I’ve been traveling overseas for the past couple of weeks, and unfortunately, I’ve made this mistake not once, but twice. It is small in the big scheme of things, but can be awfully frustrating when you realize that it is such a simple mistake to make.
The mistake that can only happen when traveling overseas
In my experience, in the US, power outlets are always on–unless they are specifically tethered to a wall switch. Traveling overseas however, you see outlets with switches to turn the outlet on. See below:
Outlets you may find when traveling overseas
So here you are, you’ve dug through your suitcase for the right adapter–Is it European? Is it UK? In this case, it is Australia–and get everything plugged in just right, but you forget the final step. Turning the power outlet on!
Outlet that is actually turned on!
There you have it – the outlet on the right will power your gear, the outlet on the left will not. It is a small thing, but can make a huge difference when you wake up and find that your device has not charged over night.
Wrapping Up
While my experience happened in Australia, but this is something that can happen nearly anywhere. I’ve seen outlets with on/off switches on every continent that I’ve traveled to, with the exception of North America. So please, let me have made the mistake, so you do not when traveling overseas!
Have you ever forgotten to turn the power outlet on?
I’ve forgotten in NZ. Why do they have switches that turn on and off?
Its been 3-4 years since I’ve made it to NZ, I suspect the answer is yes, given how aligned with Oz they are, however, I’m not 100% sure.
Also most of the islands in that area that are heavily influenced by AU are on the same system (I was just in Fiji and Vanuatu and both had these). Hong Kong was the same as well.
The real issue is not forgetting to flip the switch – you get used to that. The big problem could be the plug adapter as some of the fancy all-in-ones can’t deal with these switches – they will either not plug in all the way bumping against the switch or will flip the switch when being plugged in. I was just shopping for a replacement all-in-one and judging by reviews, many had that issue. Another common one was not being able to take in the polar American plug.