Outlet converter???

If i have electrical appliances from the US, should I buy an outlet converter before going to Paris or will the hotel have it?

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If you have dual-voltage appliances and if what you really want is a plug adapter, then just go to Radio Shack or similar and buy one for a few dollars.

If you are talking about a voltage converter, then this advice from SunloverFrance is as good as I%26#39;ve ever seen:

An adapter simply gets round the problem of different shape plugs and sockets in the world. For instance in the UK a plug has three rectangular shape pins, and the sockets therefore has three rectangular shape holes. In France plugs have two round pins, with a round hole for the earth; I believe Italy is the same. In the USA I believe you have two flat pins on the plug.

A converter converts the voltage. In the UK and mainland Europe everything is 220 -230 volts, whereas in the states it is 110 volts.

You can actually buy a combined adapter / converter, but most adapters do not convert the voltage.

Therefore if you were wanting to plug your USA coffee maker into a socket in Paris, you would need both functions, i. e. convert the voltage from 110 to 220 volts, and get around the problem of different shape plugs.

However, camera batteries and cell phones need to charge at between 5 to 10 volts depending on the make, so in fact your charger has already got a voltage converter built into it, and in most cases in can convert down from either 220 volts or 110 volts to the voltage required by you cell phone etc. Just look at the small label on your charger, and look for what is says for INPUT. If it says 220 v - 110 v , then it will cope with both USA and Europe voltage.

So, in that case, all you need is an adapter to get round the different shape plugs.

Sorry if this is a bit long winded, but I thought it might help to remove some of the confusion.

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Make sure your appliances are dual voltage (it is 220V in France). If they are not, don%26#39;t take them with you.

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I agree - take only dual voltage appliances.

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I agree re dual voltage and don%26#39;t bother taking things that need a voltage converter.

For plug adaptors, go to any travel store (or luggage store) in the US and you should be able to get an assorted pack. Take at least two or three of the type you will need. They never are available in hotels (most likely, I would think, because they are small and would disappear with each new guest). Just get them and leave them in your suitcase for the next trip after you get back (same as the champagne bottle stopper, LOL!)

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I wouldnt count on your hotel to have them but they usually have a box of assorted weird ones people have left behind. For some strange reason, the adapter I had for Spain the metal pins fit but the outlet shape was different (a Catalonia thing???), so I had to borrow a piece from the front desk to make mine work.

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