If you’re getting ready to go on an international trip, you need to be sure you’re prepared. Of course, you don’t want to find yourself in a foreign country with a dead phone, so it’s always a good idea to carry a travel adapter around with you. No matter what type of outlets your destination uses, a plug adapter ensures that you’ll always have enough battery in your phone to make calls, look up destinations, and find routes. Let’s take a look at what to consider when buying your first travel adapter.
What is a Plug Adapter?
As the name suggests, a plug adapter is a device that allows you to use a standard electrical outlet for a variety of devices. While being able to charge a variety of devices from the same plug is useful regardless of setting, it’s especially helpful in foreign countries. Why? While differences in voltage don’t matter for most modern devices, a foreign country may not use the same type of outlet as yours. If that’s the case, you’ll need something to convert the outlet to the same type of plug as your charger.
Research Outlet Types
Of course, before making your purchase, do a bit of research to figure out the plug type of the country you’re planning to visit. While it’s easy enough to figure out which device you want the plug to adapt to, a power adapter won’t do you much good unless you know what sort of plug you’re trying to adapt from.
For example, a three-prong adapter like this will work great for three-pronged outlets, but if you travel to a country that uses mainly two-prong outlets, or uses a different type of third prong, you’re out of luck. As such, it’s never a bad idea to brush up on your destination’s outlet types before making any investments.
Consider Voltage
though voltage isn’t a problem for most modern devices like phones and tablets, some plug adapters only function within a certain voltage range. Once again, the solution here is just to do a bit of research and figure out what your destination’s standard outlet voltage is, and buy accordingly.
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