Question

This is my first trip to Europe (specifically, to the UK) from the USA.

What should I bring, geek-stuff-wise?

• UK power adapter of some kind?

• anything else my laptop will need?

Answer 1

Virtually all laptop power bricks can take 110 volts (us/Canada/japan) and 220 (rest of the world) so all you would need is a shape changer to change the shape of the plugs. The UK is the only country that uses this gigantic three-pronged monstrosity. It's easy to buy the adapters in any airport.

Answer 2

The power adapters both you and Joel mentioned are probably the most important. It also doesn't hurt to double check that your power brick can handle 220v. I have heard stories from folks here at work that did not have bricks that could handle that and Blackberries and Laptops alike were fried.

I would look into a device that allows you to phone home to the US. AT&T charged me $1.29 per minute and my wife liked me to call home a few times a day. So I ended up with a pretty expensive phone bill. We did use Skype which was free, but not necessarily as convenient as a phone. Vonage may be an interesting possibility there as well.

Bring a USB cable to charge your phone on the plane as well. Both times I've flown across the Atlantic (north pole really), the plane has had a place to plug my USB cable into the seat or entertainment system to charge my phone. It was nice to use my iPhone for hours and still have 100% battery when we landed.

Answer 3

Not that important, but a minor correction to Joel's statement. The UK-style behemoth plugs are also used in Malaysia and Singapore, and are quite common in Hong Kong. You can get adaptors to allow you to plug in your multi-voltage US device (such as a laptop) at any hardware shop (you know, hammers and paint) in the country you're traveling to. This will be cheaper than the airport, or a high street electronics chain, or than buying before you travel.

The cheapest way to call home without a major hassle is normally to buy a prepaid SIM card in the country you're traveling to. Of course this requires you to have an unlocked GSM/3G phone and requires that you not mind being inaccessible at your normal number - or you'll have to get a second phone, or switch SIM cards all the time, or get a dual-SIM phone.

You can find wifi in most hotels in the UK these days, but depending on the hotel. you may find it's cheaper to get a prepaid mobile broadband SIM. It will definitely be more flexible, since you'll be able to use it while out and about, and even at the airport while waiting for your flight home. This will require a USB modem, about US$75 or so, but sometimes you can get those cheap along with the SIM.