Explain electricity issues to me, a complete idiot on the topic

Mira,

Since youre not willing to cut down on the e garbage, then the only thing i can think of is to.

1. look for some power strips once youre overthere.
2. Since many newer devices can be charged via USB ports, look for some powered USB hubs. But that would mean probably buying some USB to Device cords. for my phone i just carry a USB to Phone cord. My adapter has 2 USB ports on it so i can charge 2 devices if i want. your camera probably wont take it and would probably best to charge via battery charger.

just a comment. Eruope is alot older than the US and as such if you stay in an older and not updated place, they may not have enough outlets in one room. Some places have dual outlets that allow the use of our devices but with limitations.

good luck and happy trails.

We faced a similar issue last spring when my husband had to take a CPAP machine along on our trip. We bought a European power strip with about a six-foot cord and 4 outlets. He was able to plug it in close enough to the bed to hook up his CPAP and he used the rest of the outlets to charge his phone and iPad. If you kept count, one outlet was always free. I used outlets in other parts of the apartment or room for charging my Kindle, phone and camera batteries.

If you want to do everything at once, you will need as many plug adapters (US to Europe) as you have devices. They can be cheaply purchased in lots of places (REI, online travel stores, Walmart), including the Travel Store here. Although you seem to resist that in your question, it seems the simplest solution to me.

Before we went last April, I read lots of postings here on the advantages of taking a power strip from here. After reading all the electrical concerns about that, we decided that it would be much simpler to get one there since we planned to keep on traveling. He packs it in his CPAP bag, and the cord for the one we got wraps nicely around the thing and stays put tucked inside the part designed to keep it secure. We didn't have to find any special place to get it. We bought ours at a small supermarket in Bruges.

It really isn't terribly difficult. Lemme see if I can help.

Step 1 - the most important step. You need to get around to all the devices that all 4 of you will bring and check all - each and every - voltage specification plate on each and every charger/plug.

This is critical. Europe and the UK use voltage double or slightly more than double that used in North America. Your profile says "midwest". Can I assume that that means the Midwest of the United States?

Virtually all of the devices sold by Apple in the last few years are suitable for world voltage but some are only for the US, especially the older ones, and many third party chargers are for the US only, too.

The camera could go either way.

So, go around, take a magnifying lense with you and look on each charger block for writing (sometimes white on white or black on black) that will say something like Input Voltage 100-250 VAC 50/60Hz. If every one has that then each one can be used world wide and they only need a plug adapter like you have been using which changes the shape of the plug but does nothing for the type of electricity passing through it.

If, on the other hand, if any of them say something like Input 115vAC 60Hz you have a problem with that device and it will blow up or catch fire as soon as it is plugged in in Europe or the UK, usually with a suitably impressive show of smoke and sparks, and if you are very lucky, fire. You can't use that plug or charger or device in Europe or the UK without other precautions. If that is the case, please come back for special lesson "B".

For the porpoise of this post I shall assume that you have checked each and every device and are good to go.

Step 2 - get a few more adapters like you already use because they are easily lost and with so much e-stuff your kids won't want to wait while Mom hunts around for a replacement in the wilds of France or wherever when you can easily be the hero and pull a spare out of the luggage (you probably already know who it is that will lose the thing).

Step 3 - Get the dumbest, not protected, not illuminated, not smart, not spike resistant, not fancy; multi strip
or rubber cube. It has to be dumb because if you get one with any electronics in it at all the strip will blow up as above. It has to be dumb. Like one of the little rubber cubes you can get down at the Tru-Value for a dollar. It would be nice if it had all the bells and whistles and was dual voltage or world voltage and included all sorts of USB outputs and all, but you don't really need that and it will cost a lot more than a dollar.

Step 4 - when you arrive at your European or British destination, plug the adapter onto the stip or cube, plug that into the wall, and plug all the world-voltage capable e-stuff into the strip. VOILA!

You only need one (and spares) adapters because all the US plugs plug into a US shaped strip.

Remember, if any of them fail Step 1, please come back for level B help.

Footnote: Most things now use a world voltage USB plug adapter out of the box. You can plug a Nokia device into a plug adapter from Apple and vice versa, and so on. Except for a very few very power hungry devices like hard drives and DVD readers which need extra ooomph, USB is USB as far as power is concerned. So if some of the devices don't need to be charged every night they might be able to share a USB plug and make a bit less to carry...

Happy planning. When's the trip?

One item to add to Nigel's very complete response.

You can get, in the US (check Amazon, where else), a smart (spike, voltage protection, etc.) 240 volt power strip that has an European style plug on the cord. The strip itself has universal outlets that will take either US or European style plugs. Note, it does not convert voltage, so you are still restricted to devices that are useable with 240 volt electricity. I am getting one for my upcoming trip to Italy.

This should work for everything but (maybe) the camera. It can charge four devices at a time. I don't think you will need to charge everything every night. You will also need a plug adapter(s) like the ones sold on this website. There are different plug adapters for the UK and most of continental Europe (Switzerland and Italy might be different).

Note that the 4th close up shows the Input, 100V-240V AC, which is what you want.

Most Apple devices I've seen have a USB cord that detaches from the wall unit. If any of yours have that, leave the wall unit at home and bring the USB cord (plug it into one of the ports on the charger). If any don't, you might want the 5-pack of USB cords also shown on the page under "Frequently bought together".

If your camera has removable rechargeable batteries, you could use this device.

Since all of those devices are likely 240/120, the cheapest/easiest/lightest weight option would be to just get simple plug adapters as opposed to a power strip. For four people, you are looking at a large room (a quad) or two rooms, so there should be ample outlets. If you are still concerned about lack of outlets, most of the Apple devices also have USB adapters. You can get an adapter that plugs into a wall outlet (easiest to get a US plug) and has multiple USB ports for charging. This one has 4 ports: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=821273&Q=&is=REG&A=details This would be much lighter than a power strip and useful at home as well.

"For four people, you are looking at a large room (a quad) or two rooms, so there should be ample outlets." One would assume so, but I've stayed in plenty of rooms where even with two people, we had to unplug a lamp or the TV to charge both of our laptops. But it's not like power strips are hard to come by or expensive.

Mira,

Nigel and the others have provided lots of good information, but I have a few points to add.

To begin with, which countries will you be visiting on this trip? That will have a bearing on the type of Plug Adaptors that you'll need to pack along.

I wouldn't advise buying a Power Bar in Europe as each of the receptacles on the Bar would be Euro style, which means you'd need a Plug Adaptor for each one. I know that, as I've got one sitting on the bottom of my travel gear drawer. If you decide to take a Power Bar, you might consider THIS PRODUCT from Magellan's which is also equipped with one USB port.

If you have a number of USB products (such as the iPhones and iPods), you could consider THIS PRODUCT which simultaneously charges six devices at the same time. I've been using one for several years, and it's worked well.

The fact that you'll be travelling with iPhones raises some red flags. Depending on which cellular carrier you're with, you'll have to be very careful with the aspect of data roaming as the charges can be HUGE! Some additional information on how you plan on using your phones would be helpful.

As previously mentioned, it's highly likely that the Chargers for all the Apple products will be designed for multi-voltage operation. What type of Camera are you using? If it's fairly new, it's also likely that the Charger will work fine in Europe however you'll need to verify that using the method that Nigel detailed.

Happy travels!

Thanks all!

I will be in Spain and Portugal. There's an off-chance I might do a day trip to Morroco but that's not likely, and I wouldn't bring all the stuff for a day trip anyway.

I looked and all the electronics are indeed both voltages. So it's just the plugs that will be an issue. I'm going to look into the products and ideas mentioned here, I appreciate the help. I hate having to bring all this stuff, but it's a combination of work needs for both me and my husband and school requirements for the kids.

Mira,

Thanks for the additional information. As you'll only be travelling on the continent, you'll need the normal Euro/Schuko Plug Adaptors (two round pins). As mentioned previously, be sure to pack a couple of spares as they're easy to misplace or forget in hotel rooms. It's not likely that any of the products you mention use a grounded plug, so the two pin models will be fine.

To reiterate my earlier comments, are you clear on the aspect of roaming (voice or data) for your iPhones? Also, your iPhones may or MAY NOT work in Europe depending on which models they are and which network you're with. Some additional information would be helpful.

Cheers!