Without a doubt, experienced travelers know better than to leave behind their multi-purpose set of Jetsettr travel adapter plugs whenever they visit another country either for business or for leisure. Travel plug adaptors provide a collective purpose in making traveling easier for most people who like to stay connected with their friends and to bring along their work during their trips abroad. Unless you’ve been living under a rock this past century, you’ll surely be packing in one or two electronic devices in your suitcase before you leave home. However, we must first identify the kinds of travel adaptors Australia visitors should bring with them and the types of travel adaptors for Europe that Aussies should pack before they make a continental visit.
Travel Adapter Plugs with Flat Prongs and Round Prongs
Generally, adaptors vary in the shape of their plugs, the number, shape and alignment of their prongs, and the addition of a round pin or two metal clasps for grounding. Most households and business establishments in the United States, Canada, and Mexico have power outlets that require a plug with only two flat prongs that lay parallel to each other. Naturally, this type of plug is popularly known as the American type or the Type A adaptor, which is inserted into sockets that generate from 110 to 120 volts of electricity (around 115 volts on average). Aside from countries within North and South Americas, this plug is also commonly used in the Caribbean territories and the West Indies.
Except for the United Kingdom, most countries in Europe as well as South Africa use plugs with two parallel round prongs. In Great Britain, the standard plugs have two flat prongs that lay alongside each other in a horizontal line. Meanwhile, a third connector with a rectangular shape and a slightly larger size juts out below the two flat prongs at a ninety-degree angle from them and forms a triangle.
Travel Adaptors Australia Visitors Must Bring Along
Among the more than ten types of travel adaptor plugs in the world, the two types designed to fit Australian power outlets have a unique set of prongs each. The ungrounded Type G plug has two flat prongs, whose positions fall diagonally against each other. And so, instead of facing each other in a parallel direction, the prongs form a V-shaped alignment, which remains the same even when another flat prong was added below them for grounding. With the grounded version (Type H plug), the third connector vertically crosses through the point where the V-shaped prongs would have intersected.
Other Types of Travel Adaptors for Europe and the Rest of the World
Power outlets in European countries and the rest of the world generate electrical currents anywhere from 220 to 240 volts with an average of 230 volts (50 Hertz) in most residential and commercial establishments. Only Belize has power outlets that allow switching from 110 volts to 220 volts. Although appliances and electronic devices must connect through a two-pronged plug with parallel round pins, most of the hotels, inns, and places that offer accommodations to travelers have outlets with multiple types and shapes of sockets. In addition, Aussies should find more info about worldwide double adaptors, such as a multi travel adapter set with convertible sockets aside from detachable plugs.
Special types of travel adaptors are available for Israel, France and Belgium, Switzerland, and Denmark. Israel’s unique plug has three flat prongs with the top two positioned at a ninety-degree angle against the other while the grounding connector lies diagonally. In France and Belgium, their standard plug has two round prongs, but instead of a third connector, it has a female contact slot for insertion of the grounding pin on the socket. Denmark’s plug has two round prongs with a flat and stubby grounding prong. Lastly, the Swiss type of travel plug has three round prongs arranged in a concave pattern.