Help me keep my computer and camera charged on vacation!
March 14, 2012 4:08 PM Subscribe
I'm traveling from the US to St. Maarten on Friday - having never been outside the US before, charging my computer and cameras, etc never occurred to me to be an issue, but I've learned that it will be.
My understanding is the Dutch side uses 110 volts while the French side uses 220 volts. Is this correct? We're staying on the Dutch side. What sort of adapter (I assume there is one) do I need to buy?
My understanding is the Dutch side uses 110 volts while the French side uses 220 volts. Is this correct? We're staying on the Dutch side. What sort of adapter (I assume there is one) do I need to buy?
Best answer: You may want to check your stuff to see if they're dual-voltage. In Europe, we had a combination plug/voltage adapter that we used almost every day in to charge our camera batteries, but since the battery charger is dual voltage, it doesn't need any kind of adapter other than for the plug shape. I don't know if it's the case for most voltage adapters, but ours had all kinds of warnings to not use it for more than 10 minutes or so at a time as a voltage adapter (we could leave it plugged in indefinitely as a plug adapter), and give it a chance to rest because it would overheat or something.
Long story short: if the things you want to plug in have a little label on them saying 110/220V somewhere or you can otherwise tell they're dual voltage, you won't need an adapter as long as plugs are the same shape as they are here.
posted by LionIndex at 4:21 PM on March 14, 2012
Long story short: if the things you want to plug in have a little label on them saying 110/220V somewhere or you can otherwise tell they're dual voltage, you won't need an adapter as long as plugs are the same shape as they are here.
posted by LionIndex at 4:21 PM on March 14, 2012
Best answer: Oh, and another tip: my camera can recharge via USB, so I'd plug the laptop into the wall (with the plug adapter), the camera into the laptop's USB port, and that was one less plug adapter to worry about.
posted by gimonca at 4:25 PM on March 14, 2012
posted by gimonca at 4:25 PM on March 14, 2012
Best answer: Everything I can find says that the outlets on the Dutch side are the same as USA outlets, so you shouldn't need to do anything special.
(And yeah, your chargers probably all say "50-60hz, 110-220V" on the input. That means even if you went to the French side, you'd just need a mechanical adapter, which are cheap and pretty widely available.)
posted by aubilenon at 4:29 PM on March 14, 2012
(And yeah, your chargers probably all say "50-60hz, 110-220V" on the input. That means even if you went to the French side, you'd just need a mechanical adapter, which are cheap and pretty widely available.)
posted by aubilenon at 4:29 PM on March 14, 2012
Best answer: If you are concerned about voltage with your electronics, then invest in a voltage converter. And get an AC power plug adapter set. With these two items, you can convert any electrical system into one that will power US electronics. A $50 investment at Radio Shack is worth the peace of mind, in my book.
posted by Flood at 4:31 PM on March 14, 2012
posted by Flood at 4:31 PM on March 14, 2012
Best answer: If you are concerned about voltage with your electronics, then invest in a voltage converter. And get an AC power plug adapter set.
Yes, but if it's anything like mine, you can only have it plugged in for 10 minutes as a voltage converter, so it's not too useful for charging things. There are other types that seem to be able to take it for longer, but as stated above, they're probably not necessary.
posted by LionIndex at 11:08 PM on March 14, 2012
Yes, but if it's anything like mine, you can only have it plugged in for 10 minutes as a voltage converter, so it's not too useful for charging things. There are other types that seem to be able to take it for longer, but as stated above, they're probably not necessary.
posted by LionIndex at 11:08 PM on March 14, 2012
Best answer: I travel frequently between the US and western Europe, and the last time I had to worry about one of my electronic not working on 220V, 50Hz current was 2004, when I had a shortwave radio whose wall wart worked only on US current. Every single gadget I have acquired since then has worked on both voltages.
I organize a summer school in England, and our students occasionally bring appliances that blow the fuses or pop the breakers there. There are two kinds of things to worry about: (1) Appliances that heat up: curling irons, hair straighteners, hair dryers, etc. Some have a switch to make them work properly. (2) Appliances with electrical motors, such as fans or printers. If the motor is a DC motor driven by a voltage converter, though, it probably will work (such as portable printers, and the fan in your laptop).
posted by brianogilvie at 7:12 AM on March 15, 2012
I organize a summer school in England, and our students occasionally bring appliances that blow the fuses or pop the breakers there. There are two kinds of things to worry about: (1) Appliances that heat up: curling irons, hair straighteners, hair dryers, etc. Some have a switch to make them work properly. (2) Appliances with electrical motors, such as fans or printers. If the motor is a DC motor driven by a voltage converter, though, it probably will work (such as portable printers, and the fan in your laptop).
posted by brianogilvie at 7:12 AM on March 15, 2012
MissingNounFilter: that first sentence should have read "electronic *gadgets*." Oops.
posted by brianogilvie at 7:12 AM on March 15, 2012
posted by brianogilvie at 7:12 AM on March 15, 2012
Best answer: I was just in St Martin, albeit on the French side. Nthing everyone else, we only needed a plug adapter, not a voltage adapter, for our electronics. There was one in the house we were staying, and we also picked up one from the grocery store on the island (although it would have been cheaper to buy it in the States). I would suggest buying one before you go just in case; if you don't end up needing it on this trip, you might in the future. I got one for around $4 at an Ace Hardware store here, so they're not expensive or hard to find.
posted by Jemstar at 8:33 AM on March 15, 2012
posted by Jemstar at 8:33 AM on March 15, 2012
Response by poster: Thanks everyone - sorry I couldn't reply before leaving. I've just returned, and encountered no problems at all - cameras, computers, phones, etc were all easily and safely charged in the hotel.
Here's a set of photos from the trip if anyone's interested!
posted by blaneyphoto at 9:15 PM on March 23, 2012
Here's a set of photos from the trip if anyone's interested!
posted by blaneyphoto at 9:15 PM on March 23, 2012
Thanks for posting the pictures; the blue morpho butterfly shot is particularly nice.
posted by brianogilvie at 1:54 PM on March 28, 2012
posted by brianogilvie at 1:54 PM on March 28, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
The 'shape' of the plugs, however, may be an issue. If they use European plugs, you'll need to get the little adapter thing that converts US to European (so you have the two metal rods). These are in the cheap adapter kits that you see at Target, travel shops, etc. They don't convert voltage, they just give you a different shape.
On recent European trips, neither laptop, phone, nor camera have needed a special voltage converter. I did need the plug adapter.
posted by gimonca at 4:21 PM on March 14, 2012 [1 favorite]