Starting an article with a line such as ‘When I was young’ might potentially kill your vibe, but I’ll still go for it and hope for the best. So… when I was (very) young the internet just wasn’t that much of a thing (for most of us) and I would spend almost all of my pocket money on film rolls and stamps. True story. And even though my feelings for the digital world are true and I would not sit here, typing those lines without the internet (Thank You!), I have a big love for all the analogue stuff. And I hope this stays.
Back then I would send out letters and self-made cards on a weekly basis. I knew all the mail boxes in my neighbourhood and the rustling sound of paper envelopes in my family home’s letter slot could get me very, very excited. I wrote to my friends, my cousin and my aunts to tell them about my week. Sometimes I included photos or drawings; I even had a phase where I would invent quiz questions and tasks for my poor relatives. Shitty pop-up art also was a thing. Or hand-made, yellow paper with an intense curry smell. Things could get pretty experimental, but my loved ones always got back to me. They answered my questions, solved my quizzes (I always forgot the right solutions anyway), asked me how I was, told me about their days and made my little, big heart feel warm and happy. Some of them lived far away (at least from a child’s point of view), but it never felt like it – their hand-written words shone through and kept us in touch…
These days I don’t visit the post box so often anymore. The tax office is my new pen pal and hectic everyday life sometimes makes it seem hard to spend quality time with friends and family. Writing a long letter instead of a quick text message seems impossible and the constant typing and swiping have turned my wrist into a real sissy, crying out loud after one hand-written page…
So when I’m traveling I try to make up for all of that, work on my pen-holding skills and rediscover my love for writing postcards. In my opinion being en route is just the perfect moment to take some time out, gather your thoughts and eventually write them down. Some just for you, some for people you care about. That’s why this is an ode to writing postcards, a nostalgic little note and most important: a hands-on invitation to collect your favourite people’s addresses right now and surprise them with some actual mail from your next trip. I always buy a bunch of cards at the beginning of my trip and carry them around with me until the right moment comes. Sometimes that moment is at the airport, waiting for the flight back home, but that’s okay, I guess. I love to write down things at airports. But you can also go for the beach. Or the top of a mountain. Whatever works.
A real pro tip, that might sound a little weird at first, but worked for me many times is writing a postcard to yourself as well. Write down the stuff you learnt on your trip, that you don’t wanna forget, capture those special moments just for yourself and be surprised and reminded when you open the mail box the day your card made it home as well…
Happy writing and don’t forget your pen!
PS: Of course there already are companies writing cards for you these days, but I consider that cheating – you managed to take that plane yourself, so you’re gonna write that damn postcard yourself!
Are you a postcard fan? Let us know in the comments!
