Request Assistance from Our International Travel Wizards

Whistle
1

I’m at my wits end. I bought my daughter a wonderful Canon 410s digital camera that comes with its own battery charger for her trip to Spain with a foreign study program; the program specifically said to purchase a plug adaptor in Spain to ensure getting the right one. Her camera is dual wattage so no converter is needed, just a plug adaptor. She’s been borrowing a friends adaptor which came with some mini blow dryer that the friend brought with her.

She went to a store in Madrid and the adaptor did not accept the charger plug. (They told her her charger prongs were not standard - I thought that was exactly the point of the adaptor plug?) I told her to take her friend, the blow dryer and the charger into a store in Barcelona this weekend, or find a camera shop and enlist the aid of the concierge (yes, one weekend doing it up big; rest of the time is in a college dorm, which is actually quite lovely). She’s having a blast (teacher took all 25 of them out for real spanish food and sangria in some old part of Madrid where the restaurants are in what used to be caves), but I want her to have all the pics she wants.

Any suggestions, or is it just waiting for the right adaptor to come along?

Is it actually possible to stump the entire Board for once? I mean what am I missing here? The prongs fold out from the charger, you plug them into one side of the adaptor and plug the other side into an outlet. Spain doesn’t have the right adaptors for Spain? I’m getting a headache :boggle: …

Philo

2

One problem I’ve found is that if you have a charger with little fold-out prongs in might not fit into an adaptor meant to accept plugs at end of cables. The solution ot that is to buy an adapter that accepts US plugs and plugs into Spanish outlets, and then to cut away the plastic rim around it so that you can plug the flat, broad adaptor into it. Never tried it in Spain, but it sure does work in other European countries.

3

P.S.:
USE EXTREME CARE. KNIVES ARE SHARP. PLASTIC IS HARD. RISK OF SEVERE INJURY OR DEATH. DON’T CUT YOUR FINGERS OFF. OR AT LEAST DON’T BLAME ME IF YOU DO. DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME. SOLD AS NOVELTY ONLY. GET PROFESSIONAL HELP NOW.

4

Can you post some pics of the adaptors and plugs in question? I’d be happy to host the pics.

5

Thanks for the kind offer Av, but I have no pics. I think she’ll manage and I suggested looking at her travel cell phone to see if there’s a removable adaptor at the plug end.

Bloomie - the thought of my little girl hacking away at plastic with a sharp implement - don’t we have enough problems with a teenage girl across the ocean? :slight_smile:

Thanks guys.

Philo