1st time to Europe-gadgets/accessories/apps must haves?

[Deleted]

We'll be visiting major cities but I'm feeling overwhelmed with how to prepare.

My main question is the electricity/outlet thing.  Do I need adapters, converters or both?   Do rooms typically have a hairdryer in Europe?  Do they typically have secure safes?

I bought around-the-neck type passport holders to wear under clothing big enough for credit cards, cash also. 

We plan to take our iphones--any apps that are great for conversions? translations?  train info? etc

[alleinesein]

What countries are you visiting?

What level of hotel are you staying at?

You really dont need a passport holder; just use a small cross body purse.

If you are staying at a hotel that caters to international business travelers they MIGHT have adapters in the room or they might have a standard US outlet (the hotels I've stayed at in London had a UK and US plug at the desk).

Hairdryers are in most hotel rooms; the only hotel that I have stayed at that didnt have one was EasyHotel in London and thats b/c its a no-frills hotel.

Your laptop/tablet/e-reader/cell phone should already have a converter built into the charging cord.

A lot of the information that we can give you will be based on the cities you are visiting.

[frlcb]

I wouldn't count on having US plugs in rooms, I would bring adaptors. Look for an all in one kind that has options for Europe and the UK. The hair dryer will depend on what quality hotel you are staying in. Same with the safe.

Be careful with your iphone, if you use it regularly it can be very expensive. We usually put it on airplane mode and then just use wifi.

[sunnysally]

Trip Advisor has city specific apps that work with GPS. I also had a Paris metro map that didn't use data. Many hotels only have one outlet, so I would suggest bringing along a small power strip like this one. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F9YN2M/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[marytini]

Here is a list of Apps. It is on the France forum, but many are for travel in general
www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187147-i14-k3963345-IPad_iPhone_app_recommendations_in_France-Paris_Ile_de_France.html#28837197

You'll have to check with your cell phone provider about using your iPhone overseas. If you can't get a global plan, you can just use wifi only, when available. Many apps are available offline.

I just used this adapter on our recent trip. It's nice because it has room for 2 things to be plugged into it, especially since rooms there don't seem to have as many outlets as we have here. This is just an adapter, it does not convert electricity. On our recent trip, I don't think we even needed our converter as everything was dual voltage. Check the cords on your phone/camera/etc chargers and if they are dual voltage, you won't need a converter. (It will say 110v-220v)
www.amazon.com/OREI-Grounded-Universal-Adapter-Germany/dp/B004SY5O5K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374984661&sr=8-1&keywords=european+power+converter

You will have to check with your hotel to see if they have hair dryers. Most places will say on their website if they do or not.

[GilliC]

IMO, plug adapters are a must. martini 's looks great, because yes, some rooms have hardly any outlets. You definitely need more than one adapter, because you'll probably be charging multiple items (cameras, phones, etc).

Avoid converters if you can, because they weigh a ton. As PPs mentioned, check the device for the electrical info. Anything that's 110-120V would need to be converted, according to the number of watts it uses. If it goes up to 220/240V, it doesn't need conversion. Most modern electronics are usually fine.

If you have unruly hair, I would consider investing in a travel dryer. A lot of hotel hair dryers (even domestic) aren't that great, and if you're doing any budget travel, smaller, cheaper hotels often don't have dryers. If it's an issue, you can get a small dual-voltage dryer inexpensively that's easy to pack.

Typically only business and high-end hotels have safes, so I would consider alternatives. We typically just keep our suitcases/bags locked in the room, and we've never had a problem anywhere. If it seems like a really sketchy place, we'll just carry our valuables with us. However, we've only stayed in a few truly sketchy hotels over te years, and we stay in a lot of cheap places.

For apps, it depends a lot on where you're going, but try to choose things that work offline (e.g dictionaries vs online translation apps), because you'll probably be facing crazy roaming data charges. One tip is to browse the Maps of the are from a WiFi connection, so that the data is cached. Then you can still use the GPS location without downloading new maps on the fly.

[marina007]

The xe app is great for currency conversion on the go - and I second turning off data roaming as it gets expensive fast!

[Deleted]

I carry the same handbags in Europe that I carry in the US (I live in NY and carry the same kinds of bags you'd carry in Safetown, USA). I don't bother with cross-body or whatever. Like anywhere else, stay aware of your surroundings and if you're in a crowded area hold your bag tighter and pay more attention.

As others have said, you'll need converters if you're bringing US appliances that aren't dual-voltage, but only adapters if the stuff you're bringing is dual-voltage. Higher-end hotels will have adapters you can borrow, but I like to bring my own.

What apps are helpful depends on where you'll be.

[patches31709]

We have this adapter:
www.amazon.com/Kensington-33117-International-Travel-Adapter/dp/B0002H4YUI/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1375054475&sr=8-15&keywords=plug+adapter

And any electronics we bring are dual voltage, so we don't need a converter. We just bring a small power strip to and plug that in to the adapter.

[Deleted]

Make sure you call your cell carrier and discuss with them your options for service and data packages in Europe!

[msgeeksout]

www.mtrip.com/

They create offline GPS positioned city guide apps. Seriously they are freaking awesome. They have a triangle pointing out from where you are so you can tell which direction you are looking in, live city views, hours of tourist spots, etc. Seriously seriously worth every penny. I strongly recommend them.

And an all in one adaptor. Plug a power strip into the adaptor and you only need the one adaptor for all your US electrical devices.

[laurelle]

You should make a record of all your credit cards, and other important cards held by you. In the event of any loss of the same, you will have handy record with you.

[sushi]

The adapter neeps linked looks great. Mine is bulkier than that. You want one that converts to everything AND has usb charging.

Look into Rick Steves podcasts to play while you're wandering around.

I second xe for currency conversion.

What phone do you have, and how long have you had it? If you can unlock it, then you can buy a prepay sim in the airport which can be much cheaper than paying for internet in hotels or paying roaming fees.

Take pictures of your passport and credit cards so that you have yet another backup.

For carrying passports, cameras, and other sundry travel items, I use an extra small timbuk2 messenger bag and absolutely love it. It's got tons of zippered pockets, even pockets within pockets.

[Deleted]

Thank you for all of the info. I think I finally get the converter/adapter thing. I'm going to skip the converter & make sure everything has the dual voltage; just not sure what to do about a hair dryer. I'm not sure I can rely on hotels to have one--I'd say we're staying in no-frills type places. We'll be in major cities throughout continental Europe; utilizing the trains. I might just buy one there.

Is it a good idea to have TSA luggage locks? Or is that not really necessary?

[mrshabious]

I have a messenger bag that fits my camera, book, water, snacks) and it is awesome (victorinox).

I bring a few euros with me and then hit the ATM when we get settled.

Check to see if your credit cards have foreign transaction fees. One of ours doesn't but the other does.

If your hitting Ireland and are going to do shopping get a Fedco card at any retailer. Register it (they'll help you). Your vat refunds are loaded on that. You get reimbursed super fast.

If you are going to UK find out what to do to get your vat back if your shopping.

In addition to emailing yourself a copy of your passport, I always do the same w my itineraries, and credit card info (name of issuing bank and phone numbers).

Depending in the cost of trip / airfare, I get travelers insurance.

You should be able to get a hair dryer you can take with you at places like brooks tone or some travel speciality stores.

I don't put locks on my luggage

[GilliC]

Jul 31, 2013 6:09:14 GMT -5 @blushnbashful said:

Thank you for all of the info. I think I finally get the converter/adapter thing. I'm going to skip the converter & make sure everything has the dual voltage; just not sure what to do about a hair dryer. I'm not sure I can rely on hotels to have one--I'd say we're staying in no-frills type places. We'll be in major cities throughout continental Europe; utilizing the trains. I might just buy one there.

Is it a good idea to have TSA luggage locks? Or is that not really necessary?

You can find a simple, inexpensive dual-voltage travel dryer just about anywhere:

www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?ic=16_0&Find=Find&search_query=travel+dryer&Find=Find&search_constraint=0&_be_switches=facet_lookup_by_full_cat_path:on

www.target.com/p/babylisspro-tt-tourmaline-titanium-travel-dryer-red/-/A-14278453#prodSlot=medium_1_1&term=travel+dryer
I have one of the small folding ones to save luggage space, but my hair needs are fairly simple.

I do have TSA luggage locks, which is good because I've had my luggage inspected multiple times.  I always lock my luggage, just for the peace of mind.  I know plenty of people who have had things stolen out of checked luggage, and I like to be able to lock my bag up when I leave it in a hotel room during the day.  Especially if I'm in a hotel room without a safe.  Since a luggage lock is only a few dollars, I don't know why you wouldn't.  The only argument I know of against locking your bag is that on a domestic flight in Argentina, someone broke into my checked bag en route, but since it was locked, they wrenched the zipper pull off. I had to pay $25 to get a new zipper pull put on and I had no way to lock my bag in the meantime.  I still choose to lock it.

[KKD]

The hotels and apartments we've used in Europe have always provided hairdryers, some better than others. If the quality of the hairdryer is important to you, though, I'd suggest bringing your own. I have this travel hairdryer which is dual voltage.

All of our chargers -- camera, cell phone, tablet, laptop -- have worked fine with just an adapter. We have two universal adapters that we bring, along with this mini power strip (that sunnysally also recommended) which allows us to charge multiple electronics with one adapter (and leaves our second adapter free for me to use in the bathroom).

I always carry a cross-body purse in Europe, but that is as much for security as it is forcing myself to limit what I carry. I typically take so many pictures that I don't even bother with a camera bag and instead just keep it around my neck. We don't carry our passports with us while sight-seeing and instead leave them in the hotel safe and keep a scanned image on my phone and email.

I think all of our hotels have had safes (and they are generally moderate and not high end), but the apartment we rented in Rome did not. We do not use luggage locks.

I agree with calling your cell phone provider to check your coverage where you'll be traveling. I remember being told by Verizon that my phone would work in Paris only to be surprised when we got there and it didn't, but fortunately H has a global iPhone through work so fortunately it hasn't been an issue. I usually plan so much out beforehand that we don't have much need for apps while there, and like others said, it can end up being very expensive. The only travel-related app we've used is Google Translate, and even that is just when I can't find the word in the phrase book.

[msturtle143]

DH brought adapters and that was enough.
Luckily I am a wash and go type of girl so I never worry whether a hotel has hairdryers. They did though.

Say no to around-neck passport holders. I think last thing you want to do is look like a tourist which would make you a target. I carried a crossbody bag...so did DH but he did wear a flat waist pack under his shirt for cc and other important docs.

We went to Paris and Rome and we didn't find it difficult to converse in English with the locals. We weren't big into asking lots of questions anyway.

Have fun!