Hi there-- this is more of a question than a poll (move this is it needs moving, please, mods), but I guess I need input from seasoned trans-Atlantic travelers. I will be spending much of the summer in Belgium and need to take my laptop (an older mac iBook) with me for work. What sort of power adapter should I get for this? Additionally, although I have arranged a flat with ‘internet access’ I’m not sure what this entails-- is DSL or ethernet common, or is this code for ‘phone jack?’ Regardless, will I need to get some sort of adaptor or special cable for that? Will those be readily available at electronics shops? I assume that Eurpopean phone jacks aren’t arranged the same as those in the US.
Thanks for any information you might have (and anything I haven’t thought to ask about is welcome as well).
Pretty much all laptops sold these days – including iBooks, I checked at Apple’s site – include dual-voltage power adaptors. This means they’re designed to handle both 110-120V in the US and 220-240V in Europe, so you don’t need a stepdown transformer, just an adaptor for the actual wall plug. To be sure, flip over the little box that goes between your laptop and the wall, and make sure it says, “Input: 100V-240V~” or something similar. You can pick up the two-prong wall adaptor for Europe at a Rand McNally travel store for around $5. I just spent a month in Germany and did the same thing.
If by chance your iBook does not come with a dual-voltage adaptor, you can probably buy one at a local Apple Store or other Apple dealer.
Phones, I can’t help you with.
Don’t know about the connection issues but most notebook power supplies should automatically handle either European or American power input. You will need an plug adapter set which you can get at Radio Shack for a few bucks.
To double check go here for your Powerbook’s power capabilities
http://www.info.apple.com/support/applespec.html
Belgium power and modems
Ah, excellent information. Thanks. Good good. You guys rock.