One of my first travel memories was seeing a postcard come through our letterbox when I was a child in Bangor, Northern Ireland. As a kid, you ignore those boring brown or white envelopes and you are intrigued by colour so the postcard that arrived in the post caught my eye.
It was either a postcard from the Netherlands or from London, but I told my Mum I wanted to keep it. For me a postcard is the ultimate travel souvenir. A postcard itself is a journey. It means little or nothing to get an e-mail with a photo on it when you compare it with the journey of a postcard. I fear it's becoming a forgotten art, hence why I still send my family a postcard from EVERY single new place I go.
Last time I was in my homeland with family I checked out the postcard collection that I had sent them. I was amazed that it has now reached well over 100 postcards from over 50 different countries.
These postcards have been bought, written and posted from all seven continents - yes I even found a postbox at Port Lockroy in Antarctica! All the postcards detail where I was, what I did and showed a picture and a stamp. Arrival of my postcards to my family's home is the completion of a crazy journey.
From a very cold chilly hut in the British Antarctic Base of Port Lockroy I bought, wrote and posted postcards. From the world's coldest continent all the way to Northern Ireland in the northern hemisphere, this is a great journey for a bit of card, miles from the world of internet and mobile phones.
Perhaps the younger travellers amongst us even wonder why anyone would bother sending a postcard, when you can just e-mail. Well it's the story of the postcard that does it for me!!
Spot the difference:
1. An e-mail: E-mail v Postcard? I logged on and typed an email and sent it from a computer. I think we all know the answer to that one, at least I do!
2. Postcards: Postcards v. e-mails? A postcard is physical and real - it was bought in a shop on holiday, written by a beach and then posted in a town. You didn't even need internet.
what one would you prefer to get?
Don't forget on your next trip you should send a postcard! A physical present. Sending postcards to friends and family really puts a smile on their faces and means a lot more to people than an e-mail.
I love postcards, don't stop buying them, don't stop writing them, don't stop posting them and Don't Stop Living!
It was either a postcard from the Netherlands or from London, but I told my Mum I wanted to keep it. For me a postcard is the ultimate travel souvenir. A postcard itself is a journey. It means little or nothing to get an e-mail with a photo on it when you compare it with the journey of a postcard. I fear it's becoming a forgotten art, hence why I still send my family a postcard from EVERY single new place I go.
Last time I was in my homeland with family I checked out the postcard collection that I had sent them. I was amazed that it has now reached well over 100 postcards from over 50 different countries.
These postcards have been bought, written and posted from all seven continents - yes I even found a postbox at Port Lockroy in Antarctica! All the postcards detail where I was, what I did and showed a picture and a stamp. Arrival of my postcards to my family's home is the completion of a crazy journey.
From a very cold chilly hut in the British Antarctic Base of Port Lockroy I bought, wrote and posted postcards. From the world's coldest continent all the way to Northern Ireland in the northern hemisphere, this is a great journey for a bit of card, miles from the world of internet and mobile phones.
Perhaps the younger travellers amongst us even wonder why anyone would bother sending a postcard, when you can just e-mail. Well it's the story of the postcard that does it for me!!
Spot the difference:
1. An e-mail: E-mail v Postcard? I logged on and typed an email and sent it from a computer. I think we all know the answer to that one, at least I do!
2. Postcards: Postcards v. e-mails? A postcard is physical and real - it was bought in a shop on holiday, written by a beach and then posted in a town. You didn't even need internet.
what one would you prefer to get?
Don't forget on your next trip you should send a postcard! A physical present. Sending postcards to friends and family really puts a smile on their faces and means a lot more to people than an e-mail.
I love postcards, don't stop buying them, don't stop writing them, don't stop posting them and Don't Stop Living!
About the Author:
To read more stuff like Lost art of postcards visit Jonny Blair's hugely resourceful site Lifestyle of travel for more travel tales and advice.