The importance of postcards

When travelling it’s easy to lose contact with the people you would usually spend a lot of time with, and that’s entirely normal. When you’re on a holiday, enjoying where you are and who you’re with it is part of the experience. Exploring new places, making new friends and learning new things is part of the fun. Disengaging from your social media newsfeeds is a good way to immerse yourself in your new adventures, but it doesn’t mean you have to avoid all forms of communication.

Postcards are a fun way to keep in touch with loved ones back home, let them know where you are and what you’re doing, without feeling the need to check your Facebook messages or your emails (It’s also helpful when you have no internet access or no smart device handy!).

I love receiving postcards from my friends’ travels. It’s like getting a small glimpse into their time away – a snapshot of their trip (due to the size of postcards’ writing area). However, if you’re like me, you’ll find a way to cram in almost everything you want to say, though your handwriting might be minuscule towards the end of your message.

Half the fun when sending letters in the mail internationally is never really knowing when they will be received. So it’s a bit of a surprise for everyone involved when their recipients find them in their mail boxes. Sometimes, it takes days or weeks for to them to arrive, but the immediacy of the message is not important. Rather, it’s the thought behind the postcard that matters. It’s a tangible reminder that you were thought of even when you and the postcard’s sender were apart and that they wanted to share a small piece of their trip with you.

One thing I learnt from my most recent trip overseas is that airports tend to not have post offices, so don’t leave sending your mail to the last minute! You can read some more of my travel tips and ideas in my post, 17 summer travel essentials.

Let us know if you send postcards or letters when you travel, or if you send letters to your friends and family while they’re are travelling.

– Erika