Sending Postcards While on Vacation
A long time ago, when people went on vacation, a common request from friends and family was, “send me a postcard!” In the year 2013, you seldom hear that. Not only are postcards looked at as something kind of old-fashioned, there are much faster ways to communicate! With international texting, phone apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and free Internet access just about everywhere, texts, social media and emails have replaced postcards, even when we travel abroad. Still, many of us love receiving something in the mail that isn’t yet another credit card pre-approval or bill, and while you’re on vacation, it can be nice to take a few minutes to jot down a quick note to a loved one. The next time you go on vacation, vow to mail a few postcards home! Here are some tips:
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Get it done early. While it isn’t the most terrible thing to beat a postcard home, it makes the most sense to mail it toward the beginning of your trip. If you’re sending it from another state, it will take three to five days to arrive; if you’re on another continent, figure a week or two. One idea is to buy a handful of postcards and the appropriate postage the day that you arrive, or early the next day, and make it your goal to get them in the mail by the second or third day of your trip. With any luck, your postcard will make it to its destination before you arrive home.
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Choose an offbeat postcard. If you go to Paris, you’ll be tempted to grab a postcard depicting the Eiffel Tower or perhaps the Louvre. Instead, consider searching for one that features a cobblestone side street, or maybe a shop owner taking bread out of the oven. This is more interesting for the recipient and gives a better look at what everyday life in the area consists of.
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Keep it short, but include some details. Your friends and family want to know that you’re having a good time, of course, but give them a little something more. Include what you ate for breakfast, what the sun looked like as it rose over the lake, or talk a bit about the owner of the inn that you’re staying in. Remember, you’ll only be able to fit a few lines on your card, so make them count!
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Don’t forget your friends’ addresses. Before you go, update their addresses in your phone, or do it the old-school way and carry along a small address book. Some travelers print out names and addresses on sticky labels, and simply use those to address the postcards, which is a timesaver!
- Send yourself postcards. One great way to chronicle the trip is to jot a note to yourself each day on a postcard from whatever city you are in. Mail them home, and when you get there, you’ll have a pile of postcards telling the story of our vacation. Slip these into sleeves that allow you to see both the front and back. This makes a great memento to look back on in the coming months and years.
- Children’s travel journal. A great way to get kids involved and help them remember everything they experience during your travels together is to buy post cards each day of your trip and have them write what they saw, how they felt, etc.
- Use Travel Apps: Of course you can also now use online apps such s Postagram and Postcardontherun.
Writing and sending postcards is a lost art, but one that your friends and family members are sure to appreciate. They might even surprise you and send you postcards the next time they go on vacation, as well!
