Voltage Converters - Don't Fry Your Appliances! 

 Most of North and South America, the Caribbean and Japan use
110 volts at 60Hz while most European counties use 220 volts at
50Hz. This means you may need to use voltage converters to use
many of your electrical appliances. Plugging a 110 volt
electrical product into a 220 volt socket without a voltage
converter will damage or destroy the appliance. 

To know if you need a power converter you should check any
electrical appliance as you pack them for your trip. Each
appliance will have a small rating plate which will tell you if
the product is single volt or dual volt (i.e. Use 110 or 220 or
both). If the rating plate says it is a dual volt appliance you
will not need a voltage converter, however, any single volt
appliance will need a travel converter. There are several
different kinds of travel voltage converters available. Small
electronics - like your electric razor or toothbrush - need a 50
watt converter while heating appliances like heating pads,
hairdryers and curling irons require a stronger ac power
converter (a 26 – 1875  watt converter is ideal). Dual voltage
source converters are available that can handle both the low and
high end electrical needs.

Almost all travel converters require the use of ac adapters (In
fact I have never seen a travel converter that did not require
the use of an AC adapter) so make sure you bring some along on
your trip. Most manufacturers of travel voltage converters sell
them in kits with power adapters.