My laptop charger died in a small town in Portugal with no Apple store for miles

I was in a small town in the Algarve region, trying to meet a deadline, when my MacBook charger just stopped working. The nearest official store was over two hours away by train. I found a local electronics shop and, with some help from Google Translate, bought a universal adapter for about 25 euros. It worked, but it charged my laptop so slowly I had to sit in the cafe for nearly five hours to finish my work. I now always pack a backup charger and check the voltage specs before I leave. Has anyone else had a gear failure in a remote spot and found a good local fix?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_spencer1mo ago

Universal chargers are a gamble, but that cafe probably had better coffee than any Apple store.

bettyroberts1mo ago

A "gamble" @the_spencer? It's just a charger, not a life choice.

leo_fisher1mo ago

You know how everything feels like a tiny bet now? Like, you buy a cheap charger and hope it doesn't fry your phone, you pick a new brand of something at the store and hope it doesn't suck. It's not just chargers, it's every little choice. I mean, we're all just guessing and hoping stuff works out okay. Maybe that's just how buying things is now.