Pack USB Adapters When You Travel

November 2024 — Tip of the Month

If you're traveling these days, it's a good idea necessary to bring a USB adapter. Most hotels, airports, and planes still have USB-A ports, so if you need to charge your new USB-C device, you'll be out of luck without one.

For decades, devices had rectangular USB-A ports — you know, the asymmetrical ones where you had a 50/50 chance of plugging it in the right way. Thankfully, we've moved on to oval-shaped USB-C ports, where you don't have to plug in the cable a certain way.

USB adapters are small and inexpensive. I carry both a USB-A to USB-C adapter and a USB-C to USB-A adapter, so I can charge any of my devices regardless of the USB ports available. Below is a photo of a small bag that I keep in my backpack, which also includes both adapters and a dual-port USB flash drive. The tiny adapters have helped me out many times.

It only takes one crucial moment of not being able to charge your device to make you realize how important a USB adapter is. The transition from USB-A to USB-C is going to take several more years, so a $10 investment will be well worth it.

- Per Christensson