# Travel >> Travel Preparation >> General Travel Prep

How to Travel to Europe With a Laptop Transformer & a Surge Protector

When traveling outside of North America, you must be sensitive to not only cultural and language barriers but also differences in the way electricity is disseminated. North American devices, including laptops, laptop power transformers or AC power cables, and surge protectors often are manufactured to handle the North American voltage maximum. In Europe, power outlets transfer electricity at a higher voltage rate and will fry your devices if you don't use the proper adapters and converters.

Instructions

- 1
  Obtain a plug adapter that is compatible with continental Europe and the United Kingdom. The plug of the North American laptop transformer, which is three-prong, will not fit into standard European or UK wall plugs. Instead, plug the laptop transformer or the surge protector into the plug adapter, then plug the adapter into the European or UK wall socket. The plugs in continental Europe are different from the UK. If traveling to the UK, you will need a separate plug adapter, or a plug adapter that is compatible with both continental Europe and the UK.
- 2
  Buy a surge protector that is rated for 220 volts of current minimally. North American power outlets transfer 120 volts of current. Many surge protectors purchased in North America are able to handle this amount. In Europe, the power outlets will transfer between 220 to 240 volts of current. The influx of current could fry your electronics and start a fire. When using a surge protector, plug the transformer into the surge protector and then plug the surge protector into a plug adapter that fits into the power outlet.
- 3
  Plug your surge protector rated at 120 volts into a voltage converter. If your surge protector is not rated high enough, a European voltage converter will step-down the 220 to 240 volts coming from the power outlet to a voltage your surge protector can handle. The voltage converter will connect directly to the wall. Plug the surge protector into the voltage converter, and then the transformer into the surge protector. With a voltage converter, you won't need a plug adapter because the laptop's transformer will connect to the surge protector, rather than directly to the power outlet. If purchasing a voltage converter, make sure it is compatible with continental Europe and UK wall outlets.
- 4
  Purchase a phone jack adapter. This is only necessary if you will connect your laptop to the Internet using a dial-up connection. The shape of phone jacks varies by European country. There are phone jack kits that come with many different types of phone jacks that are compatible in several European countries.