When you want someone in your life, it is important to make an effort to show them. Postcards for friends are a great way to let someone know that you are thinking about them and want to bring a smile to their face.
But when it comes to sending mail, most people aren’t as experienced as they used to be. We so infrequently send things snail mail that it’s easy to forget how to fill out an envelope or the price of a stamp.
Then there is the more difficult part of the sending process, deciding what you want to write. With such a small space to write in, it can be a struggle to figure out what to say. Keep reading for some creative ideas and tips.
Basic Postcard Sending
When you send postcards for friends, you show your friends and family that they are being thought about. Although most people have a general idea of what sending a postcard would entail, it would be a mistake to leave out basic instructions.
If you have postcards for friends you want to send, the first thing you’re going to need is a stamp. At the time this article was written, mailing a postcard costs thirty-four cents. That number is in comparison to the almost fifty cents it takes to mail a one-ounce letter.
If you’re looking for stamps and don’t know where to buy them, they are sold at post offices throughout the United States. You can also often find them at supermarkets, gas stations, or even a souvenir shop.
The next step is to fill out the postcard with the recipient’s address and your message. Most will not have a spot for a return address because the people who design them assume you’re on vacation and not expecting a reply.
Once you’re finished, all that is left to do is to put the card in the mail. These days the easiest way to do that is to go buy a blue mailbox drop box somewhere in your neighborhood. Alternatively, if you are staying in a hotel, you can ask the front desk to drop your card in with the rest of their mail.
What to Write on a Postcard
The three lines on the back of postcards for friends can be intimidating. There is only so much space to tell the person you are writing to about where you are and that you are thinking of them.
If you don’t know where to start, try expressing what daily life is like where you are. You could let them know what you did today, just like when you send a Snapchat message.
If there isn’t a lot going on that day, you could list curious facts about where the postcard is being mailed from. People also like to get traveling tips on what the must-sees of the places you have traveled to.
Another idea is to write a local quote or tell them about the food customs in your area. What was the last thing you ate? You could even include a recipe if it isn’t long.
For people you are close to, you can consider what you have in common. Perhaps recount a childhood memory that relates to the place you are at. Your goal is to make the recipient feel connected to you despite the distance of your travels.
If none of those suggestions sound good to you, you can always pull together a poem or tell them about the traditions and customs in the area you are in.
P.S. Here’s our full article on what to write in your postcard if you’re still feeling stuck!
Wishing a Happy Birthday
Although it feels good to get a comment on your Facebook wall for your birthday, getting a card in the mail feels so much better. The idea that someone was thinking about you in advance of your birthday and went out of their way to do something about it is heartwarming.
If you’re sending a postcard to your best friend for their birthday, you want to find just the right thing to say. Finding the right words to express ourselves to those closest to us can be difficult.
The best place to start is by showing gratitude for your friendship. Let the other person know that you value the relationship you have with them and appreciate how unique it is. You need to let them know that you are so happy to have them as part of your life.
It’s also a good idea to wish your friend an amazing day. Perhaps you could bring up a memory of a birthday you have spent together or give them suggestions on how they should spend their day.
Here’s how to write a birthday card for your friends which really stands out!
Postcards for Friends: Why They Need Mail
If you have been around awhile, you probably remember Lisa Frank stationery. It featured colorful ponies and kitties frolicking on glittering rainbows. Most girls had the pencil cases, erasers, and often a mini address book.
They would carry it around with them writing down the address of every person they met in an effort to feel like a grown-up. This was long before the days of social media when asking for someone’s address wasn’t guarded information.
If you had an address book like this, you probably loved getting things in the mail too. The moment you see a colorful envelope mixed in with the whites of bills, your eyes light up. From first glance, you see the scrawling handwriting of a loved one and know immediately who it is without even looking at the return address.
This intimate feeling is impossible to trigger with a simple text message. There is just so much excitement that goes into pouring out your heart into postcards for friends and waiting the time for it to get to its destination.
Still need persuading? We’ve got 8 reasons why you should be sending postcards here!
Where Social Media Falls Short
With social media, we can send messages to each other all day long without interrupting anything. In between emails at the office, in a line at Starbucks, or walking down the street, everyone has a phone in their hand sending messages to their loved ones.
The sheer volume of messages that are sent every day is astounding. Some reports say that worldwide, people send twenty-three billion text messages per day. That comes out to about sixteen million messages every minute.
But all these messages just lead to information overload. It can take away the feeling of suspense and excitement that you get from traditional mail. Sure, having things reach their destination quickly has its benefits, but when it comes to mail it is the effort that is the real message.
When you put a postcard in the mail, you aren’t just scribbling some lines on a piece of paper. You are telling the recipient that you care enough about them to seek out something beautiful to share with them while you are away on vacation.
You are taking the time to get a stamp and find a place to mail the postcard when you could be laying on the beach (find the best beaches here!) or hiking through the rainforest. You decided to take just a moment away from all the fun you are having to show someone they are being thought about.
The Postcard Project
If you are an especially industrious individual, then you may want to take on the postcard challenge. You would have to mail postcards for friends to a different address every day for a year.
There are so many benefits from participating in the challenge. The first is that you will be able to enjoy selecting photos for your postcards. Wherever you go you will start to make a beeline for the postcard section to get more for your collection or to find the perfect angle for a photo.
It’s also a lot of fun to select which member of your stash will be mailed that day and to whom. It can be difficult to decide who gets what, especially when you’ve had some good finds.
If you want to participate in the postcard challenge but you don’t have anyone’s address, don’t be afraid to ask. Ten years ago it would have been completely normal for a friend or colleague to ask you for your address.
You would receive things in the mail like invitations to birthday and holiday parties. People also always wanted to send out Christmas cards, spending a bundle to have everyone get matching shirts and stare casually just off-centre of where the camera is.
But today, asking for someone’s address can feel like an invasion of privacy. Don’t worry, you will be surprised how excited your friends will be to find out that at some point this year they will be getting mail from you.
How to Send a Postcard Online
Sending a postcard you bought at your favorite destination is great, but sending one of a photo you took yourself is even better.
Today you have a lot of options when it comes to printing, but using MyPostcard will ensure that your postcards for friends show up printed properly and reach their destinations on time.
P.S. If you’re interested, here’s the whole process, from receiving your order, to printing, to the postcard arriving at you or your friend’s door!
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