File the widened ‘polarization tip’ off the one prong of the plug so it’ll plug into the 220 V. British (round prong) tip adaptor. Use the brown extension cord not only to bring the electric closer to you (in rooms that only have 1 plug for the whole room), but also to multiply the plug so you can charge your a) laptop, b) PDA, c) digital camera all from the same cord. Many rooms will have only one plug. You won’t want to have to decide which unit to charge. If you’re lucky enough to be able to charge all your devices through USB ports (reducing the number of AC outlets you need), you’ll still be glad you have it for the times there are multiple group members who need power. USB-type charging is a great feature, whenever you can use it. Just get all this stuff sorted out BEFORE you depart so you can utilize your trip-time for people instead of devices.
We have done this with a 6 footer or even a 3 footer since I saw the tip first published here. It has saved us so many times! For something that takes so little space/weight, it comes in handy again and again!
I carry one well made adaptor fit for the country to which I am traveling. To that I add a plug strip that can handle 3 or four items from various countries including US. These days many of us come together on mission teams from all over and co-workers love to find there is a connection available.
We just cut the male end off of the United States standard cord and buy a quality replacement plug end from the country we serve. We make a cord that I don’t have to keep track of the adapter (which are often very poorly made). Costs less than $5 USD total.
I’ve used these travel power strips for a couple of years all over the world. Amazing for airport usage when several people want to use one plug! I carry two and daisy chain often.
Monster Travel Power Strips on Amazon