The best Travel Adapter for travel

Updated 1 year ago

America may have invented electricity, but the differences in plugs and voltages across the world are the perfect storm of other countries evolving independently and thinking they can do better, so basically where we still are today. Its history may be fascinating, but it’s a pain in the ass when traveling.

Thankfully, most modern devices are made to handle the entire range of voltages across the world (110V to 250V), so there’s rarely a need to buy a voltage converter unless you have an important device that only works at a specific voltage. Expensive devices like laptops also usually come with their own adapter that converts voltages. A simple travel adapter for different plug styles should be good enough for most people.

Tips

Use The Basetrip to see what plug and voltage the country you're going to uses.
Almost anything electric lists the voltages it works at on the product itself or its manual. Compare it with the country you’re going to make sure it'll work without any problems there.

What we look for

Works in at least 150 countries so you can plug it in anywhere
Accepts as many plugs as possible so you can plug a device from any country into it

Think a product deserves to be listed here? Suggest it

Zoppen International Travel Adapter

Good all-in-one option with USB charging

Among the ubiquitous all-in-one cube style adapters, we recommend this one. Its USB ports charge quickly (up to 2.4 amps, as fast as it gets pretty much, vs. the typical 1 to 2 amps) and it can charge more devices (it outputs a total of 3.5 amps vs. a more typical 2.5 amps). It also has a built in fuse to protect your devices from surges. Important since not every country's electrical grid is that reliable.

We'll be honest: these aren't the best quality, but that's generally hard to find for these near commodity style adapters. We think this one's good enough.

Note: The fuse unfortunately isn't replaceable, meaning you'll have to buy a new adapter if it does blow while protecting your devices. If you prefer the convenience of a replaceable fuse, we recommend this adapter. You do give up 1 amp of total USB charging capacity, but if you don't have that many devices it's not a big deal since it still charges quickly at 2.4 amps.

Buy on Amazon $14.99

Flight 001 4-in-1 Adapter

Easy-to-use, compact design with cheery colors

If you just need something simple, we love these cute color coded adapters that stack neatly like legos from Flight 001. It also comes with a color coded map to match the right plug to a country.

Accepts almost any type of plug

Buy on Amazon $25

Kikkerland UL03-A Universal Travel Adapter

The most compact option when space is a priority

These fold flatter than any other adapter today which is always nice when traveling. A few small downsides: Quality is ok at best, usage is not as straightforward, and the compact design means heavy items may fall out when plugged in.

Comprehensive review on Pack Hacker
Accepts only two prong, no three prong

Buy on Amazon $7.99

Bestek Worldwide Plug Travel Adapter Set

Higher quality multi-piece set with grounding prongs

If you don't need to handle multiple country's plugs in a single trip, these are a good option. Compared to the all-in-one options, the separate adapters in this set are made to higher standards and will fit more snugly at the wall making it easier to plug heavier devices in.

Plugs have additional third grounding prongs for increased safety
Accepts almost any type of plug

Buy on Amazon $15.99

BESTEK 220V to 110V Voltage Converter

If you do need a voltage converter

If you need to convert voltage because your devices only work at 110V or you just feel safer using one, BESTEK's is the tried and true one that's been upgraded to be even better. Its legions of customers have tested its reliability, its USB ports charge quickly (6 amps total!), it comes with plug adapters, and also has built in surge protection.

However, you do give up luggage space since it's a bit bigger and because converting electricity gets hot it has a fan that gets pretty loud. Also, you still can't plug in high wattage devices like blowdryers which is the quickest way to break it.

Only accepts US plugs

Buy on Amazon $42.99

Featured on

Essential Travel Gear

12 categories, updated 1 year ago

Wanderprep curates the best travel gear, apps, and tips. Our goal is concise recommendations that respect your time and help you travel better and more responsibly. To fund these guides and our giving back goals aka make money, we sometimes use affiliate links. Learn our story and approach. For Gear & Products, we believe in “buy less, but better” so we can simplify our lives and travel lighter. See what we evaluate besides quality, packability, and design.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.