Who still sends postcards? When I was a child I used to go through my mum’s picture postcards box and daydream. Those postcards were my Pinterest and Instagram combined. The postcards my dad sent from his concert tours around Europe, the postcards from distant family members who moved half a world across, the blank postcards from family holidays. That box was my treasure trove. So when I started to travel I sent postcards to my mum and dad and sometimes to my friends too. But I’d also buy several postcards for myself and I’d bring them home. Wherever I went, I bought postcards to take home. They were my most precious souvenirs. It didn’t matter that I took a thousand photos of Paris or Rome or London. I had to buy a postcard too. I don’t remember when I sent my last postcard. It was before I got my first smartphone for sure. What’s the point of waiting for a week or more to get a postcard from someone when you can send a photo via Viber or upload it on Facebook and everyone can see it immediately? But there’s no anticipation and romanticism in Facebook pictures. You can’t store them away in a box for your children to see one day.
I’ve got my own postcards box now. I’ve collected all the postcards I was sent to by my family and friends and the postcards I bought on my trips. My husband also has to bring me back a postcard from his skiing trips. Last year he went to Essen to attend the biggest board gaming event in Europe and of course I expected him to send me a postcard from Essen. He searched and searched but couldn’t find any. However, he met some German guy and left him our address and asked him to send a postcard when he finds one. And I got my postcard from Essen!:)
A year ago I came across a postcards exchange initiative on a travel blog I used to read. I happily signed on and dutifully send my postcards to four other people. But I only got postcards from two people. I even didn’t get a postcard from the postcards exchange initiator. That made me sad. What do you think? Would you be interested in postcards exchange? Maybe if three or four of us agree to send each other postcards? From your travels or from your hometown? If you’re interested send me an email ( trpbtravels@yahoo.com) and I’ll see whether I get enough emails to actually organize a postcards exchange. 🙂 Maybe we could agree to send a postcard during a set time period? Instead of bills you’d find a nice postcard in your letter box. Wouldn’t that be great?
So are you in? Would you like to send and receive pretty postcards?
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the Red Phone Box travels 
I’d be up for this idea! Great fun, something I do often and I hope never dies. I must admit though I do like doing it with my own pictures to via the Touchnote app!
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🙂 I’ve never tried that app:)
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Love this idea! It used to be a highlight for me, sitting down at a cafe and writing postcards…we still send a few, but not often. I’d be up for this!
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great! do send me an email with your mailing address so I can forward it to the rest of the group 🙂
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I do love postcards – my parents send them to my son when they go away. Would I join an exchange? Likely not. It’s the price of stamps, and the thought of addressing post cards. I can write a letter and it will sit there for weeks waiting for me to write the addresses on it.
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ok 🙂
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I buy a postcard every place I stay – black and white if I can find it, or else a night scene. I’ve got so many of them now I need to buy some frames!
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🙂 that’s a great collection:)
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I love sending (and receiving!) postcards! Although we sent some from Budapest for Christmas and everyone JUST got them–I guess postcards aren’t exactly priority mail 😉
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🙂 really? it took them that long to arrive?
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The Grandmas still send the kids postcards as they love receiving them, and the kids buy them on holiday but we never actually get round to sending them anywhere. I was a huge postcard fan as a kid. Thanks for linking up to #MondayEscapes
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🙂 thanks for reading my post:)
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I try to always send my parents a postcard from every place I go! 😀
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that’s great!:)
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I love postcards! So long as the expectations were clearly defined and not *too* frequent (hey, I’m trying to work a full time job and keep a tiny human alive! 🙂 ), I would love to participate. Like, say, one postcard every 2-3 months? Or 6 per year or something? Keep me posted! 🙂
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yes, I was thinking something like that, one postcard for each person in a group (3-4 ppl) in a period of 3 months let’s say:) drop me an email with your address if you want to join:)
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Me! I love sending and receiving them. There is nothing like a bit of snail mail 🙂
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yes:)
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My mum used to encourage me to buy postcards as the photos were so much better than any we took! I often see postcard stands here in Ireland and in France (where I’m from) but not sure who buys them and send them.
#MondayEscapes
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🙂 thanks for your comment:)
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Awww I love the thought of having postcards instead of bills in my post box 🙂
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🙂 well, send me an email if you want to get involved in postcards exchange:)
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I love postcards! I usually send them to my parents when I’m on vacation. Of course, by the time they got to my parents, I was already back from my trip lol. I hope postcards never go away! #WanderfulWednesday
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🙂 that’s nice of you. I hope so too:)
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Have you heard of postcrossing.com? It’s on online postcard exchange where you send and receive random postcards from people around the world. It’s a cool concept and i did it for a while. So definitely lots of people still send postcards! #wanderfulwednesdays
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yes, I heard from another blogger recently about it:) I think I’ll try it out:)
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I still like to send postcards sometimes, but it’s a dying habit – along with writing letters. What will historians of the future do without this valuable resource?! I’m not sure that Facebook etc will be quite the same – even if it’s available.
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I agree:)
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I used to, but I don’t anymore. I guess fb replaced that. I sort of miss those excursions to the post office and mangling a language…
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🙂 the joys of post offices abroad:)
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Aw I love this post! I actually still writing and sending postcards for my mum or even for myself every time I travel. Eventhough I will arrive home faster than my postcards, but the feeling is so great when I got them on my hand and reminiscing the little memories during that last trip.
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Aw I love this post! I actually still writing and sending postcards for my mum or even for myself every time I travel. Eventhough I will arrive home faster than my postcards, but the feeling is so great when I got them on my hand and reminiscing the little memories during that last trip.
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thanks! yes, it’s nice to get postcards even if they arrive much later than you:)
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I suppose it is sad that people nowadays don’t bother sending postcards anymore. I always buy postcards when we are away but I keep them as memories of my trips away #MondayEscapes x
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postcards are nice souvenirs too:)
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I always try to send postcards back to family, especially the older members. But I invariably end up with a few sad unused cards, travelling all the way back home with me! #MondayEscapes
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that’s nice of you:)
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i send post cards and letters almost every week for the past 6 years since i left the UK, very little comes back, amazing how many family members love to hear from me but don’t think maybe i’d love to hear back from them
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that’s nice of you. hopefully they’ll write back more:)
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I’m terrible at sending cards in general but your post did raise a smile as I remembered waiting for my grandparents’ postcards that they’d sent from their holidays. I never received them until they’d already been home for two or three weeks! #MondayEscapes
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🙂 but it was still nice when you got them?
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I suppose our postcards are our instagram these days, but I used to get so excited to receive one its sad really, thanks so much for linking up #mondayescapes
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I suppose our postcards are our instagram these days, but I used to get so excited to receive one its sad really, thanks so much for linking up #mondayescapes
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thanks:) yes, I guess it’s true
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I do not send postcards but buy them as souvenirs. It is one of the few things I collect from places I visit. We do give them to friends and neighbors after out travels. On the same note, I send birthday cards and thanks you notes. I think it is a nice gesture. #MondayEscapes
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yes, that’s a nice gesture too
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I always send a postcard to my mum (and vice versa). It’s one tradition I cannot break, particularly as my mum isn’t of the smartphone/social media generation. Some friends of ours funded their travels by asking for donations and then sending postcards to those who donated. We loved receiving these as they were cycling round the world, visiting some amazing places. #Mondayescapes
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that sounds great!
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I send a postcard to our secretary and in our office on a wall are a reminder of all our trips! I love sending the postcards and she loves receiving them!
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that’s nice:)
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Truly nice post!
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thanks:)
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We got a postcard last week and we all gathered round to look at it as it was such an unusual occurrence! Last time we sent postcards they never made it home which was sad. I used to collect them as a child as well and pin them up in my bedroom, scenes of far off lands. Thanks for sharing with #MondayEscapes
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that was a pleasant surprise then:)
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It’s years since I’ve sent one and I used to enjoy it too. I think, with all the blogging and social media, to sit and write postcards would take too much time but that’s sad isn’t it.
My favourite ones when I was little were from Spain where they had extra lace attached to the pictures of the flamenco dancers, to make it look like a real skirt.
#mondayescapes
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🙂 I have that same one with lace from Spain:))
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Nice post! What a fun idea! We always send postcards when we are off on a vacation. The kids enjoy picking out which postcard they will send to each of the various relatives. But now that you mention it, we never receive postcards (except from my parents). Maybe it is becoming a lost art… That makes me a little sad. #MondayEscapes
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🙂 it’s nice that you’re still sending postcards:) if you want to join my postcards exchange send me an email:)
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That’s a great idea! It’s true; the last time I sent a postcard was years ago. I often still buy them but to put in my holiday scrapbooks. I would love to participate if you do organise this. I too loved having pen pals growing up – some were friends I met at summer school, others from a system where there was a list of addresses and you wrote to the person just before or something, don’t remember exactly anymore but it was fun getting those letters from people around the world! #MondayEscapes
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Hi! thanks for the comment! if you want to get involved send me an email:) I already have a few people signed up so I’m sure I’ll manage to organize the exchange:) I used to have a pen pal too when I was a kid going go a language school:)
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I’ve never done much sending of postcards I’ll admit, but I will write letters to my friends and family from time to time–I love a good old-fashioned letter!
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letters are great too!:)
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I do 😀 Everytime I’m on holiday 🙂
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that’s great!
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We do when we’re away and they all love receiving them instead of a WhatsApp message or email.
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that’s nice:)
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Well, I still send postcards from holidays, so I appreciate your attempt in this regard very much. A postcard is always present personally in real life, you need no smartphone or whatever other technical instrument. I will get in touch with you by email though …
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that’s great! It’s nice to hear that someone still sends postcards:)
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I love sending postcards and am a member of Postcrossing. It’s great and a secure option for taking part in the scheme. It’s lovely to receive a card at random from somewhere in the world and to put a smile on someone’s face when my card arrives at a distant shore. Take a look at the Postcrossing website fore more details. Kind Regards. LMT.
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Hi! thanks! I’ll check it out:)
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So true, no one sends postcards or letters! And do you remember pen pals?
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I used to have a pen pal:)
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