One thing that international travellers need to understand is that the electrical and power supply systems of all countries in the world are not uniform. So, if you are a resident of the Far East or UK, your electrical gadgets are manufactured to work at 220 volts supply.
If you need to travel to the US, you need to carry a reliable voltage converter as the voltage of the electrical supply there is 110 volts. Invest in a good 110-to-220-volt converter to step down the voltage. This is because if you plug in your 110-volt device into a 220-volt supply, it will instantly damage the appliance.
When you go out to buy a voltage converter, you must make sure that the wattage of the converter is at least two or three times higher than what the device requires. If you take a converter with a similar or a lower wattage, you again run the risk of damaging the appliance as well as the converter.
In addition, you need to remember that a voltage converter will only step-up or step-down the voltage. It will not convert or change the cycles. Although, the new-age devices like computers and printers are not cycle-sensitive, some devices are and you may need to check the same as difference in cycles mean that the device will work slower in a country where the Hz are lower.
The other good thing about the voltage converter is that you can plug in multiple devices simultaneously into the converter as long as the total wattage of all the plugged-in appliances is less than the converter’s wattage.
If you are travelling to a country where the fluctuations in power and voltage are erratic and not reliable, then you might want to buy a converter that has an in-built surge protector so that electrical and electronic devices are completely safe from power fluctuations. Finally, please do check if the device is single voltage or dual voltage because in case of the latter, you do not need a converter.
