Ending a 400-year tradition, Denmark is the only country to have completely stopped state-run physical letter delivery to homes nationwide. Who doesn’t love receiving a postcard from a glamorous location with a modest heartfelt greeting: Wish you were here!

Postcard photos of a magnificent setting sun over a sapphire sea, renowned landmarks, seaside promenades; offering proof of culture and life in a foreign country, staying connected across a continent or just a few states away.  A story waiting to be heard, snail mail joy!

Most news traveled as quickly as a ship crossed the seas, a train car dedicated to handling mail was historically known as Railway Post Office (RPO) car. For an 18-month span from 1860 to 1861, one of the quickest and most reliable ways to send mail across the United States was via the Pony Express. A fast mail service that covered nearly 2000 miles from Missouri to California, cutting delivery time to just 10 days! Imagine waiting 10 days for a letter to be delivered. Fast forward to today to glance at selfies on social media, a text message – does anyone take the time to buy, write a quick message, stamp and mail a postcard today?

I am a paper collector; I snail mail greeting cards, postcards, accumulate gorgeous heavy stock with paper lined envelopes. Nostalgia keeps postcards and paper alive. As a teen, I was excited to receive a distinctive blue ‘airmail’ envelope with onion skin paper, translucent but strong enough to withstand ink. The envelopes with the iconic border of red and blue – known as ‘par avion’ borders – allowing postal workers to identify the mail as priority air cargo. A high school boyfriend sent weekly postcards as he and his father toured Europe, a suggestion of a world I had not seen, yet! I remember the Little Mermaid postcard from his Copenhagen visit – writing that I had not been replaced!

As technology overtakes more of our daily lives, there are people who resist and push back with a desire for a more relaxed, slower lifestyle and embracing more meaningful experiences.  When I interview a new client, I cringe at the few who want to travel halfway across the world for a long weekend – lacking authentic experiences and merely checking off a bucket list location. Sending or receiving a postcard taps into that feeling of a personal experience and the effort a friend or family member made to send a quick note, it’s a small intentional effort, unlike an online instant snapshot story – which disappears in an hour.

I guess the next question for younger travelers, is the ancient art of cursive. Only 14 states require cursive writing instruction.

Wish You Were Here!