travel hair dryer

I agree, buy one in Greece. Not because they're heavy, mine isn't, but it'll make your life so much easier. Every dual voltage blow dryer I've taken with me on many, many trips to Europe end up over-heating and stop working.

I've taken my hair dryers on both my European trips and have done fine with them. My first trip we stayed with friends and could have used theirs and my second I barely used it at all because there were hair dryers in all of our hotel rooms (like here). Have you tried contacting the hotels and asking them if they have dryers in the room?

I used the dryer on low, which translated to a high in our voltage. I am sure it is easy for the dryer to overheat and blow out.

It may be easiest to "air dry" either in the morning or at night and plan on "bad hair" or take your chance on hotel dryers.

Both my dual voltage hair dryers said they wouldn't work on high...and both worked on high. (They didn't have a low in Europe though) Of course, that is hard to test. I did see one dual voltage hair dryer that said both settings would work on both voltage settings. (I saw it at a Target in 2008), so maybe look around. You can buy them in Europe, but not for the $10 I paid for my last one (9.99 at WalMart). It is still working like a champ. (I paid $10 figuring if I was short of room, I would give it away in Europe-maybe leave it with the last hotel we stayed at so they could offer it to guest to use. It was so small, I managed to fit it in and now use it in my guest bathroom for my overnight guests)

I'd look for a travel one at Wal-Mart or Target. Otherwise, you're stuck with a hair dryer that only works in Europe. If you're going to Europe a lot, then that's fine, but if you travel other places, then it'll just sit in a closet at home.

Carrie, if it's helpful at all, I went to Italy last summer with a small hairdryer. It wouldn't work on high, but the low setting seemed to be higher than it is in the US. It's worth giving it a try when you get there; it'll likely be better than what the hotel may provide. If it doesn't work, then you can try to buy one there.

Funny, I have the opposite problem - my dual voltage dryer only works on high in Europe, no low (I need low). I would check the hotel websites to see if they're offered (many are) but be warned that what they consider "hairdryer" may still not meet your needs. Plenty of places to buy one here - Target/Walmart/etc. and also on many travel websites. And I'm sure I'll catch flack for this, but consider visiting your stylist to get a cut that dries faster (layers) or investing in a nice set of hair bands so you can leave your hair damp and have it dry on its own. Good luck!

Carrie- as a girl with the same problem let me help you out. Save yourself the heartache of killing your hairdryer from home. Buy it when you get there. Someone will point you in the right direction. I bought a cheap one while I was over and it worked great! I brought it home and now I don't have to get one next time.

I agree, email your hotels and ask if they have one. I haven't stayed at a hotel in YEARS in Europe that did not provide them, but, I haven't been to Greece.

The tip to check the hotel websites is a good one. I started doing that and haven't taken a dryer with me on my last few trips. American dryers tend to blow hotel fuses and make unhappy hotel managers so most places have them now. In not, buy on there and use it next time you go.

Buy one when you get there.

I have one I bought in Europe 10+ years ago. I take it with me every trip. Each year, more and more hotels provide hairdryers; however, I have yet to make it through a trip without using it. I do tend to stay at smaller less expensive places and not all of them have a dryer in the room.

Thanks everyone for the responses!

I am not staying in a hotel I will be staying is hostels and sometimes they do not have hairdryers available. It is good to know that when I switch the voltage it will be at higher setting. I am still debating buying one there as I do travel once a year.

It depends on the hotel though. We have used some hotel hair dryers in France and they were slow and barely got hot enough to dry the hair.

I started taking my own! It is small and worked fine. My daughter's hair is long. We did not need it in London (stayed at the Marriott), but needed it in Brittany for the two weeks.