![]() If all you need is to charge your laptop and phone, for example. If you're traveling to the UK with a very limited set of gadgets, you may be able to get on just fine without a voltage converter. People travel with laptops all over the world and would get pretty upset if laptops died on them just because they forgot to use a converter. For example, modern laptops are usually set up to take in anything from 100v to 240 volts. And a standard 110v made-in-the-us hairdryer won't be able to withstand 220 volts for long. If they're set up for 240v, they should do ok with 220v and vice versa. Most electric appliances and gadgets have some room for maneuver. How important is it to stick to the right voltage? I don't think that has changed since Brexit. The EU had 220v and the UK has 240v so they compromised on a unified standard of 230v. In reality, it's 240v which is what it used to be before Britain joined the EU. So, all of the appliances sold in the US and Canada are set up to take just that kind of voltage- and no more. It literally burns them up on the inside if it goes on for too long. ![]() Otherwise, they get too much electricity flowing through their circuits all at once and that's not good. Here's a video explaining what voltage is -Ĭlearly, electric items need to be prepared to take in whatever pressure you're pushing through. Voltage would represent how hard you're pushing the water in. Imagine you were pumping water into electric gadgets, instead of electricity. Voltage is the pressurein which the electrons get pushed out into our appliances. The same concept, so if you're not sure, you can check out that post as well.Įlectricity gets pushed out of the grid and into appliances that we plug into sockets. I've tried to explain the concept in my post about which plug adapter you need when visiting Israel. I'm not a physicist, so I'll try and explain this to the best of my ability. Why do you need both a voltage converter and a plug adapter? It comes with three plug adapters that have you covered in the UK and elsewhere in Europe (as well as a few other countries). It covers you, for any kind of electric appliance or gadget you're bringing over from the US or Canada. It offers two American-shaped sockets, as well as four USB sockets, allowing you to get electric juice going into up to six appliances in total. This is what it looks like (you can click on the image too to get to the Amazon page). In case you're in a hurry, here's a quick link to the kind of device that you need to order from Amazon. I'll explain more about socket configuration and voltage issues further down the post. Your electric appliance simply won't fit into the UK sockets without the adapter, and if you get only an adapter, without the voltage converter, you could easily damage them. If you're coming from the US or Canada to anywhere in the UK - England, Wales or Scotland - you need a plug adapter as well as a voltage converter. Traveling to the UK and bringing along your appliances and gadgets? Wondering whether or not you can just plug them in? Here's a detailed guide I prepared based on my own experience traveling in the US and the UK, along with photos contributed by my brother who lives in England (thanks bro!)
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