Back in November, I wrote a post about my adventures with Postcrossing. It’s been six months since I signed up to be a Postcrosser at Postcrossing.com. It has been so much fun and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves snail mail, postcards, stamps, or learning about people and world cultures. It would also be a great project for teachers and their students. I wanted to share an update on my experiences.
What is Postcrossing?
Postcrossing is an online project started in 2005. The founder, a man named Paulo Magalhaes, is from Portugal. He loved receiving “real” mail and knew others did too. He began the project on an old computer in his home and beta tested it with friends and family. His goal in creating Postcrossing was “to connect people across the world through postcards, independent of their location, age, gender, race or beliefs.” The project has been very successful. As of February 2017, the 40th million postcard was exchanged.
When you sign up on Postcrossing, you leave your name, address, and a few details about yourself. You begin by sending up to 5 postcards to other people. Their names and addresses are randomly selected by the Postcrossing site. There is also a tracking number for every postcard sent. You fill out your card, write down the tracking number and a few words to a stranger somewhere in the world, put a stamp on it and send your card on its way. Once the recipient gets your card, they use the tracking number to register it on the website. And then your name and info is sent to someone so you receive a postcard too.
You have the option of adding a photo of every postcard you send and receive. The site is full of postcard pictures and you can “like” them and build a favorites page.
My Postcrossing Data
In six months, I have sent 80 postcards to more than 25 different countries. Nine of those postcards are currently travelling between my home and far flung places like Estonia, Russia, Austria, China, and Singapore. Some of the recipients were high school and college students, some were retirees. I estimate that 75% have been female, 25% male. I have received 64 postcards from a multitude of places such as South Korea, the U.K., Germany, Taiwan, Malaysia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Portugal, Israel, and Japan.
The website keeps stats on all the cards you send and receive. There is even a map function that traces the distance each card travels to and from your home. It also keeps track of how long each postcard takes to reach its destination. The longest trip one of mine has taken was 66 days. Apparently, it was on a slow boat to Brazil. Three of my cards are missing in transit. After 60 days Postcrossing marks a card as lost, but you never know if they might turn up.
I will be sending out 4 more postcards today. I’m not sure where they’ll be heading to yet, but I know I will enjoy selecting the cards and sending them out.
Why Do I Like Being A Postcrosser?
It may seem strange to some people that I like sending postcards to total strangers and receiving them the same way. But it really is an enjoyable hobby. Instead of only getting bills and junk mail in my box, I am sometimes surprised by a beautiful postcard from someone wishing me well. Who wouldn’t like that? I love the variety of postcards that have been sent to me. I have received cards depicting everything from animals (pandas and tigers are my favorites), historic buildings, famous artwork, local scenery, holidays (Christmas and Halloween were popular), funny cartoons (some humor doesn’t translate that well though), and maps.
Sometimes things other than postcards arrive in my mailbox. A man from Michigan sent some travel brochures and information on the Great Lakes. A young woman from Russia sent a couple of her favorite tea bags. I have a map of Prague now, just in case. Someone even sent some beauty product samples! I think those came from the Ukraine. If you’re wondering how things like that come in a postcard, the senders put the postcard and the other items in an envelope. Some people prefer to send their cards in envelopes to protect them. I’m not that picky. I just send mine the regular old way.
What I’ve learned So Far
1. Patience
When I first started sending cards, I had to wait for them to be registered before I was sent any postcards in return. It took about 6 weeks for my first card to show up. There are times when weeks that go by without much mail. Then I’ll suddenly get five postcards in one day. Things dropped off around the holidays in December. I’m not sure if that was because people had other priorities or because the postal systems around the world slow down with all the holiday mail.
2. The World Is Remarkable
We live on a marvelously diverse and beautiful planet. There are so many places I want to see, but simply do not have the time or money to go there. So for now, I am (mostly) content with receiving postcards from all these beautiful places. Some of my favorites include: Amsterdam, Berlin, New Hampshire, Saint Petersburg, Boston, and Prague.
3. History, History, and More History
I love history. I’m one of those weirdos who loved their history classes, and I still read history books for personal enjoyment. Some of my favorite postcards have been ones that share something about a place’s history. A woman in Ohio sent me a postcard of Julia Morgan who just happens to be one of my favorite American architects. Another woman sent me a postcard that depicts a postman from the early 20th century. I’ve also received cards with historic aircraft, cannons, and street scenes from long ago.
4. People are People
The most remarkable thing about Postcrossing is how much we all have in common. I have received cards from almost every continent (still holding out for Antartica), from people of many different religions, ages, professions, and socio-economic backgrounds. And we always have something in common. Sometimes we have children in common. Other times we share a love of reading, history, or travel. I have corresponded with fellow teachers, fellow art lovers, and fellow bloggers. According to their website, the goal of Postcrossing is “to to connect the world into a smaller place and to bring smiles to as many different people and countries as possible.” And it’s definitely done that for me.
Is There a Downside?
In our crazy world of identity theft and privacy issues, some people may be hesitant to try Postcrossing. According to the wesbite, the only information shared about you is your address and whatever information you choose to put on your profile page. If you are concerned about putting your address online, you can use a PO Box. But I have found that my address is available online for those who want to find it regardless. You personal information is not shared in any other way.
The only downside I have found is that I have developed a habit for buying cute postcards. It will take me another year to send out all the ones I currently have, but I keep looking for more. You never know when the card you find might be perfect for the next person you need to send one to. Luckily, there is only one international postcard stamp available in the U.S. So I haven’t developed a habit of collecting cute stamps to go with the cute cards. I may or may not use washi tape and stickers occasionally, but I already had that bad habit, so I can’t blame Postcrossing.
Remember how I said I was sending out another 4 postcards today? Well, I just got the addresses from Postcrossing and they are going to Belgium (to someone who has very little information on their profile), Bulgaria (to a programmer who collects coins), Germany (to a 59-year-old Psychiatrist), and good old Washington, USA (to a grandmother who shares her cards with her grandchildren). I’d better get those out to the mailbox before my postal carrier gets here.
Thanks for reading and please share. If you’re a postcrosser, tell me about your adventures in the comments.
