One international travel frustration that is usually overlooked is electronic paraphernalia and electrical issues.
I was frustrated and confused about my xbox not working here but it seems that I’ve grown accustomed to jimmy rigging all my other electronics to somehow work decently. When I was home for 2 weeks I had to constantly remind myself I could directly plug something into the wall and charge it.
Currently my electronic boutique consists of my india phone, US phone, kindle, computer, hair straight thingy, Nintendo DS, and 2 cameras. I think that’s it. While I have 8 major devices I have over 30 cords for them (between electrical cords, usb cables, battery chargers, etc) Beyond the straight up plug modifier you need to worry about amps in each of the devices, whether or not you need a converter, as well as potentially needing a stabilizer. My kindle is a world adapter cord with built in USB and wins the best design ever award. From me. Even though I have india adapter cords w/ reduced amps for my phone and comp they seem to really dislike the voltage and though they charge up full they die inordinately fast.
Additionally, my plugs that convert two to three prong (or vice versa) have been royally fudged which means my cords no longer stay in them, they slide right out. This sucks because I have to plug a converter into the actual device plug and then attach the India plug adapter to the converter but the converter falls out, making charging anything impossible. On top of that they aren’t actually labeled well so am I using the European version? The Australian? The African? I have no idea. Does it seem to fit into the wall? Yep, sure okay. I now charge most of my electronics through my computer and usb port, which is another exercise in jimmy rigging and how not to electrocute yourself as some of my devices don’t come with a usb plug. I have one remaining prong converter which doesn’t let my converter/plugs slide out which I use very sparingly as it’s what I use for my hair straight-ner and if that goes I’ll be a total ugly mess.
Why is this such a mess? Most electronic devices come with step up/step down and are rated for 110 or 220 voltage which covers entire world. You only need socket adaptors. I have electronic stuff from 4 different continents Us, India, Europe and Australia all with different sockets but not nearly as complex a this!!
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