Travel adapter/router

mandyruns

We're going to Greece next month and I was looking for travel adapters to plug in our phones, laptops, travel iron, and blow dryer. I found this one that will be perfect for updating my blog during the trip: http://www.tuaw.com/2013/10/08/satechi-makes-world-travel-easier-with-smart-travel-router-and-a/ but it says there's no voltage/frequency conversion. Do you think I also need to get a voltage converter to use the travel iron and blow dryer? Thanks!

R.Wilsonny

Check your blow dryer because most of them have a switch already built in so you can change the voltage for travel. I believe the same applies for travel irons.

GilliC

That looks handy, but in all the traveling I've done, only once have I stayed in a hotel that had an internet connection but no WiFi. Are you sure that your hotel doesn't have WiFi (but does have internet in the rooms)? If you do need the router, I'd recommend getting a retractable ethernet cable to use with it so that you're not stuck lugging along a bulky computer cable.

GilliC

PS - With multiple phones and a laptop, you'll probably want to plug in more than one thing at a time. Bring a small power strip or an outlet splitter so that you can plug more than one thing into the single plug adapter. Or just choose a cheaper single-style adapter and buy more than one, so that you can plug things into different places.

alithebride

Travel iron? Why? Does the hotel not offer? And you can just hang your clothes in the bathroom while you shower. Laptops plural? Why again? Too much stuff!
Jmho.

trinitygc

Most hotels have a hair dryer in the room, and iron/ironing board (with the exception of cruise ships - fire hazard) as well.  Save yourself the extra luggage and avoid risking paying for overweight luggage fees. The hotel websites should tell you what ammenities are in your room so you can avoid overpacking

GilliC

Does no one else think it's unnecessary to take a wireless router? Have you ever needed one?

I know some professional conference speakers who carry one just in case, but they're on the road almost all the time. I admit I was a bit frazzled the one time I stayed in a hotel without WiFi, but that was a weird last-minute hotel on a work trip to Brazil when everything else was booked. Even the little 2-star places I stay at have WiFi if they have internet at all, because it doesn't require installing additional wiring to each of the rooms.

Am I just lucky that I've only encountered the wired-only hotel internet situation once?

monkeygirl18

GilliC said:

Does no one else think it's unnecessary to take a wireless router? Have you ever needed one?

I know some professional conference speakers who carry one just in case, but they're on the road almost all the time. I admit I was a bit frazzled the one time I stayed in a hotel without WiFi, but that was a weird last-minute hotel on a work trip to Brazil when everything else was booked. Even the little 2-star places I stay at have WiFi if they have internet at all, because it doesn't require installing additional wiring to each of the rooms.

Am I just lucky that I've only encountered the wired-only hotel internet situation once?

Nope, I'm right there with ya.
We've always stayed where there is wifi. We do bring a laptop with us (we upload our photos everynight to our server) plus our iPhones. Once we've stayed where wifi was sketchy at best,we knew the room had an Ethernet cable hook up, we brought our own cable just in case, never needed it.
As for iron (I'm assuming for clothes not hair), hang the clothes in the bathroom when you shower. Blow dryer? We've never stayed at a hotel that didn't have one (that includes a 3 star hotel in OC Md).
Check the hotels website or call them and ask questions about that stuff before overpacking.