The question of what to take with you worries every traveler. A long trip is a time when things taken with you should help to adapt to unusual conditions. If you take electrical appliances with you (and a modern person probably cannot do without them), sockets adapters are a very important part of your luggage.
Instructions
Step 1
Once there was a country of the USSR, and Soviet people, for the most part, were forbidden to leave its borders. It was only possible to travel within the country. Throughout the vast territory of fifteen republics that were part of the USSR, electrical plugs and sockets obeyed a single standard, so the problem of adapters did not bother anyone: it was possible to come to the farthest outback and be sure that the plug of an electric shaver (the most common traveler's electrical appliance in the USSR) would fit local outlet. All domestic plugs of household appliances were the same, and foreign equipment was so incredible rarity that it never occurred to anyone to travel with it.
Step 2
When the USSR collapsed, people got the opportunity to travel to its borders. It was then that it turned out that plugs and sockets in the world are different! It turned out that adapters are indispensable. This does not always create problems, since the Russian plug differs very little from the European one, and in many large hotels around the world there are often Euro plug adapters or suitable sockets.
Step 3
Sometimes an adapter can be bought or rented for a small fee. But it is better to take care of this while still in Russia. There are two types of adapters: for Russian plugs, which you are going to use in foreign power grids, or for foreign electrical appliances, which would be nice to connect to the power supply network in Russia. For travel you will need adapters of the first type, and for the use of foreign household appliances - the second. If you use foreign equipment, it is often easier to call an electrician to change a non-standard plug to a Russian one.
Step 4
There are several standards for surebets in the world. The most common plug, which usually fits easily with a Russian plug, is a European plug. The Euro plug is almost the same as the Russian plug, but it is usually slightly larger. While an adapter is usually not required, it is best to have one with you just in case.
Step 5
The sockets in the USA, Japan, China and Canada differ from the Russian ones quite a lot. The pins are not round, but flat. An adapter is required here. Another unusual plug is the British one. It has three pins, one of which serves for grounding. The British plug is also used in Hong Kong, Malaysia and some other countries.
Step 6
In order not to worry about which socket is waiting for you in a new country, it is best to immediately purchase a universal adapter. You can find it in metro passages or on radio markets. Sometimes such devices are found in electrical stores. A good adapter usually has fuses and switches, among other things, but they are not required. It is convenient if the adapter will also act as a tee, since there are often fewer sockets available to the traveler than “hungry” electrical appliances.
