This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s fall editorial intern Jason Tsoi. Find him on Instagram at @jason.tsoi. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Traveling around the world is an aspiration for many people. It’s a hobby, where people can explore countries and learn cultures. However, traveling can be unattainable due to how expensive and stressful it is. But what if I told you that you can “travel” the world from the comfort of your own home through Postcrossing? But, what is Postcrossing?
Postcrossing is an online project, where people can send and receive postcards to each other from around the world. The project, founded by Paulo Magalhães in 2005, is utilized by hundreds of thousands of people from 208 countries around the world. Since the launch of Postcrossing, over 60 million postcards have been exchanged by members of the service. As a postcrosser, I joined the project a few months ago and already received numerous postcards from countries, like France, India and China. In many of the postcards I received, people have sent me beautiful photos of their native country, as well as captivating messages and stamps. Does this project sound appealing? Well, signing up for an account is free and easy.
Creating Your Postcrossing Account
When you reach the website, click on the “Create an account” button, where you’ll enter a username, email, password and your postal address. While entering your address, make sure to include your name, so people know who to address their postcard to. Once you have entered your information, you can now customize your account. To customize your account, click “Settings” on the top right corner, where you will come across four sections: accounts, profile, address and avatar.
Under the profile section, you can insert your real name to your profile, which is one of the first things people will see on your profile when they send you a postcard. Add your pronouns, languages you speak and personal websites, and birthday. Then, you can create a bio, introducing yourself, and sharing facts and hobbies. Your bio is also an opportunity for you to state the types of postcards you prefer to receive, like historical sites or animals. This way, senders can choose a postcard that fits your interests. And to make your postcards engaging, you can include question prompts in your bio for your senders to answer.
If you want to change your profile picture, go to the avatar page and upload a photo to represent your profile. Once you’ve finished setting up your account, you will be able to send a postcard.
How Does Postcrossing Work?
At the beginning of your Postcrossing journey, you’ll begin with five postcards that you can send to people at a time. To send a postcard, simply click the red “Send a postcard” button on the home page and select the “Request an address” button. After requesting an address, you’ll get an identification code, as well as the information of the person receiving your postcard. This code is important and essential to have on your postcard, as it allows people to register your card. After sending a postcard, you won’t receive a postcard back from the same person, but from a different person.
Now comes the hard part — waiting for your receiver to register your postcard. You may have to wait more than a week to receive a postcard, depending on if it’s arriving domestically or internationally. When your card arrives at its destination and gets registered, you will be notified by email. Each time a user registers your postcard, you will receive a card. To register a postcard, press the blue “Register a postcard” button at the home page. Then, enter the identification code that is displayed on the card. While registering the postcard, you can send a thank you note to the sender. Once you have sent up to a certain number of postcards, the number of postcards you can send and receive will gradually increase.
Once you have sent and received postcards, they are recorded onto your profile, where you can keep track of them. To see your stats, click on your profile picture and open the stats section. On the stats page, you will be able to analyze your activity and see a rundown of the countries you have sent or received postcards from. Now that you know the basics of Postcrossing, you will need supplies: a pen, postcards and stamps.
Where To Find Postcard Supplies
Depending on your location, postcards can be easy or hard to find. If you live in or near a major city, postcards are widely available at gift shops or museums. In rural areas, postcards can be found at bookstores, like Barnes and Noble. But, if you’re unsuccessful in your search, it’s best to purchase a set on Amazon. Some sets that you can buy on Amazon include national parks, Disney, and animal postcards. Alternatively, you can make your own custom postcard using cardstock paper and photo prints. All you need to do is print out the photos of your choosing and stick it onto the cardstock paper.
But, in order to send a postcard, you will also need stamps. You can purchase stamps at your local post office or from the United States Postal Service website. Place your stamps on the top right side of a postcard. The next step is to write your postcard.
What To Put on Your Postcard
While writing a postcard, you have a limited amount of space to write, so make it count. If you don’t know what to write, you can answer your receiver’s questions, if they have any, or simply write about your day. To personalize your postcard, you can include the date and weather in your city. And if you really want to go all out with your postcard, you can decorate it with stickers and washi tape. These supplies can be found at your nearest arts and crafts store, such as Michaels or Joann.
All things considered, Postcrossing is a great service to use to exchange postcards with people from around the world. Each postcard that you receive feels like a glimpse into their state or country. And plus, partaking in the project will make going to your mailbox even more exciting. So, say goodbye to the stress of traveling and say hello to “traveling” from your own home through Postcrossing.
What do you think about Postcrossing? Will you join the project? Let us know in the comments.
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