Almost everything we need to do we can do electronically so the US Postal service mostly sends us junk mail, fliers, coupons, etc.
There are a few items that we need a mailbox for so we purchased a mailbox from Travelingmailbox.com. For the very few paper items we need mailed to us we just direct them to our traveling mailbox. They will scan the front of the letter and email us the image. Once we see the image we can choose what we want to have done:
- Forward it to us without opening it
- Open it and scan the contents so we can view it online
- Just shred it
- or scan it and forward it
It’s working out nicely.
Want to send me a letter? Send it to:
If I don’t like you, or the letter is from someone I don’t know named Ed, I’ll just have them shred the letter without even opening it… (Sorry Ed!)
We also submitted a change of address to the US Postal Service so they will send any mail that we haven’t already changed to our traveling mail box. And best of all, when you do a change of address, all the junk mail stops!
Now what about packages from Amazon you ask ? or where do you forward letters you want to keep if you’re traveling? Well you have multiple options.
- You can have them forwarded to a trusted friend or family member. They can open and take care of it for you.
- If you are going to be in a campground for a while, just have Amazon or whomever deliver to your campground office. Most don’t mind taking in mail for you.
- If, however, you are on the move, like we were last week and a package needs to get to you, what do you do? Do it the Old West way. The United States Postal service will still receive packages or letters for you at the main post office of a given town. You then show up at the main post office (not any other post office) and show your id and they will check to see if they have a package or letter for you! Cool right? This is how John Wayne got letters from Maureen O’Hara when he was out west fighting bad guys! He would go in to town once in a while and ask the postmaster if there was any mail for the Duke.
I had an important bluetooth dongle for my electrical monitoring system that needed to be sent to me. I asked the supplier to send it to:
Eric Wardlaw
General Delivery
Rapid City, SD
That’s it. I knew I would be in Rapid City the day after the package was scheduled to be delivered and voila, it was there waiting for me. I just walked up to the counter and said, “Excuse me ma’am, do have a package back there for Pecos Wardlaw”? (using my deep Texas drawl) And she did (use your own name though).
(In fact I used UPS to deliver to USPS… what are the odds that would work? but it did.)
Just like the old west days…pilgrim.