Checking Plugs

If you do any international traveling, you realize that things are different outside the United States. One difference is how they plug into the electrical outlets.

I've been studying this for the past week since my Asian father was giving me quizzes and memory tests about various international plugs. I told him that there were dozens of websites online (such as The Global Electric Directory) that could easily just tell us the answer, so I didn't need to memorize it. But Tiger Dad wouldn't hear of it.

Type I Adapter

So for our trip to Hong Kong, you might have thought that we needed a China/Australia adapter (Type I, as seen here). Well, you'd be wrong.

Type G Adapter

Apparently, as my father taught me, Hong Kong was a longtime territory of Great Britain. That's why they speak English and have so many white people everywhere. As far as electrical plugs go, they also use the Great Britain plug (Type G) which looks like this. So luckily, I checked online here to confirm the Hong Kong adapter type so that we packed appropriately.

But with all the electronic gadgets people travel with these days (cell phones, tablets, readers, etc), we realized that having so many adapters didn't make sense. Instead we purchased a Monster Power Outlet To Go for just $10 on Amazon.

With the Monster Power Outlet, we can charge 3 devices at the same time, as well as a fourth if it has a USB connector. So now we only need 1 adapter to connect into the wall in Hong Kong.

All this may be a moot point, however, since many international hotels know that foreign travelers are in need of adapters, so they have them readily available at the front desk.