Last updated: August 16, 2026
TravelPlugMap publishes information about plug types, electrical outlets, voltage, frequency, travel adapters, voltage converters, device compatibility, charging, and related travel-power requirements.
This Source Policy explains how sources are selected, compared, and used when researching TravelPlugMap content.
Source Quality Comes Before Source Quantity
A long list of references does not automatically make information reliable. TravelPlugMap gives greater weight to sources that are directly responsible for a standard, regulation, specification, or official requirement.
Where a strong primary source is available, it is generally preferred over multiple secondary websites repeating the same information.
Source Priority
The most appropriate source depends on the claim being checked. TravelPlugMap generally uses the following hierarchy.
Government and Regulatory Sources
Government agencies and regulators are preferred for legal requirements, national rules, aviation restrictions, product regulations, safety notices, and official changes.
Examples may include:
- National electrical regulators
- Government ministries
- Aviation authorities
- Consumer-safety agencies
- Customs or transport authorities
- Official government travel information
Standards Organizations
Standards bodies are important sources for plug, socket, adapter, electrical, charging, and product-safety standards.
Where relevant, TravelPlugMap may consult international or national standards organizations and recognized technical standards documentation.
National Electrical and Safety Organizations
Country-specific electrical-safety bodies, utilities, regulators, and recognized national organizations may be used to confirm nominal voltage, frequency, socket practices, grounding, or local infrastructure details.
Manufacturers
For device-specific information, the manufacturer of the relevant product is generally the preferred source for:
- Input voltage
- Supported frequency
- Maximum wattage
- Charging protocols
- Battery capacity
- Product limitations
- Safety warnings
- Compatibility statements
A specification for one model should not automatically be applied to every product from the same brand.
Airlines and Transport Operators
For airline-specific baggage, battery, power-bank, seat-power, or charging rules, the airline’s current published policy is preferred.
International or national aviation authorities are used where the subject concerns broader regulatory requirements.
Recognized Secondary Sources
High-quality secondary sources may be used when they provide useful context, historical explanation, comparison, or information not clearly available from a primary source.
Secondary sources are evaluated based on transparency, evidence, editorial quality, relevance, and consistency with more authoritative references.
Country Plug and Voltage Data
Country electrical information should be checked using authoritative electrical or standards references whenever practical.
Core country attributes may include:
- Common plug and socket types
- Nominal voltage
- Frequency
- Grounding practices
- Regional variations
- Important legacy systems or exceptions
TravelPlugMap does not assume that every socket in a country will exactly match the most common national configuration. Hotels, airports, renovated buildings, older infrastructure, multi-standard outlets, and local installations may differ.
Regulations and Time-Sensitive Information
Articles about laws, standards, airline requirements, battery restrictions, certification rules, or other changing requirements should be checked against the most current authoritative information reasonably available at the time of review.
Publication dates and effective dates are treated separately. A rule announced on one date may take effect on another date.
When a future requirement has been adopted but is not yet effective, TravelPlugMap should make that distinction clear.
Conflicting Sources
Sources sometimes disagree.
When this occurs, TravelPlugMap considers factors such as:
- Which source has direct authority over the subject
- Publication or revision date
- Geographic scope
- Whether the statement describes law, standard, recommendation, or common practice
- Whether the source applies to the exact device, country, airline, or situation being discussed
If an important disagreement cannot be resolved confidently, the page should explain the uncertainty rather than presenting one interpretation as certain.
Primary Sources for Safety Claims
Claims that could materially affect equipment safety, electrical compatibility, battery transport, or regulatory compliance should receive a higher level of source scrutiny than low-risk descriptive information.
Whenever practical, these claims should be traced to official regulations, standards organizations, manufacturers, regulators, or recognized safety authorities.
Source Links
TravelPlugMap may link directly to relevant external sources so visitors can review official or supporting information themselves.
A source link does not mean that TravelPlugMap endorses every statement or commercial activity on that external website.
Unavailable or Paywalled Standards
Some technical standards are not freely available in full. In these cases, TravelPlugMap may rely on official abstracts, public regulatory material, standards-body descriptions, supporting government documentation, or other authoritative material that can be independently reviewed.
TravelPlugMap should not claim to have verified details that were not available in the source material reviewed.
Source Freshness
Source age is considered in context.
Older sources may remain appropriate for stable historical or technical facts. More recent sources are preferred for changing regulations, airline policies, product specifications, standards revisions, recalls, and current travel restrictions.
User-Submitted Information
Reports from travelers can help identify possible changes or local exceptions, but user reports are not treated as authoritative evidence on their own.
When a user submits a potential factual correction, TravelPlugMap attempts to verify the claim against reliable sources before changing material information.
Source Independence
A source is selected because it is useful for verifying a claim, not because the source advertises on TravelPlugMap or has a commercial relationship with the website.
Advertising providers do not determine which sources TravelPlugMap uses for editorial conclusions.
Suggest a Source
If you know of an official or authoritative source that would improve a TravelPlugMap page, send the page URL, the relevant source, and a short explanation to: