Travel adapter & voltage checker
Two separate questions decide what you pack: does the plug fit, and will the mains hurt your devices. Pick where your gear is from and where you're going — you get an answer to each, plug by plug, for 198 countries.
Pick both ends — the answer appears here, no button to press.
Shape and power are different problems
Almost every plug site collapses them into one verdict, and it goes wrong in both directions: a cheerful “compatible!” on a 120V → 230V route because the plug happens to fit, or a red warning on a route where you need nothing at all because the frequency differs by 10 Hz. So this tool keeps them apart.
Shape is mechanical and one-directional. A socket takes the plugs it takes — a Type A plug seats in a Type B socket, a Europlug seats in Swiss, Italian, Danish, Israeli and Brazilian sockets, and a Type M plug does not fit a Type D socket even though the pins look the same. Where a fit depends on socket vintage, this tool says “adapter”: a spare adapter costs a few pounds, being stranded costs your evening.
Power is about your device, not the country. The world runs two voltage bands — roughly 100–127V and 220–240V — and crossing between them only matters for equipment built for one. Read the brick: 100–240V means you're fine anywhere with the right adapter, which covers essentially every phone, laptop, camera and toothbrush charger made this century. A single voltage printed on its own means a converter or leave it at home.
Socket, voltage and frequency data from the IEC world-plugs tables. Countries do migrate standards, hotels in tourist areas often fit multi-standard sockets, and older buildings keep retired ones — treat this as what to pack rather than a guarantee of what's behind the bed. Guidance, not electrical advice.
Plugs and voltage by destination
Every country has a page; these are the ones people ask about most.
Travel adapters — common questions
Do I need a travel adapter?
Only if the sockets at your destination won't take the plugs you own. That is purely a question of shape, and it is not symmetrical — a Europlug (Type C) drops into Swiss, Italian, Danish, Brazilian and Israeli sockets, while a UK Type G plug fits almost nothing else. Pick both countries above and the tool answers it plug by plug rather than country by country.
What's the difference between a travel adapter and a voltage converter?
An adapter changes the shape of the plug and nothing else — the voltage passes straight through. A converter changes the voltage itself. If you're going from a 120V country to a 230V one, an adapter alone is fine for anything that says 100–240V on its brick (phones, laptops, cameras) and will destroy anything rated for 120V only (many hair dryers, straighteners and travel kettles). Those need a converter.
Will my phone and laptop charger work abroad?
Almost certainly yes. Read the fine print on the charger: if it says INPUT 100–240V, 50/60Hz — and virtually every modern power brick does — it handles both world voltage bands and both frequencies. All you need is the right plug shape. This is why a plug adapter is usually the only thing worth packing.
Does 50Hz versus 60Hz matter?
Rarely. Anything with a modern switching power supply doesn't care. The exceptions are devices driven by the mains frequency itself — a plug-in alarm clock, an older turntable, some corded shavers and small motor appliances — which can run a few percent fast or slow. Nothing gets damaged by frequency alone if the voltage is right.
Is a universal adapter enough for a multi-country trip?
For plug shapes, yes — a universal adapter covers the common types and is the sensible buy if you're crossing regions. But most universal adapters are not converters and are not earthed, so check the rating if you're carrying anything with a three-pin earthed plug or anything that heats. And they don't solve voltage: that stays a separate question per device.
Which countries use which plug type?
There are 15 types, A through O. Type A and B cover North America and Japan; Type C is the European standard and is accepted across most of the continent plus Israel and Brazil; Type G covers the UK, Ireland, the Gulf, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia; Type I covers Australia, New Zealand, China and Argentina; Types D and M cover India and southern Africa. Each destination page below lists its own.