Traveling and electricity

There are so many things to consider when traveling overseas, everything from where to go and what to do to the differences in countries. A traveler must also be aware of differences between where they are from to where they are traveling. One of the biggest differences between the United States and other countries is the electrical currents.

Europe and a lot of other countries use 220-240 volts and run at 50 Hertz. The United States, American Samoa, Anguilla, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guam, Honduras, Jamaica, Japan, Liberia, the Marshall Islands, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saba, Saint Maarten, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Island, US Virgin Islands, and Venezuela use 100-127 volts and 60 Hertz. There are a few countries that have certain areas that use both sets of volts; such as, Brazil, Cuba, Guyana, Saint Eustatius and Suriname. If going to one of the countries that do not use the 100-127 volts, a person must buy a plug, that can allow the devices you bring to turn into a dual-voltage appliance, (or if you are leaving one of these countries that uses 220-240 volts and going to a country that uses 100-127 volts). The person should also check if their appliances have a converter of their own, inside of the appliance and switch it on.

There were two men who were working on creating voltage and frequency, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. Tesla found that 60 Hertz was the best frequency for alternating current (AC) and liked using 240 volts. Edison produced direct currents (DC). DC ran at 110 volts; however, it couldn’t provide the distance that AC couldn’t.

When Europe’s first generating company AEG starting producing electricity, they had a monopoly on it. AEG decided to use a frequency of 50 Hertz because it worked better with their measurement system. Until after World War 2, Britain had sporadic electricity, so they started using the 50 Hertz cycle. This seemed to be problematic though as the 50 Hertz cycle is 20 percent less effective with its generation, along with being 10 to 15 percent less effective with its transmission.

Around the 1950s and 1960s, Europe went from 120V to the 240V. It was necessary to increase the voltage because it would bring more power, and it also created less current loss and drops in voltage. The United States wanted to change as well; however, most houses in the United States had fridges, washing machines and other appliances that would cost more to replace. This was not the case in Europe, as most houses did not have them. The United States has had problems because they did not change their voltage; such,

as houses that are too close to transformers light bulbs, will burn out quickly and homes that are too far from the transform do not have enough voltage. In newer houses, some appliances run on 240 V (like washing machines and ovens). A traveler should not use European appliances s in these outlets, because European 240 V is a single-phase, while the United States 240 V is a two-phase system.

These are a few things to consider before traveling to another country. There are quite a few devices a person can buy to convert their American devices, so they can work in foreign countries (or vice versa). The traveler should check which country they are traveling to before they leave, so they know which adapter to buy.

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Traveling in the Czech Republic

PRAGUE – A MUST

Today, we are talking about Prague. The capital of Czech Republic, and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. A very affordable destination, perfect for budget travelers. A city with amazing architecture and atmosphere. They are known for their beer, for all you beer lovers out there.

ARCHITECTURE

Prague has a bohemian, fairy-tale like feeling to it. Between the classic gothic style grand cathedrals and bridges, the renaissance castles and baroque churches you are almost always going to be overwhelmed. Walking down the streets of the Old Town Square is like travelling to the past.

RESTAURANTS

Another thing this city is known for is its classic Czech cuisine. Strong meat dishes, combined with classic Czech beer makes it an experience to remember. Try beers at the Prague Beer Museum, a top-rated bar with a lot of different beer samplers to choose from. Lagers, dark, ciders, ales, bottled or draught. For food we recommend visiting Mincovna, a local cuisine restaurant located in the center of Prague on the Old Town Square. For a bit of quicker and more casual lunch, with high quality beer, we recommend a pub, close to the center-U Pivrnce.

PLACES TO SEE

Here are some of the must-see places we recommend when visiting Prague. A good place to start is the Old Town Square. Surrounded with gothic style churches with it gives out a medieval feeling. Right on the edge are the Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock, which are pretty amazing just to look at. Another must see place is one of Prague’s 17 bridges, Charles Bridge. Entrance from the Old Town side passes through the Powder Tower. The bridge itself stores 30 statues, built in 17th century, which represent saints and wealthy patrons.  Another trademark building to admire is the Prague Castle with St. Vitas Cathedral, where the royal family and highest priests used to reside. Now turned into tourist locations, these are probably some of the most amazing buildings you are ever going to see. Charles Square, the largest medieval square in Europe, might interest you as well. For a more new-age orientated crowd, do not feel left out. On the contrary, there are many places you might find exciting. One of them is definitely the Dancing House. It is probably one of the weirdest buildings you will ever witness, and it offers an amazing view on to the whole city. A couple of other places include Franc Kafka Museum, as well as the Kafka Rotating Sculpture, which is a giant metal head that forms interesting patterns.

HOTELS AND TRANSPORTATION

Prague excels at public transport. Simply following drawn instructions or buying a map can get you where ever you would like to go via the public transport. You can use the metro, trams or busses for 24 hours, and the tickets are very cheap. As for the hotels, there are many options to choose from, more expensive ones, like Golden Well, and cheaper ones, like Hilton Prague. Location of the hotel is not a big concern, with fast and reliable transport available 24/7.

We hope this article helped you decide and plan your own journeys!

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Living in Vietnam

Why you should consider moving to Vietnam

Southeast Asia has become one of the most popular places in the world to travel to and is now also an attractive place for expats, digital nomads and retirees who’s looking for a place in the sun. Although Vietnam is still not as crowded as Thailand, it is still very well-known amongst foreigners. If you’re also tempted by the idea of moving to Southeast Asia, here are some reasons why you should consider moving to Vietnam.

It’s safe


As with most of the Southeast Asian countries, it’s generally safe, although petty crimes might occur. But violent crime is extremely rare. Safety is always important and you wouldn’t want to move somewhere where you feel unsafe. So that’s why Vietnam is a great choice in terms of safety.

The expat scene is already big

When you’re moving to a new country, you’ll want to meet other people who’s in the same situation as you. We tend to seek out other foreigners because it’s easy to talk to someone who’s also moved, just as us. Luckily, the expat scene is huge in Vietnam and you’ll soon find yourself surrounded by people from all over the world who has also decided to take the leap and move to Vietnam.

The cost of living in low

Vietnam has always been known as a cheap destination and although the rising tourism has made prices go up a bit, it’s still considered a very low-budget country. You don’t have to earn heaps in order to live a good life here. The monthly cost ranges from 700-1,400 USD per month, depending on where you live, what you do and how much you choose to spend. Bear in mind that locals earn about 150 USD per month and they can live with that cost, so if you’re on a really tight budget, you can easily spend less than 700 USD per month.

The food is amazing

Who doesn’t love food? The food scene in Vietnam is incredible and diverse. If you’re tired of local food one day, you can find all kinds of international cuisine such as Indian, Japanese, Italian or why not Korean. What’s better is that since it’s cheap, you can eat out every day if you’d like to. There’s plenty of good local restaurants that will serve you world class cuisine and you only have to pay a couple of dollars for it. Pretty nice, right?

Vietnam is beautiful

Besides being cheap, having great food and being safe, what attracts people the most to Vietnam is the beauty of the country. You have everything here – lush mountains, tropical beaches, jungle, rice paddies as far as the eye can see and much, much more. If you live in Vietnam, you’ll be amongst this beauty every day and you’ll have access to so many attractions too. Living in Vietnam is fun, it’s exciting, it’s beautiful and it’s cheap. Tell me, who doesn’t love that?

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