to need to plug in? We've gotten by with just one plug adapter for each of us, and our regular chargers for phone, and laptop. Unless you're bringing more than that, its manageable without lugging a bulky power strip. You can get adapters and adapter kits for multiple countries many places (including this website) relatively inexpensively.

Posted by
11742 posts

We travel with adaptors much like this one on Amazon. I can charge phone, iPad, and laptop all at the same time in any European country. Occasionally I have needed one of these when I encounter recessed outlets, which we did in The Netherlands a couple of years ago. The first one was all we’ve needed in the UK, France, Italy, and Switzerland the last two years.

Posted by
12313 posts

I"m a very light packer. I'm always trying to reduce my load. I had a little trouble finding a small plug adapter for Ireland/UK, it was easier to find a small one for the continent. I choose the most compact, lightest plug adapter I can find. I prefer two USB ports in case you need to share a plug (happens often in Europe). I also take a similar two USB plug in for a car lighter.

Like all packing, I approach the question not on whether something is nice to have but whether it meets the minimum I know I'll need.

Posted by
3961 posts

@Laurel, thanks for the adapter recommendations. This was on my check off list. I was especially pleased to hear about the 2nd adapter to use in the Netherlands. Both are light weight as well!

Posted by
32345 posts

reggie,

Can you provide a link to the product that doesn't involve spending time watching a goofy video? I'd suggest just using inexpensive Plug Adaptors or a multi-port USB Charger. It would help to know what types of devices you plan on travelling with?

Posted by
11294 posts

Here's a direct link to the Vanbon power strip: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0757MFNBK

My take is that it's big for what you get.

If you actually need outlets (for instance, for a laptop), look at this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R15ZQZH

or this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MYBLNA6/

If you want to charge a lot of devices that take a USB cord (so you don't need full outlets), look at this (small, lower power): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DFXBFX4

Or this (larger but higher power, good for tablets or faster charge of phones): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VH8G1SY

Note that Amazon has hundreds of similar products; prowl around it a bit, and you're bound to see something suitable.