Snail mail is rapidly becoming a vintage concept…even those horrible bills are disappearing from our post boxes and appearing in our emails instead.
I must admit that often I will go to our post box to find it empty…clearly I need to do some more online shopping!
But what I really miss is the fun of getting unexpected mail…then I remembered Postcrossing.
Postcrossing is a project that allows you to send and then receive postcards back from random people around the world.
It is a relatively simple concept that has developed into a huge community with millions of postcards sent from all corners of the globe.
I actually discovered Postcrossing back in 2009 due to a little article in our local paper and quickly signed up.
In fact, my first card was sent 17th July 2009!
Soon there were postcards landing in my post box almost every day…even the staff at the post office were looking forward to seeing what arrived next!
I just loved the element of surprise…the never knowing from where or whom the next card would come from.
I also joined in the forum and made some pen pals, making my mail even more interesting!
Sadly life got in the way with my husband getting very sick, and I had to stop because I didn’t have the time or energy.
My last official card was sent back on the 12th October 2010.
Then in February this year…over 6 years later…I was excited to find that not only Postcrossing still existed but that it was thriving!
As I write this, 41,250,855 postcards have been received…that’s a whole lot of postcards!
It is a wonderful way of bringing people together for a brief yet rewarding connection in this crazy world we now live in.
My account was still there so it took little effort to sign in and dive back into the world of happy mail!
The concept is really easy…you sign up on the website, then request an address.
You send a postcard to that address…once it has been received and registered, you will then receive a random card back from someone else.
And the cycle can start again.
There is still a level of anonymity…you do not know the address of who sent cards unless the sender chooses to reveal it.
However, all the cards are identified on the website by unique IDs and you get all the interesting stats such as how far each card has traveled etc.
I have sent 10 postcards since I jumped back in, and have received 4 back so far…3 arrived at once this week which made for a very happy mail day!
To join Postcrossing is free, but you have to allow for the cost of buying postcards and the postage which can quickly add up.
However, you don’t need to send a heap at a time but if you request an address, you must be ready to send a postcard ASAP.
So if your mailbox is feeling a little deserted, and you would like to see more of the world, albeit virtually, then give Postcrossing a go!
Head on over to the website for more information and to sign up!
And maybe our paths will cross…via mail!
Do you love to get snail mail? Are you a Postcrosser too?
Please note: this is not a sponsored post! My opinions are, as always, totally my own!