I know a thing or two about electricity.
It is, quite literally, my job. I’m an electrical project manager, so volts, amps, watts, circuits, and the various ways people can f*ck them up are part of my everyday life.
Which means when I started figuring out what I needed to plug my shit in during my upcoming trip through France, Italy, and Spain, I probably had a little bit of a head start.
But even I had to stop and look at what I was actually packing.
Because knowing how electricity works and knowing whether the hair tool sitting in your bathroom drawer is dual voltage are two different things.
There are a few things I know I’m going to need when I get to Europe.
My phone. My camera. My laptop. And, because I refuse to spend two weeks looking like I’ve been sleeping at a train station, some means of doing my hair.
All of those things require electricity.
Unfortunately, Europe decided to make electricity just complicated enough that you should probably figure this shit out before you’re standing in a hotel bathroom in Nice holding a curling iron and wondering why the plug won’t fit.
So here’s what I found out.
First: An Adapter Is Not a Voltage Converter
This is the big one—and this is the part where I’m putting on my electrical-project-manager hat for approximately thirty seconds.
A plug adapter changes the shape of your plug.
That’s it.
It does not magically transform European electricity into American electricity. It doesn’t make a 120-volt appliance suddenly capable of handling 230 volts.
It’s basically a tiny piece of plastic and metal saying:
“Sure, your weird American plug can sit with us.”
The United States generally uses 120-volt, 60 Hz electricity.
Most of Europe uses 230-volt, 50 Hz electricity.
That difference matters.
Plugging a 120V-only appliance into a European outlet with nothing but an adapter can damage the appliance, trip a breaker, or potentially create a safety hazard.
And this is where your hair dryer enters the chat.
The Tiny Writing on Your Charger Is Suddenly Important
Before you pack anything that plugs into a wall, turn it over and look for something that says INPUT.
If it says something along the lines of:
INPUT: 100–240V ~ 50/60Hz
Congratulations. 🎉
That device can accept the voltage and frequency used both at home and across Europe. You generally just need the correct plug adapter.
Phones, tablets, laptops, camera battery chargers, USB charging bricks, and similar modern electronics are commonly designed this way.
Still check yours.
I am not buying you a new MacBook because you took advice from some woman with a travel website.
Now Let’s Talk About Your Hair
This is where things get stupid.
Hair dryers, curling irons, straighteners, hot brushes, and other high-heat grooming appliances can be a completely different story.
Some are dual voltage.
Some are 120V only.
And putting a little $8 plug adapter on a 120V-only hair dryer does not make it safe to plug into 230V.
If your appliance says:
100–240V — you’re generally good with the appropriate plug adapter.
If it says:
120V only — that bastard stays home unless you have an appropriate voltage converter that is specifically rated to handle the appliance.
And before you decide you’re just going to buy a giant voltage converter and bring your entire bathroom with you, there’s another option:
Don’t.
High-wattage heating appliances are exactly where I’d rather not screw around with a cheap travel converter.
Use the hair dryer at your hotel or hostel. Or, if your particular hair situation requires equipment—I understand—buy a dual-voltage travel appliance before you go.
You’re going to Europe.
You do not need to transport a small American beauty salon across the Atlantic.
What About Electric Toothbrushes, Shavers, and Other Bathroom Shit?
Same rule.
Read the label on the charger.
Electric toothbrushes, shavers, beard trimmers, facial devices, and rechargeable grooming tools vary. Don’t assume something is safe just because it charges instead of plugging directly into the wall.
Look for that magic little range:
100–240V ~ 50/60Hz
If you see it, you generally only need the appropriate plug adapter.
If it only lists something around 110/120V, you need to investigate further before plugging it into a European outlet.
And if you can’t figure it out?
Google the exact model before you pack it.
Five minutes of research is considerably cheaper than watching your $200 grooming appliance release its soul in an Italian bathroom.
Europe Doesn’t Even Have One Damn Plug
Because apparently that would have been too easy.
A lot of continental Europe uses outlets compatible with the familiar two-round-pin Type C Europlug, but socket standards vary by country.
For my trip:
- France: Types C and E
- Italy: Types C, F, and L
- Spain: Types C and F
The nice part is that the little two-pin Type C Europlug-style adapter works with many of the sockets you’ll encounter throughout continental Europe.
That’s the little two-round-pin adapter I’m bringing for my ordinary dual-voltage electronics as I travel through France, Italy, and Spain.
But don’t take “I’m going to Europe” to mean “Europe has one outlet.”
It absolutely does not.
The UK and Ireland, for example, use a completely different plug.
So look up the countries on your itinerary before you leave.
Europe likes to keep us humble.
Don’t Forget the USB Shortcut
Here’s something that can eliminate a whole pile of adapters.
Instead of bringing a separate adapter for every device, bring one good multi-port USB charging brick that accepts 100–240V input.
Check the label on the brick itself.
Put your European plug adapter on that, and suddenly one outlet can charge several things:
Your phone, watch, camera, power bank, earbuds, and whatever other electronic shit you’ve convinced yourself you cannot survive without.
This is particularly useful in older European hotels and hostels where your room may have approximately one conveniently located outlet, installed sometime during the reign of Napoleon.
My Packing Rule
Before anything with a cord goes into my backpack, I’m checking the label.
100–240V?
Pack it. Bring the appropriate plug adapter.
120V only?
It stays home unless I’ve specifically figured out a safe solution for that appliance.
Can’t read the microscopic writing because I’m 52 and apparently labels are now printed for ants?
Take a picture of it with your phone and zoom in.
Modern problems. Modern solutions.
One More Time for the People in the Back
A plug adapter changes the physical connection.
A voltage converter changes the voltage.
They are not the same thing.
So don’t buy a bag of European plug adapters on Amazon and assume you’ve magically made every electrical thing you own compatible with European power.
Check the voltage.
Check the country.
Pack the right adapter.
Then go see the world.
Preferably without setting your bangs on fire.
A Passport and a Penny
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