European Travel Converter Recommended

I would advise against buying random branded stuff from Amazon. Don't assume products with good reviews are indeed genuine or functional. I once bought a three pack of adapters from Amazon with over 1,000 positive reviews, but only two worked. Perhaps shop from stores with a good return policy, such as REI.

adapter, not converter (which I took to mean voltage converter).

I recently bought a Philips wall charger. It has 4 USB ports, 2 are 2.4A (faster charge) and 2 are 1A. It looks similar to this except it has a standard European 2-prong electrical connection that folds in for travel. I use it at home and have the cords to various devices plugged in all the time.

For travel I use a power strip that has several regular electric outlets and 2 USB ports. It takes up more space in the suitcase but it has the advantage of accessibility in a hotel room where outlets are often in awkward places. My camera batteries and my computer (notebook) need regular plug connections. AFAIK none of these are high voltage, never had a problem with multiple items drawing power at the same time. I'd be more concerned if you were trying to use a hair dryer.

BTW if you have something you use at home with a US 2-prong connection, all you need is a simple 2-prong adapter like this one to plug into a European socket. Note that the UK's sockets are very different.

When we arrived in Europe, we just bought a USB charger there with the correct head to fit their electrical outlet--5 Euros. Now we have it for next trip over. We also have an adapter from the U.S. style plug to the European style plug to be used with one of our U.S. chargers.

Be sure you understand the difference between a "Converter" and an "Adapter." That is critical. You want an adapter and not a converter. You do not need a converter if only charging smartphones and tablets.

We travel with a handful of plug adapters and a standard U.S. extension cord to provide multiple outlets. Adapter on the plug end of the extension cord and the individual phones / tablets go into the extension cord just like at home.

As Chani said, hotels often have plugs in weird or difficult to access spots. Spent a fair amount of time crawling around on knees trying to plug in my own electronics as well as hotel provided hair dryers (pretty much never in a bathroom or near a mirror).

We bring adapters that have both regular US plug ins and USB. My Samsung has its own fast charger which I use with the first type, but my ereader i charge with the USB. These along with my cables go in carryon bag.

Here's a pair I'd consider if buying new ones https://www.amazon.com/European-Adapter-TESSAN-Europe-Charging/dp/B07P1S4QWL/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=European+adapter+strip&qid=1578501131&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzUTVJRVcyWE9LR0NTJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTI5NzQ0M01MOUIzWFBSQTZFMyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODM1MDIxMlJZMThSQlFQMlZXUiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

And as someone said, Europe and UK have vastly different plug styles.

You don't need a converter for most electronics. I used RS Euro plug adapters with good luck. Because I was forewarned about unreachable electrical plugs, I took extension cord which has both USB ports and electrical plugs (recommended by someone on the forum). It worked great. Based on an Amazon review that the plug portion can be sticky to use and the reviewer said he just snapped out the child proof protector, my handy hubby snapped that out for me so I had no problems charging 2 phones, 2 Mophies and camera overnight every night. That trip was in Italy, but I have also used it on a US trip.

Horsewoofie…..What does the extension cord you recommend weigh?

Thank you,

Per the description on the link supplied, it weighs 6.7 ounces. Looks very versatile and useful, but that's kinda heavy I think.

Thank you Dick. I saw the dimensions and missed the weight. My extension cord is 4.8 ounces, so I will stick with it.

You do not need a converter if only charging smartphones and tablets.

Technically incorrect. You do NEED a voltage converter for charging cell phones, etc, because they require 5VDC to charge, which is not the voltage you have. You just don't need a separate voltage converter; you have a voltage converter - the "USB charger". A USB charger IS a voltage converter; it converts wall voltage (from 100VAC to 240VAC, 50/60 Hz) to 5 VDC.

Lynn and Dick, I didn't weight the extension cord. It fit in it's little sleeve with room for the adapter plug between the handle bars at the bottom of suitcase. Reached all the plugs in all the hotels and B&Bs and easy to plug in and to; that was all that I cared. The green color helped remind me to pack it each move. A couple ounces either way didn't matter to me.

As the others have mentioned, you will certainly need Plug Adaptors but probably not a Voltage Converter. Most modern electronic devices use chargers which are designed for operation from 100-240 VAC. However it's extremely important that you check the nameplate on each device to ensure this is the case.

Most electronic chargers only use a two pin plug so a two pin Euro plug adaptor will work fine. They only cost a few dollars each. I'd suggest packing along several as they're easy to misplace. If you're travelling in the U.K. as well as the continent, you'll need a different model of plug adaptor to use there.

If you want to charge several USB devices at the same time, you could look at something like this - https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Charger-Foldable-PowerPort-Samsung/dp/B00VH8G1SY/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=anker+usb+travel+charger&qid=1578551555&s=wireless&smid=A294P4X9EWVXLJ&sr=1-3 .

This is the type of Plug Adaptor used in Europe - https://www.amazon.com/Unidapt-USA-Europe-Plug-Adapter/dp/B077WCS211/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=euro+plug+adaptors&qid=1578551640&sr=8-5 .