This Tip for Sending Postcards is So Simple it Nearly Sounds Stupid

Gadling recently posted an article about postcards, which states:

“The fun thing about postcards is that they lack everything current technology gives us.”

It’s 2011 and my life is full of digital wonders. All the more reason to send postcards, I say. Who doesn’t love to get something handwritten from a friend in their mailbox? I know I do.

Trouble is, once you are on the road, it’s a pain to dig up addresses and remember all the people you promised to write.

So here is something I do when traveling, something super simple, and yet – every time I do it – fellow travelers exclaim, “What a great idea! I’m gonna start doing that.” What is this easy little tip?

Here ya go: A week or two before my trip, I carry a packet of peel-off address labels in my purse. When I run into people who would like a postcard, I have them write their name and address on one of the labels. At home, I go through my address book and add the addresses of friends and family. I also like to add the addresses of my favorite hangouts, restaurants where they know my name, for example, and a few more just for the heck of it – my dentist, for instance, if I like her. That’s it.

Sounds simple… because it is! But here’s what that simple act does for you:

1. Tells you exactly how many postcards you need to buy on your trip.
2. Saves you from hunting for addresses and writing them down. Just stick the label on and pen a line or two while sitting at a quaint cafe sipping an exotic cocktail.
3. Frees your mind up so that you can keep your mind on your festivities instead of wondering if you are forgetting somebody.

I can’t talk about sending postcards without mentioning Elizabeth McLung, of Screw Bronze! Elizabeth is the queen of sending postcards. Since starting the postcard project, she has sent over 5,300 postcards to people around the world. I have been on the receiving end of her cheery cards and they always brighten my day.

What about you? Do you send postcards when you travel? Do you like getting them in the mail? Do you keep the ones people send you for any length of time?