Travel Power: Adapters, Voltage, Power Banks and What Is Allowed

Travel power is a small category with one important distinction that catches people out: an adapter changes the shape of the plug, and a converter changes the voltage. They are different products, and using the wrong one damages equipment.

Adapter or converter

• An adapter lets a plug physically fit a different socket. It does nothing to the electricity.
• A converter or transformer changes the voltage. Needed only for devices that cannot handle the local supply.

How to tell which you need: look at the small print on the device's own charger. If it says an input range covering roughly 100–240V, the device handles both common world standards and only needs an adapter. Almost all phone, laptop and camera chargers do.

What usually does not: hair dryers, straighteners, electric shavers and small kitchen appliances. These are the items that get destroyed, and a converter rated for their wattage is heavy. Buying one at the destination is often the simpler answer.

Choosing an adapter

• Cover the regions you actually travel to. A universal adapter is convenient and bulky; a single-region one is small and cheap.
• Check the current rating if you will charge a laptop. Some cheap adapters are rated only for low-draw devices.
• Earthed or not. Some universal adapters do not pass through the earth connection, which matters for some appliances.
• Built-in USB ports reduce what you carry, but check the output — a low-output port charges a laptop slowly or not at all.
• Physical fit. Bulky adapters do not fit recessed sockets or sockets behind furniture.

Power banks and the rules

Lithium batteries must travel in the cabin, never in checked baggage. There is a capacity limit expressed in watt-hours, printed on the unit itself — a power bank above it will not be allowed. Some airlines also limit how many you may carry, and several have recently restricted using or charging them during flight.

Buy one with the rating clearly printed. An unlabelled battery is the one most likely to be refused, because staff cannot verify it.

What to actually carry

1. One adapter covering your destination.
2. One multi-port charger with enough total output for your laptop plus a phone.
3. One power bank within the limit.
4. Short cables rather than long ones — less tangle, same function.

This replaces the bag of individual chargers most people carry, and weighs less.

Before you order

Check the plug type used at your destination, since some countries use more than one. Check your device's input voltage range on its own charger before assuming you need a converter. Check the watt-hour rating on any power bank against airline limits. And check the adapter's current rating against the most demanding thing you will plug into it.