Postcard fun at Postcrossing.com



I have already written about my love of snail mail letter writing and even wrote a poem about it last year for the A-Z blog post challenge. 

L is for Letter Writing 
I’ve never been one to send postcards and usually prefer letters because postcards aren’t big enough for everything I want to say. Still, they are quick and fun to do so I have gotten addicted to the whole game of sending postcards at postcrossing.com

Postcrossing.com is a fun free site devoted to sending postcards and sharing with other members. There are also lots of fun stats for you stat-happy souls out there. There are also maps that show all the places in the world where I’ve received and sent cards.

They even have a forum with discussion threads. I haven't ventured into that yet. I'm still busy doing the cards.

First register at the site and create a profile where you can upload your photo and tell a bit about yourself.

You make a request and receive an address from a random person in the world. Before you send off your card, it’s a good idea to scan it and upload the photo of the front of your card so others will be able to see it at the website when the person receives the card.

Remember to add your special code which the recipient enters at postcrossing.com when they receive the card. It’s important to include the code as it means you will then receive a card from someone else in the world.

I recently learned a trick to share about languages using different symbols than our 26 letters. If they include their address in their language, instead of writing out the long English versions of their address, I copy and paste the original address that they give me into Word. I make the font a bit bigger, say about 14 points but not too large or it won’t fit on the address section of the card.  Then I print it, cut it out and glue it to the card. Much easier and probably it will get there faster, too.

Right now I’m only allowed to have six traveling postcards at one time. When a person receives my card, I am allowed to send another card. As I send more cards I will be allowed to have more traveling cards.

It can be expensive sending all these postcards. I tend to think of it as a guilty pleasure like fine coffee and chocolate, but without the calories. 

This site has me hooked and I’ve even started making collage postcards with my own photos which is great fun to do. Here is an example of a card I made.



If you enjoy snailmail, this site is addictive! Why not give it a try?

Comments

  1. IndywritesMarch 8, 2016 at 8:07 AM

    It's a wonderful idea, Cat it must be so cool to get cards from the world over.I will surely check it out.
    Great trick about printing the address.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownMarch 9, 2016 at 3:06 AM

      Thanks for stopping by, Inderpreet. I am enjoying sending and receiving postcards and checking out my stats at the site. I notice I haven't received any address from India yet. Hopefully we can spread the word and there will be more people from there.

      Delete
  2. ShaliniMarch 8, 2016 at 6:53 PM

    This is awesome. Thanks for letting us know about this fab site. I will definitely check it out. You must be elated in sending and receiving the cards. It's a lovely gesture.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownMarch 9, 2016 at 3:08 AM

      Thanks, Shalini. I am finding it really fun to do and don't mind the expense. I think of it like drinking my Starbucks coffees that I like without the calories and caffeine! They need more people from India though. I've noticed I never get an address from there or get a card from there. Lots from China and Russia but not India. Not yet anyhow.

      Delete
  3. Shilpa GargMarch 16, 2016 at 8:30 AM

    This post took me down the memory lane when snail mail for the order of the day and I used to exchange letters and postcards with family, friends and pen friends. Sending post cards in today's tech times is soooo cool.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownMarch 17, 2016 at 3:52 AM

      It actually makes walking to the post office worthwhile now when I receive a postcard. Fun times! It is a refreshing change from always using the computer.

      Delete

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