Why do I need an electrical adapter when I travel overseas?
Although technology is helping to make the world seem a lot smaller, there are still major differences between countries. Electrical standardization is one area where not much has changed since the original national standards were set by each country. If you travel a lot, this can make things very frustrating! The United States and most of the Western hemisphere use electrical systems operating at 110-120 volts. Almost every other country uses 220-240 volts as a standard. The 110v systems have a 60Hz cycle while most of the 220v systems operate at 50Hz. This difference in cycles per second is not normally a big deal but it can make certain items like electric clocks run faster or slower. With a few exceptions, most notably Brazil and South Africa, alternating current (AC) is the method used to deliver electricity. But be aware of those countries that use direct current (DC) — it can easily destroy any equipment plugged in that wasn’t made to operate in that sys
Although technology is helping to make the world seem a lot smaller, there are still major differences between countries. Electrical standardization is one area where not much has changed since the original national standards were set by each country. If you travel a lot, this can make things very frustrating! The United States and most of the Western hemisphere use electrical systems operating at 110-120 volts. Almost every other country uses 220-240 volts as a standard. The 110v systems have a 60Hz cycle while most of the 220v systems operate at 50Hz. This difference in cycles per second is not normally a big deal but it can make certain items like electric clocks run faster or slower. With a few exceptions, most notably Brazil and South Africa, alternating current (AC) is the method used to deliver electricity. But be aware of those countries that use direct current (DC) — it can easily destroy any equipment plugged in that wasn’t made to operate in that sys
