How can I work with electrical outlets that don't “hold” plugs that are plugged in to them? Specifically, with Euro outlets in hotels and planes.

The quick solution for some may be to bend out the prongs on the plug so that it doesn't fall out. But this is not really practical if you are using one of those nice little expensive iPhone charge heads or a Euro plug.

In fact, while US prongs may be somewhat bendable due to their flat nature, Euro ones are often tubular metal so trying to bend one may break it at the point where it meats the plastic plug part. Of course replacing the outlet is the correct answer but how are we to entice a hotel or a plane to do that on the spot? We cant. And I cant be trying to carry needle nose pliers for careful bending on every trip either.

Some seats on planes have USB plugs but many still do not. I flew economy on the rather new WOW Airlines from Iceland the other day. They had a multi plug unit (takes Euro/US, etc in one) between/below the seat cushions but it was very loose even though I was on a relatively new Airbus plane. I tried the ones on either side of me as I was traveling with the kiddoes and sitting between em.

In hotels I often run into the issue that the wall plugs and ones on table lamps are also loose and trying to hold the weight of a US/Euro converter is not so easy. Some may recommend USB charge strips but I have had bad luck with the two I bought (must be cheaply made in China) because they eventually wear out and/or do not charge all devices (we know iPhones do everything they can to force you to use their cables and chargeheads and I have run into that here too).

If traveling with family we may sometimes bring iPad minis and/or other brand tablets for the kiddoes and our phones/laptop/camera charger/small portable charges, etc. So I pack a US extension chord, a 3-2 adapter, a 3 plug splitter, enough iPhone cables (and the "Blackberry" Micro-USB Bones that work great with our Mophie cases for our phones and a Samsung tablet with movies on it for those times when you cant sleep due to Jetlag or a delayed flight or something). Essentially, I have pretty much every type of connector covered, and when flying internationally, I have those converters as well, so the cumbersome nature of how much stuff I gotta bring in my backpack is one thing, but to get it to actually hold up when in hotels and on planes is the main issue here.

Anyone have any thoughts or ideas? I am hoping someone has run into this but come up with some sort of electrically conductive "fattener" of plug prongs or something. Maybe I should invent it and become the bloke who supplies it to weary travelers The problem is you cant always be sure which plug you are going to try in the outlet. Some Euro ones are inset far into the wall so you need an extender. Some US ones have a wide opening for one side of the plug while some do not. Some require the 3/2 adapter and some can take the Euro converter directly. These heavy buggers often hang in position due to their girth and weight so I can imagine the contact is lessened do to this.

THREAD NOTES: I searched for this topic but could not find it. If this thread belongs elsewhere MOD can move it. We have the need to be connected when traveling. If anyone has issue with that, please know that everyone has different needs for different reasons. Thank you

MM