American appliance in Western Europe

Any high wattage items that is not dual voltage does not do with with converted voltage. Over time probably will damage the items. AA battery charger would be OK. Item bought in London would be OK for 220v but would have a British plug that would need an adapter for the rest of your trip. All of those items can be purchased locally and quickly. Any store will have them. You can on line so would buy for western Europe and use an adapter in London.

Yes, they sell all of these things in Europe. Make it easier on yourself, and just buy AA batteries as needed, rather than getting a whole new charger. Other posters who understand these matters better than I usually offer excellent explanations. I'm not sure if Britain uses the same voltage as the continent, but I know their outlets use a different shape of plug. Switzerland uses the same voltage as all of its neighbors, but they also use a unique outlet configuration. So, at a minimum, you will need special outlet adapters for these two countries.

Thank you to those of you who have already posted a reply. I appreciate your information. I think that I shall do as suggested and buy the things I need in Europe, but on this site I can purchase a universal adaptor for use in all the countries we are visiting.

Barbara, To begin with, it's important to differentiate between Plug Adapters and Voltage Converters. There are two different principles used in voltage conversion and it's important to choose the correct type for each appliance. You'll most certainly need Plug Adapters, but may or may not also need a Voltage Converter. As you'll be in both the U.K. and Europe, you'll need two different styles of Plug Adapters. Have a look at This Website for information. I'd suggest taking at least two of each type. Are you planning to travel with the items you mentioned? The high wattage heating appliances may be a problem. While it is possible to use some of these with solid-state Voltage Converters, it's not a method I would suggest for that many appliances. Typical "travel" Voltage Converters are not designed for "continuous duty operation", so repeated use for a long period of time is not advisable. I'd suggest leaving the Heating Pad at home for that reason. More importantly, some manufacturers of hair appliances specifically recommend against using their products with Voltage Converters. The AA Battery Charger is likely not a problem. You'll first need to check the "Input Voltage" to determine if it's designed for "world" operation from 100-240 VAC. If that's the case, then you'll only need Plug Adapters for use in Europe. If it's designed ONLY for 115 VAC operation, then you'll need to use a Transformer type Voltage Converter, and 50-watts capacity should be adequate. The website I linked above has Plug Adapters, Voltage Converters AND dual voltage Hair Appliances. Finally, how long will you be in Europe??? Happy travels!

Barbara, since you mentioned hairdyers I'll point out that most hotels and B&Bs have them available, if not in the room, at the desk upon request. You might consider not bringing one. This doesn't help with the other items you mentioned, but it would be one less thing to deal with.

Also, Barbara, all the items you mention will weigh you down.

Because I'm not keen on the quality of hotel hair dryers, I bought a Conair hair dryer in the States which is dual voltage, has a folding handle and is small enough to pack yet way more powerful than the ones most hotels have on hand. I also have a Conair dual voltage flat iron. Both need only the adapter plug added on and I've never had a problem with using them all over the world. I don't want to cart around a battery charger so I buy camera batteries as I need them in Europe. For the heating pad, I'd suggest you pack some Thermacare wraps or patches. They don't need any electrical outlet at all to use. Yes, you can buy a universal adapter on this website, but you might get one far cheaper at your local Walmart, Target, travel store or camping store like Cabela's or REI and avoid paying the shipping costs.

Few Americans understand that those appliances with a polarized plug (one blade wider than the other) and without a third, grounding pin are most likely not safe in Europe. Unless the case is cracked or you immerse the appliance or power supply in water, it might not matter, but the shock protection provided by the polarized plug might be defeated by using it with a non-polarized European receptacle. To be truly safe, you should only use an appliance that has a "double insulated" symbol (concentric squares). To be truthful, I have used a two pin,"Europlug adapter" for years, but only with low amperage devices with intact cases. I have also used my netbook with a three "pin" US plug with the grounding pin outside the adapter. That isn't "kosher" either, but not unsafe, as long as I never touch the grounding pin when it's plugged in. I have now acquired a small pin modified schuko adapter (www.amazon.com/VCT-VP-11B-Grounded-Adapter/dp/B003C1MFYI/ref=pd_cp_e_0), which carries the CE Mark. I got it from Amazon. It's acceptable anywhere in European, but it won't fit in new construction in Switzerland and some receptacles in Italy. By the way, I have never seen a grounding universal adapter, and I wouldn't use a non-grounding one. However, Amazon sells grounding Swiss and Italian adapters. In the past, the UK used 240V and the continent used 220V. Recently, the EU decided to make it all 230V, but they set the tolerance wide enough to include both initially. The tolerance will slowly be narrowed so that both UK and continental Europe will be on 230V. This caused some consternation by the Brits because their electric kettles would heat up slower on 230V. I solved the battery problem for myself. I bought a one ounce USB battery charger that plugs into my netbook.

The first step is to check and see which of your appliances are already dual-voltage. My blow dryer, battery charger, and curling iron from the US were all dual-voltage. For any appliances that aren't dual voltage, I would suggest replacing them - in the US - with dual voltage appliances and then getting the necessary outlet adaptors. It will be easier this way than wasting some of your vacation time searching out appliances (which may be more expensive than in the US) and then searching out all the necessary outlet adaptors for traveling throughout Europe. I also like the Thermacare idea, though. You could throw them away as you travel and lighten your load a little bit.