US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - Traveling to London

Hey guys,

Got a newbie question. Not mile related, but definitely travel related. I am going to London for the first time at end of year. They have a different electrical voltage system then we do I have been reading. Will my camcorder charger, electrical toothbrush, etc. work over there. If not, where can I get an adapter for these items to work. Thanks so much.

Ricky

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Rickdog99:
Hey guys,

Got a newbie question. Not mile related, but definitely travel related. I am going to London for the first time at end of year. They have a different electrical voltage system then we do I have been reading. Will my camcorder charger, electrical toothbrush, etc. work over there. If not, where can I get an adapter for these items to work. Thanks so much.

Ricky</font>

The power is different and the plugs are different.

Most hotels have converters if you ask. Otherwise, try RadioShaft or maybe Circuit City.

We're looking forward to our upcoming jaunt. Unfortunately, we're not going to be able to smell the lilacs in F class - they may have done away with them on US...

Just becareful with the adapaters-and I would not recommend use of anything that you cannot easily replace. My wife used an adapter for a hair dryer in London and it got fried.

[This message has been edited by RMINIONE (edited 11-06-2001).]

As Rminione's wife's experience points out, there are different types of converters for different wattage-rated appliances. I got a 50 watt max converter from RadioShack, which my wife was able to use with a low-powered curler during our recent trip to London. It has the plug converters built in, so you don't need to carry a second item. I recall that RS also had a higher power converter available, too. The 50-watter was about $25.

Make sure you get the voltage *converter* and not just an outlet *adaptor.* The adaptors are usually readily available from hotel front desks but I would be afraid to use them alone. Just using an adaptor could get something fried as rminione said.

Though I am not a big fan of Radio Shack in general, many years ago I picked up a converter/adaptor there that can be used all over the world-- I am a F/A with UAL and it has become a permanent part of my suitcase, wherever I go (I have used it in the UK-- continental Europe-- Australia-- Asia-- they all have different electrical systems)-- it is wonderful, everything you need in one unit, never had any problems (though I primarily just use it for my electric razor). Look for something like that. I forget how much it cost but it wasn't much and if you travel a lot it is really a necessity.

[This message has been edited by Bear96 (edited 11-07-2001).]

I got caught in London without a converter for my laptop, but found it surprisingly easy to go out and buy one -- even though we were in the suburbs, not in central London.

Most laptop power supplies (and some other portable electronic device power supplies, including some camcorders) don't need a voltage convertor at all -- just an adaptor plug so you can plug them in. The companies design the power supplies so they can sell the exact same power supply all over the world.

Read the back of your power supply. If it says something like "INPUT: 100-240V, 50/60Hz" that means it can be used on any power system. Just buy a pack of adaptor plugs for &lt;$10. Piece of cake. :)

David