plug adapter

Just go a Radio Shack or any travel section of a luggage store, Wal-Mart and buy an adapter for the part of Europe you are headed for. Just look to make sure it will handle a polarized plug. You can tell by looking.

And you don't need a voltage converter if you have a 120/240 appliance - just a plug adapter.

Leslie, If you have time, you could also order Plug Adapters from: www.magellans.com/store/Adaptors___Converters___Plug_Adaptors The European model specifies that it can handle polarized plugs, so I assume their other models will as well. You could also try the AAA Travel office at 2116 12th Avenue in Lewiston. Happy travels!

about 6 months ago there were postings that covered every possible aspect of this topic. The webmaster's Search Archives links will bring up all of them.

Thanks. I ask because I don't have a great selection of stores and what I do have don't have the right kind of plug so I have to buy online and it isn't always apparent if it is what I want, So was wondering if it had a special name or something that I didn't know about. I hadn't thought of Radio shack though so will try there soon.

Leslie, You should absolutely be "safe" ordering from Magellans, as they're a large and well established firm. I believe they have a toll-free number so if you have any questions, give them a call.

Thank you Ken!

You can buyy the adapters from the Travel Store on Rick Steve's web site!

For the last two years I have been buying my plug adapters - US to EU - from Ebay and I usually receive them from overseas (Hong Kong) within a couple of weeks. I tend to forget them in the plugs, so I usually leave with 2 or 3... they're small and cheap. The last ones I bought in April came to much less than a dollar each (including shipping). Since 120/240 has become a norm for most things, you now do not need a converter, only a simple plug adapter... just like your hair straightener. Edited to add - I also try to buy them in different shapes/sizes, as the sockets themselves can be different - still with the two round prongs - but deeply recessed or narrow or oddly placed.

If you get to Italy and find you don't have the right adapter, you can always buy one or more there. We have had to do that in several countries where we had adapters with us but they didn't fit into the round plastic thingy that surrounded the plug. It really isn't a huge problem to find a store. We even did it in Turkey when we truly spoke almost no Turkish.

Be sure to read Ron in Rome on the whole adapter question. We were in Italy this past May and found that we needed three different styles of adapters to fit the various outlets that we had in our rooms. Ron explains it best and in his usual thorough detail and with helpful pictures: Power in Italy