Power in international airports

April 20, 2018 2:44 PM

I'm thinking about the logistics when it comes to charging stuff at international airports (anywhere not in the US). If I'm coming from stateside with US electronics the very least I would need is a socket converter right? Or would I also need a voltage transformer too? It seems kind of overkill though to me. Those things are big. Anyone with travel experience that can weigh in?
posted by starlybri to Travel & Transportation (11 answers total)

No, you don't need a voltage transformer for laptops, tablets or phones. You might need adapters depending on the airport. The last three I've been in internationally have had universal outlets as well as USB charging stations. I would check their website to see if it's mentioned.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 2:51 PM on April 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

It depends somewhat on your electronics, but generally speaking, most electronics these days are perfectly fine with both 50hz/240v and 60hz/120v, so all you need is a socket adapter. If you're unsure, take a look at the fine print on the chargers for your gear. Somewhere in there (generally printed on the transformer, i.e. the lumpy part) it should say what the allowable frequencies and voltages are.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 2:53 PM on April 20, 2018 [7 favorites]

If you can find the specs for your electronics, or look on them to see if they handle 120-240 volts, or just 120. If only 120 volts, you'd need a voltage converter. But those are bully and you're better off buying a replacement device that handles both voltages.

If the device handles both voltages, then you just need a plug adapter which is cheap.
posted by TheAdamist at 2:55 PM on April 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Almost all laptop chargers will be fine most places. Look on the power brick, it should say something like "50-60Hz, 110-240v". That means the power brick can handle both US voltage & frequency, and also the higher voltages you might find abroad (eg, in Europe).

In theory there might be power bricks that can't handle the higher voltage, but I've never seen one.

The only thing to be a bit paranoid about are little USB chargers- shoddily made ones can accidentally transmit high-voltage directly into your device and/or you. But they'd be dangerous at US voltages too, so. USB chargers sold by Apple or that came with a Kindle or Google device have a reputation for being solid.
posted by BungaDunga at 2:57 PM on April 20, 2018

Oh, and I have one of these adapters, they're great for charging several devices at the same time, and come with all the plug adapters you need (and you can leave the ones you don't at home). One of these can charge a laptop, a phone, a camera, and a Kindle at the same time.
posted by BungaDunga at 3:07 PM on April 20, 2018

Unless you're planning to use a space heater or a tea kettle or a hair dryer, you don't need a voltage converter. Modern consumer electronics will be fine with just the adapter.

You'll almost certainly find powered USB ports scattered around international airports (in which case you don't even need an outlet adapter for many devices).
posted by caek at 3:12 PM on April 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

Just a quick note that you really want 100-240V if you don't want to worry about transformers. Although using a 110/120V appliance in a 100V country is "probably" fine (if we're talking about like charging phones/etc).

The majority of portable electronic devices seem to have 100-240V / 50-60Hz chargers these days. The only exception I've found among my relatively large collection of electronics was the Nintendo 3DS.
posted by thefoxgod at 5:26 PM on April 20, 2018

Response by poster: thefoxgod, so what's the deal with the 3ds? I have one so I'm interested how I'd charge it.
posted by starlybri at 5:49 PM on April 20, 2018

It had different chargers available in different regions, so if you wanted to charge an American 3DS in Europe, for example, you'd either need to buy a European charger or get a transformer that would change 240V to 120V.

In the 100-120V range it is probably fine --- I used my US charger in Japan (100V) with no issues. (It might even be a 100-120V range for the US one? Can't remember offhand).
posted by thefoxgod at 5:54 PM on April 20, 2018

Be a mensch and get an adapter with more than one plug and usb slot. That way you can share with people if plugs are rare. It's less of a problem these days in most airports but you can be a hero in coffee shops, pubs and trains.
posted by srboisvert at 6:34 PM on April 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

FWIW, for just "charging stuff at international airports" [open method] I find it's best to rely on power banks because outlets are rare / occupied / non-existent / inconveniently positioned, requiring you to sit on the floor or stand up. Obviously this doesn't work for laptops, but YMMV if you find the right laptop-power bank combination.
posted by ahundredjarsofsky at 2:09 AM on April 22, 2018