Travel Tools - Hairdryer vs. Foreign Outlets

In the battle of hairdryer vs. foreign electrical outlets, I've lost--several times. Once the hairdryer was of no use because even with all the extra adapters and converters it couldn't get up to speed and then there was the oops-plugged-it-into-the-wrong-one incident which ended in sparks, smoke, and a nasty smell in our room for a while.

Almost all hotels and B & Bs supply a hairdryer but I have a hard time blow drying my hair with a dryer and a brush. If you don't, you are set and I applaud you. My styling brush/dryer blows air through a brush on the end of it and I can handle that quite well. I just can't travel with it to foreign places.

Converters and adaptors cost any where from $25-50 depending upon how many you buy if traveling to different countries. There are dual voltage hairdryers (run about $25-35)that are 110/220 but I've read reports that they too do not always work properly.

The best solution I've come up with is to get to a store shortly after you arrive and purchase a cheap hairdryer/styler in that country. In Australia, we found a Target and a Kmart in Sydney by using Google Map and searching store addresses on the web before we left. I paid about $18 for a dryer/styler that was very similar to what I have at home and never had to worry about plugging it in.

This next trip is to Ireland and I plan on doing the same thing. Dublin is our first stop and I found a Dunnes store(Ireland's department store chain)close to where we will be sightseeing on our second day there. I figure I can sell the stylers on E-Bay when I'm done or loan them out to friends who might be traveling to those places.

Rather I sell them or not, I've saved my nerves, salved anxiety, and kept my dryer/styler from dying at the surge of a foreign current.