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Recommendation for those who travel with multiple electronic devices
in Travel Tips
I admit we are tech geeks. When we travel, I have my iPhone, my Kindle and my laptop. My husband has his iPhone, his Kindle and his tablet. Plus, I bring along a travel steamer. That's a lot of stuff to recharge and even though today most electronic devices are both 110v and 220v adaptable, you'll need a lot of plugs in your room and a lot of travel adapters for the country you're visiting if you travel with multiple electronic devices.
For our last trip I purchased the EZO Power 200 Watt International Travel Charger and Power Voltage Converter. It was great! The electrical cord that comes with it has a Continental plug. It comes with adapters for the USA, UK/Hong Kong and Australia/New Zealand. There are 4 USB outlets for charging your phones, tablets, Kindles, etc. There are three American sockets on top for charging your laptop or other lower voltage devices. It does not work with high voltage devices like hairdryers, but most hotels now provide hair dryers.
It worked great for us. No arguing over whose device needed charging the most. Both phones, the tablet and one Kindle could be charged at the same time via USB, while the laptop was plugged in on top with room for two more items to plug in as well, all from one room outlet. Finding sufficient room outlets can be challenging for one who travels with multiple electronic devices.
The EXO works on both 110v and 220v which is why you'll want to bring the American plug adapter if your travel plans include stops in the US. On our trip to and from Australia, we stopped in LA before heading back to the East Coast so we brought both US and Australian plug adapters along.
One caveat, when you turn the EZO on it makes a low whirring sound. The sound was like a quiet fan. If I paid attention, I could hear it, but it soon became white noise. Others might find it distracting however. I purchased mine via Amazon.com.
For our last trip I purchased the EZO Power 200 Watt International Travel Charger and Power Voltage Converter. It was great! The electrical cord that comes with it has a Continental plug. It comes with adapters for the USA, UK/Hong Kong and Australia/New Zealand. There are 4 USB outlets for charging your phones, tablets, Kindles, etc. There are three American sockets on top for charging your laptop or other lower voltage devices. It does not work with high voltage devices like hairdryers, but most hotels now provide hair dryers.
It worked great for us. No arguing over whose device needed charging the most. Both phones, the tablet and one Kindle could be charged at the same time via USB, while the laptop was plugged in on top with room for two more items to plug in as well, all from one room outlet. Finding sufficient room outlets can be challenging for one who travels with multiple electronic devices.
The EXO works on both 110v and 220v which is why you'll want to bring the American plug adapter if your travel plans include stops in the US. On our trip to and from Australia, we stopped in LA before heading back to the East Coast so we brought both US and Australian plug adapters along.
One caveat, when you turn the EZO on it makes a low whirring sound. The sound was like a quiet fan. If I paid attention, I could hear it, but it soon became white noise. Others might find it distracting however. I purchased mine via Amazon.com.
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With the likely exception of the steamer, the (low wattage) electronic devices you mention will work with either 110 volt (US) or 220 volt (rest of the world) sources. The EZO power converter you mention, whether running on 110V or 220V, is limited when it comes to powering devices drawing high amps/wattage (clothes iron, curling iron, hair dryer, coffee maker, cup heater, etc. - most stuff with heating elements- *including travel steamers, so you better check your steamer!! That EZO power unit is rated for only 200 watts. Most of the devices I mentioned draw over 1000 watts. A typical hair dryer draws 1200 - 1600 watts!!!! I did a quick sampling on Amazon of a dozen travel clothes steamers. All drew over 600 watts, some over 1000 watts!!!!!! You are asking for trouble and a fire!
In reality, with the exception of the steamer, most of the equipment you list has dual voltage power modules and doesn't need a converter, so leave the steamer and converter home and save some money- get a multi-adapter and a multi-outlet strip. This one also has USB power ports:
I've taken to traveling with a small refillable spray bottle (2oz) that used to contain a light cologne. I pack it empty then IF something needs some help getting the wrinkles out, I spray it with tap water and use the hotel provided blow dryer. I experimented with commercial wrinkle release products but think plain water does as well and doesn't add a scent I don't want.
What has helped with tech stuff is that my husband and I each have clear zippered bags just big enough for our various cords and plugs. I put a wrap around the cord (I use the same one for all) and put it in the bag along with the plugs and adaptor(s). We also both have small portable rechargeable battery packs as backup. Mostly just to recharge the phone in an emergency. All this goes into our carryons and TSA can clearly see what it all is.
My travel steamer is dual voltage. We've traveled internationally for years and that little lightweight steamer is an old friend. In 110v mode its wattage is 200w so need for concern, but a nice warning to others whose steamers operate at a higher wattage. For me the advantage was one less plug adapter to bring along and convenient outlet to find. While some may prefer to travel with a wardrobe that is totally wrinkle free, I prefer to travel with my normal wardrobe, which is wrinkle resistant. If after days in the suitcase a top comes out a bit rumpled, little touch up with my steamer and I am good to go. Most clothing that is totally wrinkle free I find to be uncomfortable. But life is trade-offs.
I am a former high school librarian and am currently the town librarian for our little rural public library, so I read a great deal on the topic of ereaders and tablets. Study after study has demonstrated that reading on light emitting devices like tablets, laptops or computer monitors is inferior to reading a book, a newspaper, magazine or on an ereader. Reading on a light emitting source is disturbing to the sleep cycle (that light shining into your eyes signals your body it's time to be up). Additionally reading on a light emitting source is more cursory. People reading material in book form read with greater understanding and depth and they retain the material read better. They are also less likely to be distracted by all those interrupters: beeps of arriving emails, pop-ups from social media and the allure of games loaded onto the device. While my ereader takes up a bit more space than if I used my tablet to read, I much prefer reading on this device or, when at home, reading a book. The superiority of an ereader over a book is that I can take an entire library with me on my Kindle and get more if I run through what I've pre-loaded. I could never bring enough books to last me on a long trip and used to struggle to find more reading material in the meager English language section of foreign bookstores. I love my Kindle.
AlanS, you're right. All the devices I traveled with on this last journey are dual voltage. Too bad you didn't name the device you pictured so it was easy to search for where to buy the device. I found a device that looked like that on Amazon, but while it's called a travel charger, nothing in the description explicitly indicates that it is safe to use with 220v current. I have a travel power strip I have used while travelling in the US, but you're right, I get confused in the difference between watts and voltage and as the description did not say explicitly it was safe for 220v, I erred on the side of caution. Besides, my power strip only has 4 outlets. I loved the 4 USB charging ports, plus having three outlets. I was able to use the EZO in both Australia/New Zealand and in USA (with the proper plug adapters).
Hope that addresses everyone's concerns. I am still very happy with my purchase, but there are other brands that appear to be very similar. Until I saw this device pop-up in an Amazon Deal of the Day, I didn't realize that such a device existed, which is why I decided to post on this forum. I just wanted to let others know devices of this sort are now available.
If they don't have dual voltage electrical appliances (as opposed to small electronic devices) and don't want to buy new ones, US diplomats, military, business people, etc. who get posted overseas will often buy a couple of large converters- but, unlike small converters with light duty solid state circuits, these devices have large transformers in them to change 220 Volts to 110 Volts so that they can be used to power large appliances- TV, toasters, hair dryers, etc.
As for adapters and multi outlet strips, there are a number of posts on this forum about types and sources. Also a quick search on Amazon will yield hundreds of adequate gizmos. I posted a pic of just one of them. The adapter and four outlet strip (by Monster) I use are slightly different and the pwr strip doesn't have USB ports.
My power strip (two outlets on each side):
My multi-adapter:
Yes, the black power strip is the one we use too, saw recommended on this forum and have since used it in Africa, Italy and England, those are the most recent places.
Niamb, sorry about the reference about the steamer, but my hubby really would not let me take a steamer or an iron, apart from anything else, we find there is no time to use one on most Tauck tours. Sometimes such a scramble to change after a day out and dinner is almost immediately after. Have you tried rolling up your clothes for packing, I find that eliminates most creasing, I generally wear cotton and have not had a problem with creasing clothes this way. I also take a couple of what I call floaty tops to add to a sleeveless tank top for evenings. My husband takes non- iron shirts for evenings, a little body warmth soon eliminates any wrinkles. We find that we generally rarely unpack nore than a few things on our tours, we have not had the luxury of River cruises yet, where you stay in one room and it is actually worth putting things in the closet. I usually decide what I am going to wear the night before and hang those or drape over a chair and it looks good to put on. I am always teased because I tend to iron more than most of my American friends, they are horrified that I am so particular about ironing my sheets, I haven't come across anyone here that does that. My daughter does not even own an iron, never mind an ironing board, so she lost those genes. So I guess you can see why I like a break from every day chores.