The US to UK Converter: A Necessity

One of the things that is a must-have on your packing list is a UK voltage converter and charger. Of the many electronic items you may choose to bring with you on your trip (laptop, iPod, tablet, e-reader, cell phone, digital camera, to name a few) most, if not all, require some kind of charging; hence the need for a converter to safely plug in your devices. UK outlets run at about 230 Volts while US outlets run at 120 Volts. So if you don’t want to potentially short-circuit your pricey equipment, look for a converter rather than an adapter. Adapters work perfectly fine on most things, but to save yourself some worry I’d suggest getting a converter.

For some reason when I was shopping for my trip abroad I had a hard time finding US to UK converters. I needed one for my laptop and cell phone. (I decided to bring my cell phone from home to use rather than purchase one over there. The options you can take regarding cell phones will be discussed in another post.) The only one I could find was this monster of a converter. I’m not sure why I didn’t think to check Amazon. I don’t remember exactly where I bought it, but I think it might have been Fry’s. Since I was leaving soon and it was the only one I could find in stores at the time, it ended up being the one I brought with me. It certainly took up a considerable amount of room and precious luggage weight. I can only describe this converter in the following way:

Picture a brick. Imagine its general weight and dimensions. That’s what my first converter was like. A brick. It was similar in size and was definitely heavy enough to be comparable. 

Why yes, I did lug something like this around with me to and from England. (source)

I used my converter all the time while I was in England. Beside its size and weight, the only issue I had with it was that it got hot after it was used for a while. That was until I found a much more compact one. One day I went to the electronics store Maplin to find a watch battery and stumbled upon one much more conveniently sized. Considering the Maplin in my area had a small storefront, I wasn’t expecting to find anything of sort, especially a US to UK converter (UK to US, yes I would have expected). Compared to my original converter, this new one was tiny so I bought it. Yes, I did have to pay a lot more for it due to the dollar/pound ratio, but it was worth it. It ended up being a wise purchase because I took the smaller one with me when I traveled within the UK and often used both at the same time in my flat: one to power my laptop and the other to charge my phone. Sadly, I didn’t think to buy a European plug converter as well, so there were a few times when my camera ran out of power while I was on vacation and I had no way of charging it.

A little basic info on the difference between converters and adapters

-L.

Bath

Bath (Part Two but posted first. I like to be contrary. In Part One I will discuss Bath’s main attractions.)
 
You might well wonder if I’m not referring to personal hygiene. No. Nor am I referring to the giant porcelain tub in your home. This is not about home renovations or installing fixtures. I am referring to the beautiful city found on the southwest coast of England.

Bath, located in Somerset County, is rich with history and culture. The city is best known for the Roman Baths located on the main drag and while the baths, the museum and Bath Abbey are definitely must sees if you are visiting this area, today I would like to speak a little about the shops and interesting finds you can discover here.

One of my favorite little hole-in-the wall finds (that happens to be part of a VERY small but successful chain) is called Ben’s Cookies. They are located on a side street and have the most mouthwatering, delicious cookies I’ve ever had. They differ from the average cookie due to the almost cake like texture. I’ve never had anything like it, and miss these cookies greatly. Truly amazing.

 Another gem is a beautiful tearoom called Hands of Bath.  They have an absolutely lovely cream tea (tea served with a scone, clotted cream, and strawberry preserves). It isn’t fussy or particularly grand, but you are sure have a relaxing rest from touring the city.

Now, don’t forget to scope out the live statues situated around the baths. They somehow manage to paint and clothe themselves in colors almost exactly matching the bath limestone used in the buildings.  Some are quite serious and others like to play with the tourists. They tend to be one of those unique little quirks that are fun to find in a new city.

Also, if you are a Jane Austen fan like myself, it’s fun to just wander around the central area down pokey little streets and alleys. The whole area, despite being filled with modern shops such as House of Fraser, Lush, and Monsoon, retains its aura of Regency glory. Many of her books had scenes based in this wonderful city. It is often used in Austen films considering, I imagine, that it’s rather difficult to reproduce. I still maintain that one of the streets near the baths was featured in a pivotal scene in Persuasion where Anne grabs Captain Wentworth before he leaves. It was exciting to see and yes, I’m an Austen geek. Somewhere I have a photo of that street!

Wandering can be the best way to discover your own finds. You may be attracted to some other little shop or the Postal Museum, or a graffiti covered wall like a coworker of mine. One of my favorites was an AWESOME Oxfam (like Goodwill) bookstore right as you are walking toward all the shops.  I found some hard to find books there! It’s all about your interest and what you like. Go explore.

 -S.