Guess what? I just got a postcard in the mail from France. It’s not just one of those junk mail advertisements. It has a handwritten message and my name on it! A few days before I got this one, I received one from Taiwan. In the last year, I have received 24 postcards from 13 different countries. These are postcards sent by real people to me across thousands of miles. Even though we’re complete strangers, we connect.
Now, that’s not all. I have also sent 17 postcards to 9 different countries. I know sending mail isn’t very popular anymore these days. And definitely not handwritten, personal messages. If you make connections with strangers on the other side of the globe, it probably involves social media or something virtual. But POSTCROSSING offers something authentic. I think it’s special. So let me introduce you to travelling the world without going farther than your mailbox or post office.
Postcrossing is an online platform where anyone can create an account and sign up to start mailing postcards. It’s simple and free! (What more does it take to persuade you? 😄) After my account was set up, I could mail my first card by requesting an address. I received an address from a random Postcrosser. I filled out a card and sent it away. Then, when she received it, she registered my postcard online, using the ID number I included. A happy little email popped up in my inbox from her, informing me that my postcard arrived at its destination and that she liked it! Now my address came up for some random stranger who had requested an address. He sent me a postcard, and a week later, I pulled my first postcard out of the mailbox! I registered it, and the cycle goes on!
The idea is that I can send as many postcards as I want as often as I want, but the amount of postcards sent to me will depend on how many I send out. (Eventually there are limits, but since I’m far from the top Postcrosser, I haven’t felt limited yet. My numbers of postcards per year are very low compared to a lot of other participants’.) My mailing address is only visible to those who send me postcards. Email addresses are kept private, but after I have registered someone’s card, I can message them through Postcrossing. I’ve had some interesting conversations with other Postcrossers that just started from a postcard.
I love the suspense of not knowing where my next postcard will go or where it will come from. I enjoy hearing about other people’s lives and finding things in common with strangers across the globe. It’s an incredible way to learn about all kinds of places and cultures. I delight in the handwritten mail, colorful cards, and personal messages. Each card brightens my day. (And especially if it’s a handmade one or from a new country!) I have even received artwork, coins, recipes, stickers, and other fun things along with the postcards!
Better yet is sending cards to others, knowing that it could make their day. I like making them special. I try choosing cards that will match the recipient’s interests as mentioned on their account. It’s just a tiny way to spread happiness and connect the world in a beautiful, old fashioned way.
Which one will it be? I’ll request an address first.
Destined for a university student in China this time! He likes cards about the sender’s local area. These Winnipeg tourist attractions will be fun to write about!
To the post office! (Sometimes I wonder what the staff in town think about the amount of mail that goes through my box and the variety of places represented!)
From me to China. Safe travels! Can’t wait to get a message saying it arrived!
And then, hopefully one day, I’ll receive another postcard. What if it comes from Nigeria this time? Or maybe Panama? Why not just send another postcard while I wait? Why wouldn’t you?
There are all kinds of other fun details to Postcrossing beyond these basics, but I’ll let you check them out yourself!
Now that’s the end of my advertisement. Since Postcrossing adds so much spice to my life, I decided to sprinkle a dash of that spice into my blog as well. Thanks for bearing with me. May you be blessed this week!
Inspired to Inspire 
This is such a unique idea! I like it😊
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This was a really cool post. I especially noticed two things. One, you got a postcard from Thailand! The recipe on the postcard is a more difficult name for foreigners to understand or say. When you try to say it, it often comes out sounding like, “Bananas need to pee.” Also, I didn’t realize that you were in Winnipeg. I just had a student who graduated from high school in March travel to Winnipeg to visit her grandpa and study English at a language school there. Her grandpa was a former refugee from Karen State, Myanmar. If you would in any way be interested in getting in contact with her, let me know!
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This is so fascinating. I had no idea this was a thing. Would love to try it (do I have time for one more thing??) Thanks so much!
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