tldr; get a 4x USB travel adapter with folding US-plug and adapters for UK and europe-plugs. If you bring cameras with more than 1 battery, get a usb-charging-bay. If you bring a laptop, get an SKROSS universal adapter (for world trips) or buy an individual UK/US/EU-adapter if you only travel in 1 area.

When travelling, some gadgets might come in extremely handy.
Luckily we live in a world where most devices charge via USB and most cameras can be made to charge via USB with adapters. So here’s a short overview / suggestion, what to bring on your holiday.

Travel Adapters

Unfortunately, there is not 1 standard power-socket but ~4 sockets with different implementations, mostly used around the world. Some countries (especially in southeast-asian hostels) opt for power outlets that are already compatible with multiple plugs but being a european, the plugs with a safety-ground-connection (3 Pins / “Schuko”) might be a problem, although their number is decreasing in laptop chargers and mainly hairdryers and irons are the last remaining portable electronics requiring these huge plugs.
Warning: Using a 2 to 3 pin adapter could be extremely dangerous and (at least in germany), those are prohibited from being sold. Please refrain from using any cable-powered device without connecting the protection pin and use a proper adapter for these purposes!.
When buying one of these, make sure they have a replaceable fuse and bring a spare (the fuses will most likely blow if you use a hairdryer or an iron – trust me, this happened 😀 !). As you can see, they are quite bulky so if you’re only in 1 country or area, getting a simple adapter for this country might be cheaper and easier.

Devices in need of power

So most newer devices can already be charged via USB and for most cameras, there are small USB-battery-charging bays availible as shown below. To account for the unexpected awesome adventures, I’d always prioritise a charger over a 3rd or 4th battery for my camera.

Besides the charger that came with your phone, there are also many capable multi-USB-chargers with different features – here’s what you should look for:

• 2.1A or more per port; total power should be “number of ports you need*2.1A” – on remote islands, there might only be power for ~2 hours per day and you want to refill your powerbank, camera and phone fast!
• if your phone has QuickCharge (2,3) from Qualcomm, check for QC2 or 3 qualified chargers
• if your phone/GoPro has USB-C (usually paired with quickcharge) get a charger with USB-C according to your phones’ quick charge capability:
  • QC2 / 3 Phones –> Qualcomm Quick charge capability
  • Huawei (e.g. P10 / Mate 10) –> check the comments and questions on amazon to see if Huawei quick charge is implemented. Some USB-PD certified chargers might work
  • OnePlus – sorry, I don’t think there are multi-usb-chargers with this capability
  • USB-PD (also for some macbooks) get a powerful (18W or more) USB-PD charger
• small size and low weight with enough power
• rounded edges, preferably plastic case
• preferably a folding US-plug with clip-on adapters for other countries
• check user recommendations for ‘whining’ or ‘beeping’ or ‘humming’ or ‘noise’ in general. some chargers create an annoying noise, especially when plugged in without charging or when batteries are full.
• user recommendations with 1 star on amazon are always worth a read and might warn you of bad quality 😉

Here’s what I’m currently bringing on most trips: