A Kickstarter project that may be of interest for people who travel internationally

[thewayne]

I don't normally shill for Kickstarter projects, but this one is pretty cool. I participated in the predecessor project to this one and I think the final product was pretty cool and well-built, and went ahead and bought this one, too.

When we did our river cruise in '05 from Prague to Berlin, we were told our cabin on the ship had a 110 VAC outlet. Well, it sorta did. There was one outlet in the bathroom, and it had unsteady voltage. I think it was run off of the ship's generator and not well-regulated. The cabin had a couple of outlets, but they were EU/German design, and that voltage was much better regulated and filtered. We ended up buying an adapter from the ship's shop which was a very nice device, and could handle what seems like all international AC plugs. And we were able to keep our devices charged through careful use of it.

The one we bought ship-board and this device's predecessor, is a little cube-like thingie with sliders that will produce a variety of plugs to socket into probably any AC outlet around the world, terminating in not only a dual-blade USA outlet (so it also has a step-down transformer) but also in most world outlets, so this is not just a gadget for American travelers!

THIS thingie takes it a step further. It also has three USB-C outlets and one USB-A! There are three models available: a 205 watt, a 175 watt, and a 175 with a retractable USB-C cable. If you have a laptop that can charge off of USB-C, then you can charge it directly off of this puppy!

I put in a pre-order for two. I also ordered two sets of cables for Apple people that include Apple Watch chargers to simplify cable management. It comes with a soft pouch, which should also hold some cables, and a hard case is available for additional $$$.

The project is fully-funded and they expect to ship in November, they say they've already sourced their manufacturer. Europeans and some other places will have to pay VAT on top of the purchase price.

We're tentatively expecting to do another river cruise in Europe next year, I'd love it to be one to or from Vienna. A friend of ours is turning 60 and is inviting other friends to join her, and one of her friends is deathly afraid of sharks, so an ocean/Caribbean cruise is kind of ruled out. We're hoping to talk her into an EU trip.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/iblockcube/bolt-205w-and-170w-travel-adapter-with-retractable-cable/

Comments

[gatheringrivers]

That is one of the NEATEST travel adapters I've seen yet!

[kaishin108]

Very cool! And a river cruise in Europe sounds great. We don't want to do an ocean cruise but we have thought about a river cruise. Viking?

[thewayne]

Viking.  We had an excellent time on ours.  And it's adults-only, no one under 18 (normally).  So nice not having screaming kids!

[kaishin108]

You are so right, screaming kids is a No Go!

Thanks!

[thewayne]

I told my wife when we went on our trip ten years ago that we were likely to be the youngest ones there: at the time me 53, she 46.  And I was almost entirely correct: a couple was celebrating their anniversary (40+ years, I don't remember the #) and got permission to bring along some teenaged grandchildren.  They normally would not be allowed, but since they were paying for many cabins and weren't young children, Viking bent the rules a bit.  Other than the teens, we were the youngest on the cruise.

[kaishin108]

Oh wow. Well this time maybe you won't be the youngest. When are you going to go? I would love to know your details. Maybe you will journal them here. :)

Are the river cruises pretty smooth compared to ocean ones? I have a tendency to get seasick.

[thewayne]

I've never been on an ocean cruise, no idea about them.  From what I understand, the big ships have serious stabilization and avoid storms whenever possible.  The river cruises: the ships mostly move at night after everyone's gone to bed, they only move a few miles.  I was never aware of them cruising except during the few day cruises.  It never bothered me.  I posted photos the last time we did it, will definitely do it again!

[kaishin108]

That's good. Thanks for letting me know.

[gingeriana]

Vienna cruise is an absolutely amazing idea! Never did but saw those ships on Danube, magnificent


I had a square thingie like that when I was travelling extensively from Europe to ASEAN and back, multiple times per year. Unfortunately, did not help much. I mean, it was charging alright but it also managed to melt down half of my laptop, starting from battery and inside (looks like that watt adapter did not work after all). Now I am just choosing not to take laptop on my travels, and that's it.

[thewayne]

We really enjoyed our cruise on the Elbe.  And I'd so love to see Vienna!  Major classical music buff.

[garote]

I went all the way down that page looking for the weight of the thing, and couldn't find it... Were you able to?

After many years of bike tours, my setup has evolved to this:
https://mile42.net/2023/03/powering-stuff-on-a-long-bike-tour/

My concern is mostly weight, and second to that is versatility. Sometimes it's really important to be able to plug a little thing into a socket and run a long cable to somewhere else. :D

[thewayne]

I see dimensions and shipping weight, but not unit weight.  I posted a question and will let you know when they reply.

[thewayne]

They said each weighs about 350 grams.

[garote]

Aha! Thanks for the info. I went digging around on the Anker page.
So, this item is 0.771lb, and my charger is 0.412lb. But this item comes with all the adapters it would need and puts out more watts.

[thewayne]

Assuming, of course, the input is of sufficient wattage.

[motodraconis]

Well I've travelled to 75 different countries and honestly it does not appeal. Looks like a ridiculous brick of all the things of which you will use only one or two before the connectors break. Just take a US to EU converter plug for your cruise and a tiny powerbank you can slip in your pocket to carry with you at all times, even when travelling in the US for when your phone battery is starting to get a bit crappy.

[garote]

I think I'd second this approach. The EU adapter and the UK adapter I have weigh so little that they're just permanently in my bike gear, even if all I'm doing is traveling around the Bay Area.

[silveradept]

Certainly an interesting travel adapter, and very good for those who go internationally regularly. Can't say that's something that I specifically need at this point, or in the future, but it's a very good idea.