travel electrical outlets

Use the search box in the upper right corner to search for "adapters and converters". You'll find a wealth of information about what you need to use in Ireland and Scotland, depending on your equipment.

I have the same outlet strip. It will work fine with the right adapter plug for Ireland and Scotland.

Thanks so much Eric - do I just put the adapter into the plug in end and then put my phone, camera, etc into the strip without adapters? Or do I need adapters for each plug in the outlet strip? By the way, Monster emailed me that this product would not work in Europe, so I really appreciate your input as I was not going to take it with me after I heard that. Staying in B&B's, I expect there won't be multiple outlets in the rooms.

You'll plug the outlet plug (US style plug) into the UK adapter and then plug the adapter into the wall. Then you plug your devices into the outlet strip just like normal. You do want to make sure that your devices will tolerate the 240 volts which is used in the UK. The device plugs will have information right on the plug which will say something like "input 120 - 240 volts AC". If it says only "120 volt AC input" then you need a converter to use it in the UK. The converter is a separate device which changes voltage from 240 to 120.

What exactly did Monster's email say wouldn't work? Is it the plug style or the voltage that isn't acceptable? I have an email from Monster stating that it is OK for 240 volt usage.

Hi Eric - Monster said they won't work in Europe because they only support 110 volts, not 230 volts. But it seems like if the devices support either voltage, like cameras and phones, it shouldn't matter? Maureen

I have a clarification email in to Monster right now. I looked back at the email they previously sent me and it is clear that they stated the outlet strip "will work in a 240 volt environment" as they put it.

That being said, any device you plug into at 240 volt outlet strip will need to tolerate 240 volts. The problem may be that the outlet strip itself won't tolerate 240 volts.

I'll follow up when I hear back from Monster.

Thanks.

This is an email from Monster about the "outlets to go". Note the distinction between the two type of products mentioned in the email.

Eric,

Power Centers sold domestically should not be used in 240v environments.

However Outlets To Go are a different matter. The Outlets To Go will function in a 240v environment with the appropriate plug adapter.

Make sure any device you connect can function in a 220 or 240v environment. A power converter may be necessary for some equipment.

Thank you for taking the time to contact us. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

Monsterously,

Customer Technical Services
MONSTER CABLE PRODUCTS, INC.

Thanks Eric - that helps!

Maureen, I was going to suggest that it might not be a good idea to use a power outlet strip designed for use in North America while travelling in Europe. While the product may work on 230 VAC electrical systems (with a Plug Adapter), the internal components and insulation may not be designed for the higher voltage. It this should fail, the results could be very unpleasant.

As Eric's reply mentioned, it appears that Monster has a product designed for use on 240 VAC electrical systems, so this is definitely the model to be used for travel. You should be able to verify this by checking the "Input Voltage" ratings on the product.

As mentioned you will need to verify the voltage ratings of ALL appliances and chargers thay you'll be travelling with, to confirm these will operate on 240 VAC.

As I recall, Ireland uses the U.K.-style power point, so you should be able to use the same Plug Adapters in both Ireland and Scotland (large Adapter with three rectangular pins).

Good luck and happy travels!

I agree with Ken. I just return from Europe where on the first day I knocked out the power on the whole floor of my hotel by using a travel multi-socket outlet. After much apologizing they (the hotel) fixed the power and showed me that most of the items which I had wanted to plug into the power strip could actually take inputs from 100-240 (laptop, camera charger, cell phone), so I could plug them directly into the wall (using the appropriate adaptor). Hope that helps.

OK, Eric and Marie - now I'm really confused! The things I want to plug into it are camera, cell phone, Ipod - which it sounds like will be OK with Monster's outlet strip. We are staying at B&B's, so I sure don't want to blow out their power. But it sounds like those are the same things Marie plugged in - so, Marie - what power strip did you use, or why did it blow out the power - do you know? Thanks!

Just for clarity, the travel power strip isn't changing any voltage, its just allowing the user to plug in more than one item into a single outlet. Most of our little devices like phones, cameras, and iPods don't use very much power, so the drain on a hotel electric system shouldn't be very much. And Ken is definitely right. Check those plugs to make sure they say 110 to 240 volts input. If it doesn't, you'll have more than just a popped circuit breaker.

Don't be confused, you're OK. The only way to knock out power on an entire hotel floor is to either draw soooooo much power that the main circuit breaker pops, or short circuit something in which case there is a problem with the electrical system to start with.

The types of devices you are using draw so few amps that there is virtually no chance to pop a circuit breaker. And if the plugs and wires are in good condition, then you won't short circuit anything. As an example, my GPS device draws a maximum of 1 amp and your typical outlet will tolerate a 15 amp load. That means I could plug in 15 GPS systems and still be OK. Most of our other little rechargeable gadgets will probably fall into that same amp usage.

That being said, you might want to talk with your B&B host and ask them if its OK to plug in and recharge. Maybe do a few items at a time rather than the whole bunch at once.

Europe has survived many a visit from our side of the pond and they're still standing. Enjoy your trip.