Time to Plug In

Time is quickly counting down for my trip to Spain. I am very excited in the fact that this is my first trip to Spain. I've traveled throughout Guatemala and Mexico -- even over to England and Ireland, but never to Spain. I've always wanted to visit this country. To prepare, I have to worry about converting the electronics I bring to European electrical standards. This can be tricky if I don't pay attention.

First and foremost, I do whatever I can to leave expensive electronics at home. There is no sense in taking everything but the kitchen sink to another country when you will be spending 95% or so of your time sightseeing and enjoying that country, its customs and people. My mantra: Bring the essentials. For me, that is an old smartphone, a digital camera, an Amazon Kindle and an electric shaver.

Wait a minute, "an old smartphone?" But why?

As unfortunate as it is, there are pickpockets that target tourists. Spain is no different. I don't wish to lose my expensive smartphone walking about the city streets when I have a perfectly decent "old" smartphone I can use. This is one good reason to hang onto your previous smartphone and not sell it or get rid of it. My old phone is smaller, beat up a bit and will work nicely on my trip. I'm going to use it to store maps and audio guides for my trip to access offline. Great idea, huh?

Most of Europe is on an electrical standard of 220 volts. That is double the amount of electricity used in the U.S. It's important to understand this difference because any device that is plugged in must be able to handle that higher voltage. If it cannot, you risk frying your device and casting it off to the trash bin before you even get home.

You would need one of two things: either a power converter or a power adapter.

The power converter will "convert" the high 220 volts down to the American standard for devices that cannot handle the European voltage. The power adapter is for devices that can handle the higher voltage, but to adapt the electricity flowing into your device by swapping out its plug type. Most devices in the U.S. have two, vertical flat prongs and/or the third ground prong when plugging into a wall socket. Wall sockets will be different in Europe. The adapter will allow you to plug into their wall sockets.

Read the very small (black on black (usually)) print on the power brick or device. Look for where it says "input." Make sure it can receive voltage of up to 220. If your device cannot handle that, then you will need a power converter. I checked and all of my devices can receive the 220 volts, so I just need an adapter.

I found a cheap adapter selling for around $7.00 on Amazon called the Ceptics Grounded Universal Plug Adapter for Europe (Type C). In the picture of my adapters, it comes in a box of 3 plugs. You can click on the above picture to see the adapter close up. If you notice, I can fit all the standard American plug types into it. I love how small they are and convenient to carry in my luggage for the trip.

¡Hasta luego!
~Keith