Avail yourself of mail
When you’re on the road long-term, or permanently, there are a few important details to contend with. While you may not need to pay electricity and gas bills any more, you probably still have a credit card bill, bank statements (hopefully), possibly a cell phone bill, and potentially important documents (I’m currently locked in a wrestling match with an old insurance provider involving lots of letters). So what do you do with them if you have no fixed address, or aren’t going to be in any one place for a long time?
- I haven’t yet encountered a billing company that won’t let you sign up for Automatic Bill-Pay. This means the amount of the bill is deducted from your bank account automatically every month. Sometimes you have to jump through hoops to set it up, because (for example), your credit card company really doesn’t WANT you to pay in a timely fashion. But the faster you get all bills switched to automatic withdrawal, the less time-sensitive mail you have to deal with. You can, by the way, set up your credit card bill to pay the entire balance every month; they REALLY don’t like that, which is a good reason to do it. Why let them take any more of your money, eh?
- You can look up bank statements, bills, and other important information online, most of the time; many companies are switching to paper-free options. Inquire as to whether this is possible. Mention the word “green.” They like that.
- Semi-important official documents — like IRS tax information or permits — should go to your technical “home address.” It helps to designate a home address in whatever country you do the bulk of your work in. If it belongs to a helpful friend who can forward you the important stuff ASAP, so much the better.
So what if something important’s on the way, or Aunt Mabel wants to mail you a check? You have a couple of options.
- Set up a post office box in a physical location. If you’re going to be moving around generally in one area, designate a post office box and pick up your mail at regular intervals. Most PO Boxes do not accept packages or courier-delivered mail, and some places will not deliver to a PO Box address.
- Get a mail forwarding service. These guys will send your mail to you for a flat fee.
- Have mail sent to your hostel/B&B/hotel. Many hotels and hostels will accept mail for residents. However, this does require that you stay there for long enough to receive the mail, which might not be a hardship! Call ahead and ask what address to have mail sent to.
- American Express accepts letters and documents ONLY (no packages), for free, if you have an AmEx card. You can pick them up at the designated office, or have them sent to any AmEx office in the world, free of charge.
- Sending things c/o friends is fine, assuming you will be there in timely fashion to pick it up, but remember that many countries don’t deliver packages; your friend may have to go pick it up at the post office, and there may be a fee. It should go without saying, but DO NOT under ANY circumstances mail anything illegal. Ever. But especially not to your friend.
- If you need something in a hurry, your best bet is to have it faxed. Mail is no guarantee, even the super-fast express registered kind (we paid over $40 US to mail a friend’s forgotten PDA from the US to Canada by next-day express mail…it got to Canada the next day, and remained hung up in customs for a week and a half). Many office supply companies, as well as mail services and AmEx offices, have fax machines you can have things sent to.
- The ever-popular “Poste Restante” method, which allows a local post office to hold mail for people without permanent mailing addresses. This classic mail delivery system involves addressing your mail to “Your Name, c/o Poste Restante, Central Post Office, Town, Country.” There are several potential problems with this, so it should really be a last resort. In the first place, there may not be a Central Post Office in the town you’re going to. If you can, call a local post office and ask if they have a Poste Restante policy and if so, where it should be addressed. They may not know what you’re talking about. Be prepared to explain. A lot. You MUST bring your passport or other identity documents to collect the mail. Some Poste Restante services charge a fee for each letter held. Some do not accept packages.
- If all else fails and you somehow miss your mail, and it’s not urgent, don’t worry: all mail eventually will get returned to its place of origin. It might take months, but it will. This is why you should make sure friends and family mark a RETURN ADDRESS on everything they send you. Especially checks.
January 5th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
How were you planning on cashing that cheque? Better suggestion – leave your banking information with the trusted friend or family member that is receiving your mail. They can deposit the cheque into your account.
I’m not convinced that long term travelers really need to receive mail in this world of electronic correspondence.
January 5th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Another option is Earth Class Mail. I’ve been using them for about a month in preparation for my RTW trip. Its a virtual P.O. Box, they scan the front of each piece of mail. I can choose to have them shred, recycle, open + scan contents, or forward it to me. Minor hitches, but so far so good. It’s an ideal solution for me if it works out.
January 5th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Great tips, Rolf. I also use e-mail to preserve my important information. Scan the main passport page, credit cards, vaccination sheet, and anything else that’s important and e-mail it to yourself. If something is lost simply open you e-mail and you have proof for the embassy.
~Gennaro
January 5th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
i second the vote for earth class mail. i just signed up in preparation for a (potentially short-term) move but first heard about it through almostfearless.com when i was planning for a RTW. i believe they’re also going to be launching a feature soon that allows for check deposits as well, although don’t quote me on that…
on a side note – i think it’s funny that people say “great tips, rolf” when there are multiple bloggers posting for this part of the site.
great tips, claire! =)
August 12th, 2010 at 6:31 am
[…] Have the post office forward your mail to a trusted friend or assistant who can sort through the junk and scan/summarize the important mail for you. Or set up EarthClassMail or another mail forwarding service (see more good tips from Rolph Potts). […]
September 20th, 2011 at 9:34 pm
[…] Have the post office forward your mail to a trusted friend or assistant who can sort through the junk and scan/summarize the important mail for you. Or set up EarthClassMail or another mail forwarding service (see more good tips from Rolph Potts). […]