When you move to the United Kingdom from Canada or the USA, you might want to bring a few electrical devices with you. They won’t work just by plugging them into the socket like you would in North America.
You will have to purchase an adapter. Here is a great explanation of electrical matters for your travel. I won’t bother explaining the science, as this article explains it better than I could anyway.
I like the device featured in the video above, although I haven’t used it yet myself. I always end up just buying my adapters at the airport, after losing one every year. Silly I know, and I have no idea where these things end up, but honestly I do purchase at least one adapter a year.
Now, the issue for you will be – do you plan to travel outside of the UK while you’re there? Chances are you will want to visit Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Morocco, Egypt, Brussels, Rome…
You will need another adapter to convert your UK appliances and another one for your American appliances to European plugs. The one featured in the video above looks like it will do them all, but I would recommend that you ask the experts in a travel shop (like I do at the airport).
There are some electrical items that are just better in the UK, so I recommend that you leave the following at home in North America:
- Hair Straighteners. If British women (and men!) know one thing, it’s straight hair. Trust me. I don’t care if you spent $250 on the amazing Chi hair straightener here. It still sucks compared to the cheap 25 GBP straightener that you can get at your local Boots in the UK.
- Hair dryers. Same as above. I curse North Americans hair appliances after living in the UK. Really, we have rubbish hair appliances.
- Shavers. Same as above. The voltage is stronger in the UK, so why bother with your American shaver when a British one will be twice as strong?
- Cell phones (aka “mobiles” in the UK). Your cell phone provider in Canada or the USA will likely tell you that your phone is “tri-band” which means it should work in the UK. But in my experience, and the hundreds of teachers I’ve sent to the UK over the years, they simply don’t work there. You can get the phone “unlocked” (illegally, by the way) at a sketchy little shop, and then purchase a new sim number there, but I wouldn’t bother. Just buy a British mobile and use your American or Canadian one when you go home. It’s cheaper, easier, and not a huge deal. I’ll write another post about cell phones later.
Here is a list of Maybe’s:
- Laptops – This really depends on you and your relationship with your computer. My Macbook is a dedicated, loyal and trusted boyfriend in my life, so I bring it with me wherever I go in Europe. The only issue is that when I play DVD’s I have to be careful how many times I change the region on the Macbook. I get 5 changes, and after that it stays on the last region I picked. So, I’m on #3, which means: I got the Macbook in Canada, watched a DVD here, moved to the UK, watched a DVD there, moved back to Canada, watched a DVD here. So only 2 more DVD changes and I’m stuck! I think PC’s aren’t as finicky. As for voltage, my computer works just fine in the UK with a good adapter.
- Televisions – Really, I wouldn’t bother moving something so large to the UK, but I’ve known Australians to do it, so I suppose Americans & Canadians could as well. I’d just buy one there myself, but hey, if you want to bring one, it will work and it will be just fine with an adapter.
- DVD players – Similar to laptops, DVD players are a very important decision in your move to the UK. The best thing to do is to purchase the cheapest DVD player in the UK and it will be “multi-region” which means you can play your American/Canadian DVDs as well as your British DVDs. If you bring your North American DVD player, it will work (again with that trusty adapter) and you can play your American DVD’s but not likely any British movies you purchase.
Iphones, Ipods, MP3 players, and any other hand held music device work fine there, just get the adapter so you can recharge them, or bring your cable for your computer.
Are there any other devices you would want to know about that I left out here? What’s your experience traveling abroad? If you have any advice or questions, please share your thoughts below.
Thanks to Tyson for the link on Electrical Matters.
Victoria Westcott
kikimoo
