I've heard that many U.S. electrical appliances have been "fried" when use of them in Europe (Italy) has been attempted, (even when an adapter/converter was used). . I'd be very interested in others' experiences/suggestions with things such as hairdryers, battery chargers, shaver chargers, phone chargers. Thanks!

My beard trimmer was fried after 1 charge, but I had no problem charging my camera batteries. I found the differance (at least I think) was the outlets. It seems that the Bathroom outlets take a different Adaptor then the room outlets! Once we figured this out (of course I should have read the Instructions FIRST.. ..lol) we used only the Room outlets and stayed away from the Bathroom outlets, from then on we had no problems! I suggest you get the "International" adaptor pack (5-7 different adaptors with Instructions) and the take the one(s) needed for your itenarary.

Keep in mind that a TRANSFORMER will actually change the US current to European current so items don't get fried. Some items, like my ipod, had a currency range for both 100 and 220 so I didn't need a TRANSFORMER. An ADAPTER is the attachment used to make the US prongs fit into a European outlet with their size prongs. An ADAPTER does not covert the current. Many times items get fried when people only use an adapter but not a transformer. You need to check the voltage on your items to see if you need the transformer or not.

FYI - I went on "Italy's Great Cities" and all the hotels had hairdryers. They were just ok, but good enough to get the job done. Bringing along lots of curling irons, dryers, and other equipment will end up being a big hassel. Bring the minimum and check if you'll need the currency transformers or not.

Have a great time, we did!
Lisa

I also had an adaptor and transformer and had no problems with my hair dryer or curling iron.

I don't recall if all the hotels had dryers or not. However if your hairstyle really requires a dryer and one hotel doesn't have one, it can mess up your day. I think it is worth taking what you really use.

Debbie

I just returned from a Scotland 15 days Globus trip. My hairdryer can be changed from 110 to 220 and I also have an adapter. Since we are only allowed 1 suitcase I really didn't want to carry it if I didn't have to. i checked on line all the hotels we were staying at and found out that all supplied a dryer so I left mine at home. M

My battery charger was fried in Italy, so I was afraid to plug my hair dryer in, even with a convertor/adaptor. Fortunately, every hotel on the tour had a hairdryer in the room, (I purchased batteries for my camera.). .. .. ..and talking about cameras.. ..if you are traveling with a spouse, you might want to consider each taking a camera. My husband and I each took a digital (my was quite small) and we actually came away with difference shots. Also, one of our co-tour members accidently dropped her camera and exposed an entire day's worth of pictures. Boy was she glad that husband also had a camera and was taking pictures that day as well.