ultimate travel charger - After 20 years of travel I finally figured it out

I'm glad to see that you (forum) folks are cluing in to gallium nitride, just 5 years or so after I started posting about it. :-P

Anker makes another one-piece that has six ports and a specific two-pin plug for the Continent -- about as compact as you can get with six ports, but it is limited to just the two-pin outlets.

@ avirosemail

Problem with that one for me is three fold, number one you're back to the old number one complaint in that the heavy converter has a hard time staying in the outlet and secondly you're limited to the location of the outlet, the power strip allows me to plug in say at the outlet near the nightstand and put the power strip on the nightstand, plug in things like a phone and have it next to me instead of hanging off the wall somewhere.

Lastly, the number one thing I will not miss is the converter dying in the middle of a trip, over the years no matter how much I pay for them, they all seem to eventually die, but that might vary upon how much you travel, but my converters always seemed to become victims of power spikes, dirty power and just don't seem to be made to last, a power strip is pretty much just a dumb collection of wires without trying to convert voltage, the more simple I can keep technology the better relationship I have with it.

I've switched to compact desktop chargers a long time ago already. The one I currently travel with has 2 USB C and one USB A (and the next one I'll buy will be USB C exclusively). And it does 100W. So it is all I need for everything I ever travel with. Even my shaver is nowadays charged via USB...

And yes, since it has a power cord you do not have a bulky think hanging precariously from a wall socket. You can deal with sockets being rare, or in odd places...

I just wish it had more USB C outlets. It drives me crazy that so many power strips still have more USB A outlets than USB Cs. My current power strip (not Anker, but still good) has 2 USB-Cs and I wish it had 1-2 more, but I can live with 2.

Thanks Mike for the tip! I just ordered the white one from Amazon which is 40% off at $35.99. The black one is $45.99. I ordered white in the hopes that I won't forget it in our hotels or apartment rentals--hoping it will be more obvious (seen) than a black one which is now more expensive than the white one. I like the feature of a regular plug that won't be falling out of the sometimes very old sockets in Europe.

Mardee.....you can get an adapter that will convert a USB-C plug into a USB-A plug. I use them all the time. I even have one device that uses micro-usb and I have an adapter for that.

USB-C to USB-A Adaptor

I agree that the power strip can make it easier to fit the quirky spaces and uses in your lodgings.

Just as the devices are improving over time, though, I'm finding that more often than not the lodgings are furnished with outlets right on the desk and/or the bedside table. Hopefully that trend will continue!

(Either that or the table lamps will have electrical sockets / ports )

@Mardee

Yes, I agree, it's weird that manufacturers are still not embracing lots of USB C outlets on these devices. This is why I bring along the Anker Nano Charger, 47W USB that can plug into the outlet on the power strip and gives me 2 more USB C outlets.
https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Charger-Compact-Foldable-Included/dp/B0BDKCBJ95/ref=asc_df_B0BDKCBJ95/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693712892362&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9387152759258323144&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028756&hvtargid=pla-2158746092112&mcid=57c4a8aae3a937d4a6ca03caf43d5a90&th=1

It seems like it will be only a matter of time until manufacturers start to provide more USB C's but I thought the same thing 2 years ago. Obviously you can get one like this a lot cheaper but I like Anker products, they are just the best on the market.

@ avirosemail
Yes, it all depends on the property. Just spent 6 weeks in Italy with a week in Venice, was lucky to have an outlet at all in the bedroom in these ancient properties many of the airbnbs were in, especially Venice. :-)

That's a nice looking unit if you need a real plug. Love the wrap-around card. I had something similar years ago, but it was only USB-A, and really no longer functional with modern electronics.

If all your devices are USB, there are lighter models. I have an 8-oz. unit with 2 USB-C and 2 USB-A with fast charging on one of each. Love that one - the cord seperates from the body and that makes packing a little easier.

But for international travel, i have an older 5-oz version with 3 USB-A and 1 USB-C (not fast charging) that works just fine to charge the 3 items that regularly need charging (iPhone, Android tablet, and portable power bank). I do have a few other electronics that can charge during the day when the ports are free, but those don't usually need any charging if I start the trip with full batteries (lighted makeup mirror, electric eyelash curler).

I spent time a few years ago analyzing which type of cords I actually need. I now travel with just 3 mini-cords, and one normal length phone cord - absolutely zero bulky "charging blocks". And I only need one plug adapter too.

These mini-power strips are game changers. Thanks for sharing! I really like this Anker one.

Amazon Toparde 100W Travel Charger

There are excellent Black Friday sales on Amazon right now. I just ordered this 100W charger which comes with adapters that will work in Europe, UK and Australia. I paid CAD$29 a few days ago. This USB-C charger will replace all of my chargers including my original laptop charger. Waiting for delivery. I can't wait to try it out.

Amazon USD$9.99 65W Charger

I also bought a cheap 65W charger like this one. Mine is branded "GAGBK". It has GaN technology. This one does not have the travel adapters, so I would need to use my own adapters. It can charge my laptop which requires 45 W, as well as my Pixel phone (or powerbank, headphones, watch, etc) at the same time without getting hot.

I am going to test and compare the 65W charger to the 100W charger. The higher what charger will allow me to charge three items at very fast speeds, but will be a little bit bigger and heavier. The 65W charger will slow down if I used all three outlets at the same time. I may end up keeping both because they are so cheap.

I have a dollar store 5ft extension cord, if necessary. However, I prefer not to carry a power cord at all. Getting rid of the OEM laptop charger/cords would save me a lot of weight and space.

"Getting rid of the OEM laptop charger would save me a lot of weight and space."

Yes, exactly! this was one of the nicest advantages with going with anything that was 65W USB C, I get to leave that bulky laptop charger at home!

Now, only thing, I would caution you against cheap units unless you have a good backup plan. I've learned the hard way to buy quality charging products because when I'm 3 days into a 5 week trip I can't afford to have my charging system take a dump. We have pretty clean power supplies here in the USA but go to Mexico, South America, Africa etc... and the power systems are "dirty", spikes, drops, power goes off comes back on with a surge etc... those cheap units blow out quickly.

Car adapters too, those $5 units you can buy at the check out counter, last for one trip if I'm lucky and blow out in the middle of the next one, since then I spent the money on a $25 Anker for the rental car and its made it through a dozen trips.

I'm Anker all the way now.

Also no need to figure it out with testing, quality products like those made by Anker have specs that tell you how many watts with 1,2,3 units plugged in and where. For instance that Anker unit I posted, 1 item =65w, 3= 30w/20w/12w etc.. and they are reliable.

When I was buying a power bank for an Inca Trail trip I started with those cheap light small no name power banks sold on Amazon, however, I put them on a testing bench and none of them ever came within 50% of their claims, Amazon lets a lot of liars and scammer sell stuff to their customers, it's sad but its definitely true. Ended up with of course an Anker power bank and when tested it hit all the numbers that were claimed.

Since most devices handle 110-240 as you say, then basically you have an adapter and an extension cord with multiple plug ins. This is what I have used all around the world. The wall adapter is the most important (per country) and an extension cord can be be bought for less than $10 and does not need to be anything beyond that. Your Anker is upwards of $50 and still needs a wall adapter.
But if it works for you, that’s good.

@ treemoss2

Ummm, not really.

First, this is a 240v power strip, not a 110v extension cord. I would not risk a cheap 110v extension cord in 240v outlets.

Secondly, this Anker device is high-quality and reliable with the correct gauge extension cord built in and includes 3 other things -- a built in 65w charger with (2) USB C, (1) USB A and an additional Type A outlet.

Your suggestion for a cheap under-rated extension cord involves fire danger and you still have to buy a USB C 65w charger and a USB A charger and a splitter to give you a free Type A outlet, or throw in another extension cord. Now you're carrying around at least 4 different things.

Add to this that you're suggesting going as inexpensive as you can you are setting yourself up for a rude awakening when you discover one morning your devices didn't charge over-night. I have no desire to wake up on an Amazon river cruise to discover I now need to find charger replacements in the jungle.

Third - this Anker device isn't $50, it's $29.00
https://www.amazon.com/Anker-GanPrime-Charging-Station-Delivery/dp/B09SG3R8R2?th=1

Have a good one

Okay, I am seriously curious. I travel a lot to Europe and bring my small iPad and iPhone, the accompanying chargers and tiny RS adapter plugs. I use the iPad in my hotel/B&B and my iPhone for lots of photography and an occasional quick map routing while walking. I rarely pull up an app while I’m out during the day unless I’m taking a train. I charge my iPad in the afternoon when I stop back at my room for a break & charge my iPhone overnight. I haven’t ever needed a power bank or special power charger for the room. Why are these needed? Am I missing something?

@Lindy, an easy way to make your tech items more visible to not accidentally leave them behind is to wrap a band of the tiny flourescent Duct tape (found in craft stores or Amazon) around it. The tape I’ve used for years is flourescent chevron stripes and is easily seen.

Jean...everybody's needs for charging are different depending on what they are bringing that needs recharging. It also depends on how much they use each device.

This can include:

Phone

Tablet

Computer

Ear Buds/Headphones

Camera

Powerbank

KIndle/ereader

Watch (digital)

Keyboard

Fan

Flashlight

and more....

A multicharger will save weight and space by allowing numerous devices to be charged with one charger.

FrankII, I like what you found. I get tired of digging around behind beds and under tables to plug things in as well. And if it use it with a good schuklo adapter (not a euro plug) i tnink it would be near perfect. Maybe a tad too much, cause I just travel with 2 phones and a tiny laptop that uses a tiny charger. But sometimes better too much than too little ............... oh forgot the hearing aids, so 3 USB thingies and one pluggy thing ... .makes your suggestioin perfect. Doing individual plugs thats a lot of outlets in the room and you know that never happens. And I always forget one adapter in one outlet. I am pretty sold ... thank you. Up till now I have been carrying a couple of power packs and using them to charge things at night and then roatating them trough the single or sometimes if I am lucky couple of outlets in the room.

I looked it up on-line and nowhere in any of the literature that i found did it say 120/240 v but I do belive it, as it only has USB transformers and those generally are applicable 120 to 240v. \

Bad news is, not available on Amazon over here. Not even a EU version of it (which would be better for me).

Frank II, thank you for the list! I pack very light, but I can see how several of those items would drive different needs for a traveler to have sufficient connections & power during a trip.

I'm an Anker devotee too. I use at home and always travel with a 65-watt charging block that has two USB-A slots and one USB-C. It is relatively heavy, but it charges fast, and I have all three interchangeable heads for it that I need : US, UK, and Europe. It's worth the weight to me because I just take the (small) interchangeable plug needed and use it like I do at home.

I guess the only thing will be probably needing to get one with two USB C slots and only one USB A.

@Jean
When we hiked to Machu Picchu on the Inca Trail there was no electricity for 4 days so a reliable power bank was a necessity. Phones are really good at managing their batteries' today and you many never need to top off during the day away from a charging source.

I turn on "extreme" battery saver on my cell phone when out all day in a city in Europe or South America and I can usually make it through an 9am-10pm full day of museums, walking, attractions dinner and still have enough power to get an Uber back to the accommodations. But if you can't a smaller power bank can be a nice thing to have with you just in case.

These "lipstick" power banks won't fully charge a late model phone but they have enough to get you through the end of the day. They are small and light, plug into your phone with a built in USB C male plug and you can use your phone with one attached. The Anker version is PD power so it will fast charge your phone.

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Foldable-Connector-Portable-Charger/dp/B0C6XK77HJ/ref=sr_1_5?crid=UX6RF2ECG0XB&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5_U8twEYLQNKPEJL3iMwRyeZyXcT4T1vjAFb7f9ZChGlyIspIGmEnLg04g-JEthmj4XXatLguJkIhnmkYpxNy1bf1PASNX4BnknN-TxK8g1-TkslWZK910ZhHB0L_RFyjbnNplbR8_KiRfAd6QwtcE7WTyD73vhZUmrOwB5sVLd1-LOrrHerofm9gIfgSCDlqKBlKiDomV5BcuLGPlVmz1ftLpvhgHmFIzMU0JQWfO0.m50YGKIdbJlhkVsj8g1JjdV8JSrmW7YiGzfeAOnuxqs&dib_tag=se&keywords=lipstick+power+bank&qid=1732986965&sprefix=lipstick+power+bank%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-5

Yeah, I think I say this every time there is a thread like this. I don't leave my house now without a power bank. I got caught out the night of the big terror attacks in Paris in November 2015 without one, and those were a lot of long hours from what 9:30 pm or so when we first started sheltering in place in a darkened restaurant a couple of blocks from the Bataclan until 3 am when we finally "decided" it was "safe" to try to walk home.

I don't want to get caught out like that again, and you have no idea when it's going to happen.

Sometimes it's a bigger power bank, sometimes a smaller one. But like Karl Malden used to say, I don't leave home without it.

Update on outlets during my November trip -- I stayed at a renovated property near the Champs Elysee, a brand-new (but built on the bones of a late-19th century women's college) Hyatt in Rouen, and one of the RS guidebook stand-by old warhorses in the Marais, right on the Rue Rivoli --- The first had USB ports by the headboard/nightstand of the bed as well as the desk, and available standard French 2-pin plus ground outlets in the bathroom; the Hyatt had a confusing variety of outlets and plugs, and the thermostat could be operated over bluetooth if you cared to risk infection -- even the TV was showing up as connectable on the alexa app on my iPad but I let caution win the day. The Marais yesteryear had a couple of outlets by the baseboards that required moving the furniture around so I could sit a device on a chair close to the plug; it seemed to have nothing at all in the bathroom besides a dedicated mini hairdryer permanently mounted on the wall farthest from the mirror, but eventually I found an outlet in the top hinge-side corner inside the medicine cabinet, which I used to power my iPad so that Pandora could lull me while in the shower.

So, as many of you reminded us above, it does help to have doodads that allow for flexible situations, esp. if they aren't that much bigger/heavier than the minimalist versions of the Anker and Minix that I pack.

wow the thermostat was controllable by blue tooth. That's a first for me, never seen that one in an accommodation.

Your bathroom experience reminds me of the times when a bathroom has no mirror over the sink. Much different experience then we are used to in the USA, seems to have something to do with when the ladies would get ready in the morning at a separate little table and chair with mirror outside the bathroom.

I would add to get a longish USB cable(s) when charging, because sometimes the outlets are not "well positioned", and you have to crawl down on the floor to find them. You don't want to forget your electronics stuff in your room when you leave!

I use a multi USB adapter with the plug for the country you're are in. I plug at least 3 things in at once: cycling computer/lights/phone, when I arrive in my room, so I have an adapter with at least 4 USB inputs.

Speaking of USB cords - all USB cords are not the same.

For charging over night or something not time sensitive any old USB cord is fine. But if your phone has fast charge ability you need a minimum of 20 V/3a rated cords. That is 20volts / 3 amps. If you're going to charge a laptop a 20v/3a cord is not adequate as you need something rated typically to 65w, typically you would use one of the 100W rated USB cords.

On top of all of this is the majority of Amazon sold USB cords are cheap Chinese rip off products. I've bench tested many and they don't charge anywhere near at 3amps, they come in usually at 1.8-1.2 sometimes 0.8 even. Amps are the measurement of the current flow so the lower the actual amperage the longer it takes to charge something.

Good point. How do we know the rating of cords?

@ phoffen2001

You start with their specifications listed. (High quality USB cords designed for fast charging always list their specs) "Fasgear USB C to USB C Cable 1.6ft, 100W Fast Charge, 10Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C Cord 5A"

However, if you're buying on Amazon unless you're buying a name brand there is a high likelihood that the specs are meaningless as they are selling cheap stuff from China and its all a lie and Amazon doesn't police them no matter the complaints or reviews, plus 99% of people will never test to know anyways.

Current is about the gauge (thickness of the wire) a thin USB cord is almost guaranteed to not be able to allow enough current to pass through it, think of it like a hose, a bigger hose lets more water pass through. So better cords are always thicker.

If you want to test yourself it's quite easy, a cheap USB cord multi-tester will tell you the actual amps you are drawing through a usb cord.
One like this

https://www.amazon.com/Eversame-Multimeter-Voltmeter-Indicator-DC3-6-30V/dp/B07JYVPLLJ/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1JPXJ08Y9XYTZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JNmQ1GHHzgq3-TGIWop0fau5ECN63Nq7Ske8FcuXOVp9mEqlF1CTUn0KTrWG6luAmgdbkYktAypK390DmmWeRTjp_jSayD77X1oKpaem4xSJYIe7ZwPN49NNUNqR5scUOjGjv_urGp3SzwyZOtmsxTuzntNgMeq4BUv-PvHWW9HWrASFbKPlbklLRlxpbGstHVoh1j3fdlxrtHVhdAr1tfQxDt_bXaK5D_M3K2-c3DpEW0WEiqMTw9DxzpBxNAr2sF0ZJUYQ1gFUYvIPMpcH4Z921Uu8jQVqodT8d1TnZd4.65XG30yd8l2b52KoEweNfuTFJRlie4XMu6FXsRrG4cM&dib_tag=se&keywords=usb+tester+voltage+current+tester&qid=1734026717&sprefix=USB+tester+voltage+current+%2Caps%2C133&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

You plug one end in the wall chargers and the other in the USB cord, plug the other end of the USB cord into your phone whose battery is low enough to draw fast charging rates and read the little meter and see if it's drawing the correct amps the cord says it is rated for, if it's within 20% you're good, if it's a cheap cord it's going to be less than 50%

Sounds easy enough! Thanks for that.

Are there any cables not made in China? Since your IPhone WAS made in China, would an American cable have to bilingal to communicate with the phone?

Older thread, but... One need not worry about using 120 VAC-rated extension cords, outlets, etc. with 240 VAC power. The 120 VAC wire gauges are, within reason, more than adequate. For a given appliance Wattage, say 500W, the amperage with 120 VAC is 4.16, and with 240 VAC it's 2.08. Amperage is what's used to specify wire gauge, so the 120 VAC equipment is extra-beefy, if you will. The appliance (PC, shaver, etc) is entirely another story.