# Foreign power and battery charging **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 23, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-power-and-battery-charging/551164 "2010-08-23T15:56:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-power-and-battery-charging/551164/1 "2010-08-23T15:56:40Z")
I’ll be travelling in Europe in a few weeks (UK and France). The guy at the Apple store said I don’t need a voltage converter to charge my laptop, just a plug adapter. Is this true? What about the rechargable battery for my digital camera? ---
**Author:** ![qpw3141](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/6bbea6/32.png) [@qpw3141](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qpw3141)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-power-and-battery-charging/551164/2 "2010-08-23T15:59:11Z")
Most rechargers nowadays can work from voltages between 100 and 250. Just check the markings on the actual charger to be sure. You’ll need two adapters the French use a different socket than the British. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-power-and-battery-charging/551164/3 "2010-08-23T16:06:08Z")
The battery charger for my camera works fine on both 110 and 240 volts, and many laptops are used by the kind of person who travels around the world. The writing on these things is often microscopic, and in black on black, but they should say what range of volts they will accept. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-power-and-battery-charging/551164/4 "2010-08-23T16:19:15Z")
> [@qpw3141](#): > > You’ll need two adapters the French use a different socket than the British. I highly recommend [one of these](http://shop.packyourbags.com/acatalog/lifesystems-usb-travel-adapter.html) if you can find that design in the US- it adapts from any socket to any plug, and if you have USB chargeable items it can do them too. Doesn’t change voltage, of course. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-power-and-battery-charging/551164/5 "2010-08-23T16:28:05Z")
Thanks. I already picked up an adapter set from Radio Shack, so I’ve got that covered. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-power-and-battery-charging/551164/6 "2010-08-23T16:33:36Z")
Most modern electronics (computers and battery chargers) are designed to work around the world. They will need plug adapters, but not transformers. Other items, like hairdryers, need a transformer. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-power-and-battery-charging/551164/7 "2010-08-23T20:59:24Z")
I’ve gone to Europe with just a 2-prong adapter, and had no problem with my laptop, camera recharger, and iPod recharger. But take more than one adapter, so you can charge more than one thing at a time. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-power-and-battery-charging/551164/8 "2010-08-23T21:36:24Z")
I’m still annoyed about the time my mom and I went to Ireland. Before we left, a guy at Radio Shack sold her an adapter (with a transformer) and assured her that it would work with her camcorder, when in fact it wouldn’t. And then, we didn’t realize that we could have just used a straight-through plug adapter until we were well out of any city where we could have bought one. So we ended up with about five minutes of video from the entire trip. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-power-and-battery-charging/551164/9 "2010-08-24T09:49:13Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I’ve gone to Europe with just a 2-prong adapter, and had no problem with my laptop, camera recharger, and iPod recharger. But take more than one adapter, so you can charge more than one thing at a time. Better still, a multi-socket strip. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-power-and-battery-charging/551164/10 "2010-08-24T11:13:50Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > I’ll be travelling in Europe in a few weeks (UK and France). The guy at the Apple store said I don’t need a voltage converter to charge my laptop, just a plug adapter. > > Is this true? What about the rechargable battery for my digital camera? look at the markings on the power supply. If it says “100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz” it’s good worldwide, with just the plug adapter. most wall warts and power bricks are like this now.