My laptop charger died in a tiny town in northern Portugal

The only shop sold a universal adapter for 45 euros that sparked and smoked when I plugged it in. Has anyone found a reliable way to source gear in remote spots without getting ripped off?

3 comments

3 Comments

paul1172mo ago

That "sparked and smoked" part is a nightmare! I read a travel blog once that said to check local Facebook groups for small towns, sometimes people sell spare stuff.

alice_harris352mo ago

Is it really that big of a deal though, paul117? Most people just buy a new charger and move on with their day. Scrolling through random Facebook groups sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

bethcarr1mo ago

@alice_harris35, actually yeah it can be a big deal. Had a charger spark and smoke on me in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere a few years back. Spent two hours driving to the nearest Walmart at 10pm and they didn't even have the right one. A quick search on a local buy/sell group would've saved me that trip and the headache. Sometimes buying new isn't the fastest fix, especially if you're not near a big store.