Help from fellow Travelers: Power adapters

[Scott S]

Hello there! Happy Holidays!

In the midst of shopping around for Christmas I have remembered that I will need to get something for a trip in February. In February I will be taking a trip to Australia. Awesome! I know I am going to have a few electronic devices to take with me and I wanted to get a reliable power adapter to bring with me but I am having a horrible time finding one that is useful/reliable.

I know what voltage and wattage requirements I will need or have. Here in the USA power runs at 110v and at 60hz. In Australia it is 220-240v at 50hz. They also use PAL there but Im not sure if I will need a NTSC to PAL converter. Anyway. Ive been searching and most of what I find are these "world" adapters that come with all these extra plugs and they dont look very reliable.

I dont need a ton of power. The electronic devices I will use will be: electronic toothbrush, my portable minidisc recorder, the battery charger for my digital camera and (the power hog of the bunch) my laptop.

Basically, I wanted to buy one, two or maybe even three small power adapters to bring with me when I visit. Other than the laptop, they are all relatively small wattage requirements. Ill have to look at my power supply on the laptop to see how many watts Ill need.

Does any out there (travelers!) know what are some good power adapters that would be good for me? Maybe just a link to a good store for these things. Ive been searching for weeks. I must be using all the wrong keywords.

Thanks a bunch and Happy Holidays!

[Mike P.]

I used a Model V85 when in Australia and had no problems.

http://www.voltagevalet.com/converters.html

As for your laptop, check the info on your AC adaptor. Most will say "Input 100-240V 50/60hz"" in which case the converter is not required. All you will need is a adaptor plug to plug it in to a Australian wall outlet. A couple of dollars at Radio Shack.

Where abouts in Australia are you vactioning in?

[Scott S]

Cool! That one looks better than the ones Ive been finding. Hope it is reliable. What did you power with it, if I may ask?

I had a look at my laptop and my cell phone power supplies this morning and they both say 110-240 VAC @ 50-60hz. I guess that is good since I wont need a converter just an adapter for the plugs.

Ill be visiting a close friend who lives near Melbourne. I will be there for 4-5 weeks. First time ever really leaving the country and I always wanted to go to Australia. Should be great fun. Cant wait to go!

Thanks a lot, Mike!

[Mike P.]

I used it for an electric toothbrush, shaver, and for charging camcorder batteries. Going to Australia is a long flight. To make it as comfortable as possible, find out what type of planes you'll be flying on and then go to this link.

http://www.seatguru.com/

You can request the best seats from your airline if you do it ahead of time. Nobody wants to sit by a bathroom. Found that out the hard way!

[Scott S]

Ah, thats the kinda things I will have to use with the converter. It looks like I can just get adapter plugs for my laptop and cell phone as they are dual power. Thats good.

Yeah, definitely getting ready for a long flight. I will have plenty of minidiscs with me if I cant use my laptop. Not sure what plane I will be on until I get my ticket, I think. Not even sure what airline I will be taking yet. Most likely United. I will be sure to update the thread when I know. Prolly after Christmas. Thanks for that link! Thats a great find.

I sure dont want to be near a toilet.