Send a Postcard to Yourself
“Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”
– Water Hagen
Do you send postcards?
How about sending yourself a postcard?
With Instagram, Facebook, and free Internet access basically everywhere, postcards may seem outdated, old-fashioned even.
But the magical details of travel all but disappear in the months (and years) after a trip.
Keeping a journal works well, but when you’re on the go, it can be hard to maintain.
And even harder to dig through years later.
Sending a postcard home is a tradition my husband and I started in Paris in 2005. The last morning of our trip, we sat at café terrace – sipping espressos, eat flaky croissants, and recounting our journey. I jotted a few lines, highlighting our favorite details of the trip.
I bought a stamp at a tabac and slipped the postcard in the mail.
A few days upon our return, I opened the mail to find the Eiffel Tower staring back at me and smiled, reliving the experiences we had on the banks of the Seine and Riviera.
I tucked it away in a momento box, and have since added many more.
It’s a such simple way to capture offbeat, fleeting moments. And it’s the small, inconsequential, unplanned aspects of travel that inspire me to travel again, and again.
Here are some prompts:
- What was a quirky experience (snafu)?
Remember when we blew out the electricity in a wing of an ancient castle by simultaneously plugging in our iPhones?
- What was a funny quote?
“We have fire eaters here. Top that!”
- Was there a common theme/conversation that popped up throughout the trip?
Lovers at the Buddha Bar in Paris, on a topless beach in Saint-Tropez, at a Jamiroquai concert in at the Nîmes Coliseum.
It’s in the details. You can deny their decay, but details fade. A postcard to your future self keeps the memories alive in accessible soundbites.
What do you think? Do you do it? Would you …?
Ciao for now.
Rudeysroom 
2 Responses to “Send a Postcard to Yourself”
[…] Postcards- This one is a cool idea because it involves sending yourself postcards from your travels. You can write down all the things you are seeing and doing and it will serve as a photographic journal. Learn more. […]
Thank you so much for posting this!! Glad you like it.