Traveling With Electronics: What Flies, and Where

Updated September 2026 · Vacation Checklists

Lithium batteries fly with you in the cabin, never in the hold. That one rule covers power banks, spare camera batteries, drone packs, and anything else with a loose cell in it. Devices with batteries installed can usually go either way, but the spares and the power banks stay in your carry-on, every flight, no exceptions worth planning around.

Not sure about a specific item? Our free "Can I Bring It?" checker gives you the carry-on and checked answer in a couple of seconds.

Updated September 2026. Battery rules come from ICAO and are implemented by national regulators and individual airlines, and airlines can be stricter than the baseline. Confirm the item rules at tsa.gov and the battery rules on your airline's own dangerous goods page before you fly.

Traveling With Electronics: The One Rule That Covers Everything

A lithium battery that catches fire in the cabin gets noticed and dealt with in seconds. The same fire in a cargo hold has no one watching it. That single fact explains nearly every rule below.

So the split works like this:

• Loose or spare lithium batteries and power banks: carry-on only, always.
• Devices with the battery installed: carry-on preferred, checked usually allowed if the device is fully powered off and protected from being crushed or switched on by accident.
• Terminals: any spare battery needs its contacts protected, either in the original packaging, in a plastic case, or with tape over the terminals.

Airlines add their own layers, and some now require large devices to travel in the cabin. Your carrier's dangerous goods page is the authority for your specific flight.

Power Bank Rules on Planes, as of March 2026

ICAO tightened the power bank rules with effect from 27 March 2026, and the changes are about behavior in the cabin, not just capacity. Here's the whole picture.

The accessibility rule is the one that trips up frequent flyers. Putting the bank in the overhead bin used to be normal and it isn't anymore. Keep it where you can reach it and see it.

Some airlines have gone further, banning use of power banks entirely for the whole flight or requiring them to be visible. Check the carrier, not a forum post.

How to Work Out Your Power Bank's Watt-Hours

Watt-hours are what the rules measure. Most power banks are labeled in milliamp-hours, which is a different unit, so you have to convert. Here's the formula:

Wh = (mAh / 1000) x voltage

Lithium cells are 3.7 volts, so unless the label says otherwise, use 3.7.

Worked example. You have a 20,000 mAh power bank. Divide by 1,000 to get 20 amp-hours. Multiply by 3.7 volts and you get 74 Wh. That's comfortably under 100 Wh, so it flies with no approval needed.

Here's the same math for the sizes people actually own:

Two things to know before you trust that table for your own bank.

Check the printed Wh first. Most modern banks print the watt-hour figure directly on the case, usually in small text near the model number. The printed figure is what a gate agent reads, so it beats your arithmetic.

Watch for the 5V trick. Some brands quote capacity at the 5V output rather than the 3.7V cell, which makes the mAh number look smaller than the physical cells. If a bank is advertised as "20,000 mAh at 5V," it's really about 27,000 mAh of cells and roughly 100 Wh. If the label is ambiguous and the bank is a big one, assume the higher figure.

Notice the practical takeaway. The 26,800 mAh class exists precisely because it squeezes under 100 Wh. Anything advertised above 30,000 mAh is a phone call to the airline before you pack it.

Device by Device: Where It Goes and What Comes Out at Security

Screening rules are separate from battery rules. This table covers both.

Screening layouts differ by airport and lane type, so the "out of the bag" column is a likely outcome rather than a guarantee. Our airport security tips guide covers how to set your bag up so unpacking takes ten seconds instead of two minutes, and the Can I Bring It? checker answers anything not on this list.

One packing tip that pays for itself: put every device in one layer near the top of the bag, all facing the same way. When the agent asks for laptops and tablets out, they come out as a stack.

Adapters and Converters Are Not the Same Thing

This is the single most expensive misunderstanding in travel electronics, and it's the reason people burn out hair dryers on day one.

A plug adapter changes the shape of the plug so it fits a foreign socket. It does nothing to the electricity. A cheap adapter passes 230 volts straight through to whatever you plug in.

A voltage converter actually changes the voltage, stepping 230V down to 120V for a device that can only handle 120V. It's heavier, more expensive, and rated for a specific wattage.

Most travelers only need an adapter, because most modern electronics are dual voltage. Check before you assume.

The Label Check That Takes Five Seconds

Look at the small print on the device or its power brick, near the word INPUT.

• "INPUT: 100-240V, 50/60Hz" means dual voltage. It works anywhere on earth with just a plug adapter. Phone chargers, laptop bricks, camera chargers, and most modern electric shavers say this.
• "INPUT: 120V, 60Hz" means single voltage. Plugging it into a 230V socket with only an adapter will destroy it, sometimes instantly and sometimes with smoke.

If you can't find the label, assume single voltage and leave it home.

Hair Tools Are the Classic Casualty

Hair dryers, straighteners, and curling irons are the devices most likely to be single voltage, and they're also high wattage, which makes them the worst candidates for a converter. A travel converter rated at 50 watts will not run a 1,500 watt dryer, and trying it usually kills the converter.

Three sane options, in order:

1. Use the hotel's dryer. Almost every hotel above hostel level has one, and it's already the right voltage.
2. Buy a dual voltage travel model. They exist, they're marked clearly, and they're lighter than what you own.
3. Buy a cheap local one at the destination if you'll be there a while.

The same logic applies to any heating appliance: travel kettles, clothes steamers, and curling wands.

Plug Types by Region

Physical plug shape and voltage are separate questions. This table covers both, and a universal adapter handles nearly all of it in one small block.

Brazil is the one worth double checking, since voltage varies between cities rather than nationally.

Two buying notes. A universal adapter with a built-in USB port replaces both the adapter and one charger, which is a real weight saving. And a grounded adapter matters if your laptop brick has a third pin, because cheap two-pin adapters simply won't accept it.

Drones: The Destination Decides

Drone rules vary enormously by country and they change often. Some countries require registration, some require a permit applied for weeks in advance, some restrict flying near any populated area, and some ban private drones outright, with customs seizing them on arrival.

There is no reliable shortcut and no list you should trust for longer than a month. Before you pack a drone:

1. Check the destination country's civil aviation authority website. That's the authority, not a drone forum and not a retailer's blog post.
2. Check the customs rules separately, because import restrictions and flight restrictions are different things and a country can allow flying but require a declaration on entry.
3. Check every country on your itinerary, including places you only transit through with checked bags.
4. Check local rules at the specific site. National parks, historic sites, and beaches often have their own bans regardless of national law.

Batteries follow the same rules as any lithium pack: cabin only, terminals protected, two spares maximum, and watt-hour limits apply. Larger drone batteries are frequently in the 100 Wh to 160 Wh band, which means airline approval before you fly.

If your itinerary is complicated, the safest answer is often to leave the drone home and rent a camera instead.

Data Safety on Hotel and Airport Wifi

Public wifi is fine for most things and risky for a few. The practical version, stripped of scare tactics:

• Use your phone's cellular data or hotspot for anything financial. A local SIM or eSIM is usually inexpensive and solves this outright.
• Turn off automatic wifi joining so your phone doesn't connect to a network named after your hotel that isn't your hotel.
• Check the network name at the front desk rather than guessing between three similar-looking options.
• Use a VPN if you already use one. It's genuinely useful on open networks. It's not a substitute for the two points above.
• Turn on two-factor authentication before you leave, and make sure your backup method works overseas. An SMS code sent to a number you can't receive abroad locks you out of your own accounts.
• Don't plug into unknown USB ports. Use your own charging brick and a wall socket, or a data blocker.

Back Up Before You Go

Do this the week before, not the night before. Photos and documents to the cloud, phone backup completed and verified, and a laptop backup that lives at home rather than in the same bag as the laptop.

Then put copies of the things you'd need in a crisis somewhere you can reach from a borrowed device: passport data page, insurance policy number, booking confirmations, and a photo of your prescriptions. Our travel document checklist has the full list.

Turn on device tracking too. Find My or its Android equivalent is the difference between a stolen laptop and a stolen laptop you can wipe remotely.

Chargers and Cables: What Most People Overpack

Here's the honest audit. Most travelers pack four or five chargers and use two.

What actually earns its space:

• One multi-port USB-C wall charger with enough wattage to run your laptop, typically 65W or more
• Two cables, one long and one short, matched to your devices
• One universal plug adapter with a USB port
• One power bank in the 10,000 mAh to 20,000 mAh range
• Headphones

What usually doesn't:

• A separate charger for every device, when one multi-port brick replaces them all
• A second power bank, unless you're camping or doing long transit days without outlets
• A laptop, if the trip is a beach week and your phone does everything you'd actually do
• Chargers for devices you're not bringing, which happens more than you'd think
• A tangle of unlabeled cables from a drawer, when you don't know what half of them fit

Two habits that make the difference. Lay all your electronics on the bed and remove anything you didn't use on your last trip. And put everything in one small zip pouch, so the electronics are a single object rather than a scavenger hunt at the security line.

Our packing list generator builds the electronics section into a full trip list, the carry-on packing list covers what belongs in the cabin bag specifically, and how to pack a suitcase has the layering that keeps a laptop from taking a crush.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I put a power bank in my checked bag?

No. Power banks and spare lithium batteries are carry-on only, on every airline. If your carry-on gets gate-checked because the bin space ran out, take the power bank out and keep it with you before you hand the bag over.

How many power banks can I take on a plane?

Two spares per passenger under the ICAO rules effective 27 March 2026, in addition to the devices that have batteries installed. Individual airlines can allow fewer, so check the carrier if you're carrying more than one.

Can I charge my phone from a power bank during the flight?

Not under the rules that took effect in March 2026. Power banks must stay accessible at your seat and must not be used to charge anything in flight, and you cannot charge the bank itself from a seat outlet. Charge everything at the gate instead.

Do I need a voltage converter for Europe?

Probably not. Check the input line on your charger, and if it says 100-240V you only need a plug adapter. A converter is only necessary for single voltage devices, which in practice means hair tools and small appliances.

Does a laptop have to come out of my bag at security?

In standard screening lanes, usually yes. In PreCheck lanes and at airports using newer CT scanners, usually no. Rules vary by airport and by lane, so pack the laptop where it's easy to reach and follow the instructions on the day.

Can I bring a drone on a plane?

The airline will usually allow the airframe in your carry-on with the batteries in the cabin, but the destination decides whether you can bring it into the country at all. Some countries require permits, some ban private drones and seize them at customs. Check the destination's civil aviation authority before you pack it.

Are spare camera batteries allowed in carry-on?

Yes, and that's the only place they're allowed. Keep the terminals covered with the original case, a plastic sleeve, or tape. Loose batteries rattling against coins or keys in a pocket are the exact scenario the rule exists to prevent.

What electronics should I leave at home?

Anything single voltage, anything you didn't use on your last trip, and any charger for a device you're not bringing. Hair tools, a second power bank, and a laptop on a pure beach trip are the three that most often go untouched and come home heavier than they left.

Ready to pack? The Can I Bring It? checker settles any item you're unsure about, our free packing list generator builds the rest of the list around your trip, and the carry-on packing list makes sure the batteries end up in the right bag.