LAPTOP COMPUTER

You won't likely need a voltage converter. Check the power cord and verify it says 110/220 on it. If so, you only need a plug adaptor that will work with each country you are visiting. Make sure your plug fits in the adaptor, sometimes polarized plugs don't fit. Will you be carrying the laptop with you each day? If so, make sure it is secure in your daybag and don't leave your daybag lying around while sitting at restaurants or cafes. Always keep it somehow attached to you. If you leave it in your hotel during the day, just put it in your luggage with a travel lock.

I assume that for the laptop you'll just need the proper plug adapter, not a converter, since I believe pretty much all modern electronics are dual voltage. On the other hand, I think there may be problems with hair dryers, but I don't know, since I've never used one.

At the Apple store you can get a set of global plug adaptors for your MacBook. The thick, square part of your plug/charger will remain the same but as you've probably noted already you can slide out the actual plug piece and just slide-in either a UK, Central European or Italian one... Only take the relevant pieces with you.

Thanks for all the feedback!

After blowing fuses in two Italian hotels with my hair dryer and adapter I decided to either rely on hotels to provide one or purchase one in the country in which I am traveling. Even better, I have figured out ways of "going natural" with no need for hair drying. In Britain, the B&Bs we stayed almost always had a hair dryer handy.

As already said, the MacBook will not be a problem - you just need a plug adapter. You need one kind for the British Isles, and another for continental Europe. If the hair dryer is not a dual voltage travel model, DO NOT BRING IT!! You will either melt it, start a fire, blow out all the fuses/circuit breakers at the hotel, or all three. This is not a joke. If, however, you have a dual voltage travel dryer, it's safe to bring. You will still need the plug adapters, and prepare for it to work much more slowly than at home. How to know if an item is dual voltage? Get a magnifying glass, and look at the fine print on the plug (or the device itself). It should say "110-240 volts, 50-60 cycles." A device with this can be used in Europe with the appropriate plug adapter. If it only says 110-120 volts (not above 200) and 60 cycles (not 50), it's not safe to use in Europe. Check with your hotels if they have hair dryers in the room or available to borrow at the front desk - many do (precisely to avoid the problems I mentioned above). If they don't, you can either bring a dual voltage travel dryer from the US, or buy a cheap one there (which will work better). If you tell us which country you need to buy it in, people here can recommend the local equivalent of K-Mart or Target or Radio Shack or Best Buy, where you can get one cheaply.

lauren, It's almost certain that the Charger for your MacBook Pro is designed for "world operation". You can confirm that by checking the "nameplate label", which is on one end of the Charger (not the label on the bottom). It should say "Input 100-240V-1.5A, 50-60 Hz". If that's the case, you'll only need inexpensive Plug Adapters to use this in Europe. You can buy these for a few dollars at Radio Shack, this website or travel & luggage stores in your area. Note that different Plug Adapters will be needed for the U.K. and continental Europe. I'd suggest packing at least two of each type, as they're easy to misplace. Your "fellow traveller" MUST check the nameplate label on the Hair Dryer to determine the operating voltage. If you could post that information here, it would be easier to offer more specific advice. I'd suggest checking Magellans or other sources and consider packing a dual-voltage Hair Dryer, as that's less likely to cause problems. Depending on which Hotels you'll be using, you may find that a Hair Dryer is supplied in most of them (or available at the Desk by asking). Happy travels!

Even cheap American blow-dryers often have a switch to set for European power so only a plug adapter is needed. However, in my miserly hot-air experience, the blower will only operate on low.

Lauren, I think I understand the first question as being you want to download your pictures daily to your computer so you do not have to buy additional memory cards. Memory cards a a lot smaller than a small computer, and weigh a lot less. My wife and I each take a camera loaded with a new memory card on each trip. We have yet to fill a 4GB card in either camera although I take one spare. At the end of a day we edit the pictures and delete those we don't want to keep. Between us, on the last trip, we took over 1300 photos. I don't know how much space I had left but we probably could have added two weeks to our month and a half. If you are interested in saving weight and space you might consider buying another memory card and leaving your computer at home.

If your hotels don't provide hair dryers, it may be better to buy a cheap one locally when you arrive. Then either keep it for future trips or . . . toss it.

Thanks for the input i have purchased a set of adapters and will not be taking a hair dryer with. I plan on bringing my laptop so i am able to check my work e-mail and personal e-mail as well as keep my friends up to date on my trip via facebook and my personal blog.

Lauren, don't forget to load Skype on your laptop, and you can use Wi-fi to call anyone in the world. If they have their computer on, and they also have Skype, it is free. If you buy a credit from skype($5.00?) you can call anyone's phone for approx $2.3 cents/ minute. I did this on both my netbook and iPhone on my last trip to the EU. It worked great.