15 Countries Where Your US Plug Fits but the Voltage Doesn't

Your US-shaped plug fits the wall in 15 countries that deliver double the voltage your device was built for. Phone chargers and laptops switched to dual voltage years ago. Hair dryers, curling irons, electric razors, and small kitchen appliances mostly did not.

1. Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, China, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Bangladesh, Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. All 15 accept Type A or Type B sockets (the flat US shape) but run a 230V to 240V grid. The data comes from a 221-country plug-and-voltage table cross-checked against IEC standards.

2. The plug fit is not the question. The voltage is. A 110V US hair dryer plugged into a 230V Bangkok outlet draws four times its rated wattage. The heating element fails, the fuse blows, or the housing melts. Some pop on the first second.

3. Phone and laptop chargers are mostly safe. Look at the small print on the brick. If it reads 100-240V, you are fine anywhere on the list. If it reads 120V only, treat it like a hair tool and leave it home.

4. Single-voltage hair tools are the most common casualty. A US-bought curling iron rated 120V draws 1500W in Hanoi, Manila, or Phnom Penh and will burn out before it warms up. Travel-specific dual-voltage hair tools exist. The drugstore version on your bathroom counter does not.

5. A travel adapter does not change voltage. It only changes plug shape. Running a 110V device on a 230V grid takes a step-down transformer, which is heavy and rarely worth it. For most travelers the answer is leaving the device at home.

Check the input range printed on the charger before you pack it.