Postcrossing Postcards: Hobby For a Traveler

In my first post for Travelinsightpedia, I mentioned that I have a hobby that I indulge in during my trips: drawing travel sketches. But I have another travel-related hobby! And it’s Postcrossing. Maybe not all of you have heard of it before. So, Postcrossing is a paper postcard exchange project that you send and receive postcards from random people and places in the world. And I personally think this a great hobby for a traveler.

Why Postcrossing is for everyone?

Unlike drawing, with Postcrossing as your hobby you can still travel very light because the only thing you need to take with you is a pen for the postcards.

It doesn’t take much time either. You can send as many postcards as you want for Postcrossing. If you are on a tight travel schedule, just request one or two addresses from the system. But, if you have plenty of time, you can request many and spend a nice time sitting in a cute place by signing all the postcards.

And finally, it’s cheap! You just need to buy postcards and stamps. Well, if you request dozens of addresses that might become expensive. But, you can totally control the amount of money you spend.

Tips for the creative Postcrossing Postcards

Sometimes people get confused about what should they write in a postcard to an unknown person. As you are on a trip when signing the postcards, I suggest talking about your travel life and experience. It’s always interesting and insightful.

There are some other recommendations I can give to those who plan to start their Postcrossing journey. It is of course a matter of taste, but I would recommend avoiding buying the most typical touristic cards. When I’m on a trip, I usually spend a couple of days just checking which places sell postcards and if they can offer something unusual and local. Apart from souvenir shops, you can go to stationery and book shops, seasonal fairs, design shops, and flea markets.

Every country has its official postal services provider. And, to be aware of their tariffs I advise visiting their website beforehand. This is important to plan your budget and particularly important to make your postcard reach the recipient because local tariffs for sending postcards abroad could be very different. The same website usually has a list of places where stamps are sold. So, you can find the one near your place. Central post offices are sometimes beautiful historical buildings and usually have a bigger choice of stamps and souvenirs.

Last but not least…

And let’s not forget about the joy of sending and receiving paper postcards. From the moment you sign it, stick stamps and put them in a post box till the day it arrives in a recipient and brightens their day.