Europe and Refrigerator's

[Moosysmom]

I am going on the Emerald Isle trip in September. Do the rooms have refrigerators? Also, do we need to bring voltage adaptors with us???

Thanks

 

[abdgeek]

Sorry I've never done the Ireland ABD, but I just got back from the Greek ABD. I took my own adapters for my electronics. Some people said they borrowed them from the hotel, but that they didn't always work for every device. All of the hotels we stayed in had refrigerators, but they weren't for our use. The were part of the minibar and were filled with the hotel food that they charge for. You may need to call ABD to see what they can tell you.

 

[lizabu]

Every place I've been in Europe only had a mini bar. If you only have 1 or 2 things you can put them in the mini bar and just take them out before housekeeping or who ever comes around. You should really have a voltage adapter. They're like 10 bucks. You will want to charge your camera and maybe cell phones or laptop if you bring them.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

You should really have a voltage adapter. They're like 10 bucks. You will want to charge your camera and maybe cell phones or laptop if you bring them.

You don't need a voltage converter to charge cameras, cell phones or laptops, or really any electronic item. All you need are plug adapters. You can get some decent all in one adapters on Amazon for under $5.00, which are exactly the same ones I have seen in catalogs and at electronics stores for $25 or more. The only thing you would likely need a voltage converter for is a dual voltage hair dryer and your US dryer won't work very well even with one of these. Most hotels provide them, or you can do as I did, buy a European hair dryer for travel. Many hotels in Europe also provide special outlets in the bathroom for electric shavers so your US one will work there.

As for mini bars, they aren't as common in Europe as in the US, and when you do have one, they are usually filled with stuff the hotel wants you to buy.

 

[lizabu]

You don't need a voltage converter to charge cameras, cell phones or laptops, or really any electronic item. All you need are plug adapters. You can get some decent all in one adapters on Amazon for under $5.00, which are exactly the same ones I have seen in catalogs and at electronics stores for $25 or more. The only thing you would likely need a voltage converter for is a dual voltage hair dryer and your US dryer won't work very well even with one of these. Most hotels provide them, or you can do as I did, buy a European hair dryer for travel. Many hotels in Europe also provide special outlets in the bathroom for electric shavers so your US one will work there.

As for mini bars, they aren't as common in Europe as in the US, and when you do have one, they are usually filled with stuff the hotel wants you to buy.

Yeah...thats what I meant. I just didn't know what they are called. You can't plug a US plug into a European electrical outlet. They're different. All electronics have a voltage converter built in. Things that don't like hairdryers you shouldn't bring anyways. Any hotel will have hairdryers. And if you need a curling iron it will be cheaper to just buy one there to use and throw it away when you're done than it will cost to buy a device to change the voltage.

 

[CinderellaMouse]

Things that don't like hairdryers you shouldn't bring anyways. Any hotel will have hairdryers. And if you need a curling iron it will be cheaper to just buy one there to use and throw it away when you're done than it will cost to buy a device to change the voltage.

I've never had a problem plugging both my hair dryer and my straightener into an adaptor and then into the European plug. I think most appliances of this sort can handle the voltage conversion, at least in my experience (it should say so on the box and/or the appliance itself). Personally, I always bring a small travel hair dryer because hotel dryers are usually so weak that it takes 3x as long to dry my hair.

 

[sayhello]

I've never had a problem plugging both my hair dryer and my straightener into an adaptor and then into the European plug. I think most appliances of this sort can handle the voltage conversion, at least in my experience (it should say so on the box and/or the appliance itself). Personally, I always bring a small travel hair dryer because hotel dryers are usually so weak that it takes 3x as long to dry my hair.

You've been very lucky, because I know more than one person who has blown out their hair dryer using it without a converter. And if it can handle the dual voltage, it's usually pretty useless (doesn't blow very well). I've always used the hotel's blow dryers just so I wouldn't have to worry about it. I think it really depends on what country you're visiting, as it varies from country to country within Europe.

Sayhello

 

[Moosysmom]

Thanks everyone, money is a little tight so I was going to go to the grocery store. Guess I may bring a small collapsable cooler and find some ice to keep things cold.

 

[CinderellaMouse]

You've been very lucky, because I know more than one person who has blown out their hair dryer using it without a converter. And if it can handle the dual voltage, it's usually pretty useless (doesn't blow very well). I've always used the hotel's blow dryers just so I wouldn't have to worry about it. I think it really depends on what country you're visiting, as it varies from country to country within Europe.

Sayhello

Wait...I do use a convertor AND an adaptor with my hair dryer, now that I think about it, which is why it hasn't blown up. It's been a few months since I travelled - sorry for the misinformation! The straightener is the one I just stick right into the adaptor, because that's the one that says right on the appliance that it can handle the dual voltage (the other straightener I used to have was the same way, so I assume lots of straighteners/curling irons are like that.)

 

[CinderellaMouse]

Thanks everyone, money is a little tight so I was going to go to the grocery store. Guess I may bring a small collapsable cooler and find some ice to keep things cold.

Depending on how big this cooler is, you might be better off just buying stuff that doesn't need to be refrigerated. (Space is always at a premium for me! ) For instance, when I was in London in March, we packed our lunch every day so we didn't have to spend money on cafes (or spend valuable sightseeing time searching for food). We bought some bread, some peanut butter and jelly, and some apples and that worked very well with no need to keep the stuff cool.

 

[madalex]

I just returned from the Ireland trip last week. I really don't recall if rooms had fridges in them; it wans't something we ever needed, so I never noticed. You will need a plug adapter for the Westin in Dublin and the hotel in Killarney, but not for Dromoland (many of the outlets there have both Irish style and American style plugs).

 

[abdgeek]

If you need a refrigerator for medicine or something like that, I would let ABD know and they will take care of it. If the fridge is just for food, you probably won't need one. Every day of our ABD trip we were constantly being given snacks and bottled water. Take it for later even if you don't want it then. I drink a lot of water and was always able to find a store close by where I could get a liter for 1 euro. They feed you so much on these trips that you probably won't get hungry. When we were on long bus rides, the bathroom stop we made always had a store and people bought snacks and drinks if they wanted them. From my travels in Europe, they don't do a lot with ice. Most of their drinks are bottled and kept cold in a refrigerator.