A Post about Postcards

I love postcards.

This week, I was in the midst of decluttering and went through my “box of treasures” (intentional Emma reference) and rediscovered many notes that I received from dear friends and family through the years. Many of them were postcards, and I was reminded how much of a treasure a postcard can be.

Going to a mailbox has become such a mundane, and at times annoying, daily routine. If you are like me, this may be your thought process:

“My university is asking for money - again?”

“Restoration Hardware catalogue? - I would love to know what it costs to mail this.”

“How did my husband get on the mailing list for Beto O’Rourke? And why is Beto sending mail?”

“Does our neighborhood need another pizza place?”

Now…add to this monotony:

“Yay! Elizabeth is in Berlin! I love Berlin! I hope she loves it as much as I do! I want to go back to Berlin! I’m so glad that she is getting away - she so deserves a good time in Berlin! Auchung, Baby! I’m going to put this on my refrigerator!”

See? It makes the whole going to the mailbox chore the opposite of mundane and this is what happens every time I receive a postcard in the mail - I love it!

A postcard is such a small thing that takes such a small amount of time to write, and such a small amount of money to purchase.

Yet - there are many reasons that hinder people from sending postcards. Such as:

My penmanship is bad

I don’t know what to write

Oh shoot! What’s their address again?

Where can I buy a stamp when I’m traveling?

How much is a postcard stamp?

These and many other reasons become a cause to not send postcards. However, as long as I have this blog, I will be sharing my love of postcards with the hope that you will join me in making this small gesture a regular part of not only your travel life, but normal life as well.

So here are a few tricks that I have found helpful in creating postcard sending habits:

When Purchasing a Souvenir - Get Postcards

I always loved postcards, but it was when I started visiting National Parks that my postcard “game” increased significantly. Now when I visit a park’s gift shop, I go straight to the postcard section and purchase multiple postcards. Sometimes I get duplicates and other times I get all unique postcards. Many times, postcards are among the cheapest product in souvenir shops, yet their profit margin is often one of the highest - so they are a great financial benefit to the attraction you are visiting.

Oftentimes, when I’m looking at the postcards, a person will come to mind, and I’ll plan on sending that postcard to them during my trip. The others I will add to my collection and use in the future.

Prior to Travel, Ask Friends to Send Their Addresses if They Want a Postcard

Many times before I leave on a trip, I’ll post on social media or send a text to friends asking them to send me their address if they want me to send a postcard. I usually get more responses than I expect, and then I have all the addresses in one place - preventing the need to search spreadsheets or notebooks for addresses.

During my travels, I do love reaching out to people from various parts of my life via postcards. Connecting with people outside of my trip environment provides more context to my travel and my experiences become a deeper part of my person.

Have Stamps Handy

I try to keep a stash of regular stamps in my wallet as this helps whenever I travel domestically. You can save money by having both regular post stamps and postcard stamps, but I’ve found it’s worth the price difference to streamline and just have regular post stamps in my wallet. They hardly take up any space.

If traveling internationally, a few tricks to get postage:

Ask the front desk of the hotel for stamps

Souvenir shops that sell postcards often sell stamps

Go to a bank that exchanges money and ask the best place to get a stamp

I’ve yet to stay at a hostel that doesn’t have stamps. I’ve even stopped into a hostel that I’m not staying at to get stamps.

To mail the postcard, usually you can leave the it with your front desk, or they will share with you what the mailboxes look like if you aren’t sure.

Don’t Think Too Much

This is becoming more and more of a life motto for me, the older I get. But I don’t think anyone, when they get a postcard, ever thinks - “well what they wrote was stupid!” So don’t worry about what you write - just write something! If you need some examples, here’s some postcard language I’ve used in the past:

I finally checked “Seeing Old Faithful” off my bucket list - can you believe it? Such an amazing experience. I’ve been thinking of you during this trip and am so grateful for your friendship. Can’t wait to see you when I’m home!

I finally made it to Cinque Terre - it is incredible. You were right that this part of the world is a dream, and I’m so glad I have the opportunity to visit. Can’t wait to catch up once I’m stateside!

I’m in St. Petersburg, Russia and saw this postcard of Czar Nicholas and his family - it reminded me of our 7th grade history project and how grateful I am that I have a friend who appreciates this postcard as much as I do. (#TrueStory)

Hi! I Love You!

Use Postcards in Ways Beyond Posting

One of the reasons why I purchase multiple postcards is that I have found many uses for them beyond sending to friends and family.

Most notably, when I moved to my new apartment, my mom and I created an accent wall utilizing frames from IKEA. In addition to postcards from my travels, I also used antique postcards from my grandmother’s travels. I love this accent wall and now in the time of Zoom meetings it has become a great conversation piece.

I also use postcards as bookmarks, additions in scrapbooks, gifts for friends and family, and keepsakes for my memory box. I love leafing through them and remembering the breadth of my travels.

Share the Postcard Love

I attended a friend’s wedding in Germany, and as part of her reception, she hung a variety of postcards on a clothesline for guests to take. On the postcard was my friend’s address and a date. The instruction was that on or near the date, the guest was to send the postcard so that they would receive notes from their wedding guests for the coming year.

When Sean and I got married, we also did this and I absolutely LOVED getting postcards from our wedding guests through the next year. Of course, some people took longer than a year to send them and this made it all the more endearing. This collection of postcards is also a fantastic keepsake from our wedding as well.

Bonus: everyone who attended our wedding, knows how much we love postcards, and many have continued to send us postcards celebrating their travels.

Celebrate the Small Things with Small Things

As described above, some of my favorite home decor has come from traveling. Don’t get me wrong - I love the pottery we have picked up during our travels, the rugs, scarfs, jewelry, and host of other treasures we have collected to make our home “our home.” However, just as meaningful are the little things like postcards. Sometimes, during travel there is not the logistical or financial means to procure something large to bring home.

Yet, I believe that travels and experiences no matter how far or near should be celebrated. Grabbing a postcard for $1 and either keeping it for yourself or sending to a fellow traveler has a uniquely special component to it.

So all of this to say - I hope you love postcards as much as I do, and if you want to send me a postcard, email me at mindelynn@readfarandwide.com and I’ll send you my address! If you want me to send you a postcard - I would LOVE to do that, too. Ping me at the same email address, and at some point - I’ll surprise you with a postcard from my curated stash!