I'm a little confused while trying to figure out which adapter to buy and whether or not we would actually need a converter too? It's small electronic devices....cell phone camera battery, video camera. We are traveling to Italy.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
See the many answers to this FAQ by going here and doing a quick search
Liz,
read this to find out more about European power.
Liz,
Before providing specific advice, it would help to know some of the technical details of your "small electronic devices".
You'll need to look on the nameplate of each of the Chargers for the devices you'll be travelling with, specifically for the Input Voltage. If this states "100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz", then the product is designed for "world operation" and will work fine in Europe with only a Plug Adapter.
The Euro-style Plug Adapter for use in Italy has two round pins. I'd suggest travelling with at least two of these, so that you'll be able to charge more than one item at a time and this also provides a "spare" in case you forget one in the Hotel room.
One other question that needs clarification is which Cellphone network are you with? If you're with AT&T or T-Mobile and have a quad-band GSM phone, you'll be fine in Europe. If you're with Verizon or Sprint, you'll need to contact them regarding roaming in Europe (I believe they can provide a rental phone).
Happy travels!
Thank you this was all very helpful.
I did already contact T-Mobile to be able to use my cell phone Europe.
We had read reviews on adapters and and converters n Amazon and quite a few of the products were substandard, so we were wondering what the Rick Steves' travelers would recommend for a good brand.
Liz,
Plug Adapters are fairly easy to purchase, as there's not much difference in quality between brands. These are just a simple mechanical devices to adapt the North American style of plug to European power points. For Plug Adapters you could check Rick's Travel Store (these were on sale for $1 each recently), www.magellans.com, any travel / luggage stores in your area or Radio Shack stores. I bought some of my Plug Adapters from Magellans and some from a local travel store.
Whether or not you'll also need a Voltage Converter will depend on your findings when you check the nameplate data on each of your appliances. If you could post further information, I'll try to offer further advice.
Cheers!
