Power Changer

If you are planning on traveling to a foreign destination, one accessory you will probably find extremely useful is a power changer (sometimes referred to as a travel charger or adapter). Power changers make it easy for you to bring along your home electrical appliances when traveling and using them with other electricity standards and electrical outlets.

Most Americans do not realize it, but many other parts of the world use different standards for electricity. For instance, the voltage in most European countries is almost double (from 110 volts here in the United States to 210 volts in most of Europe). And that is not the only difference, all of our electronic components use one standard type of plug, the simple two prong, however once you leave the United States and travel to Europe, the plugs are different. For instance, they are wider and the actual prongs are slanted. The United Kingdom has its own electrical outlets that use specific types of plugs, Western Europe such as Germany and France use a different type of plug.

If you go to the Middle East, you might see other types of plugs. This is why anyone traveling and would like to bring along their home electronic appliances or devices requires a power changer that not only changes the electricity to accommodate the device, but also allows you to plug the device into a common wall outlet abroad.

There are a few types of power changers; they include the standard power changers and universal power changers.

Standard Power Changers

With a standard power changer, the unit will only fit one type of socket. For instance, if you are visiting only the UK, you can purchase a standard power changer that changes the power from the United States to fit only UK electrical outlets. In this case the power changer can only be used for United States electronics plugged into UK outlets. It should be noted that these devices also change the power of the voltage.

Universal Power Changers

Universal power changers are for travelers that plan to visit one or more areas that have different electrical outlet configurations and voltage levels. For instance, a universal adapter will include adapters that work with practically every electrical standard throughout the world including North America, UK, European Union, Middle East, Asia, Australia, etc. Universal power changers are usually the most practical, especially for those that travel frequently. You never have to worry if your electric shaver or hair dryer works in a country, because you have an adapter to fit almost any circumstance. Universal power changers are light and usually very compact; they can easily fit in your travel bag. They are also relatively affordable, with most basic units costing around $30 and reaching to about $100.

It should be noted that newer universal power changers now work with mobile phone devices and some even include the ability to charge an electric device using a USB power port.