Holiday postcards

Haven't sent postcards for years! Phones/digital cameras/skipe have taken its place. I tend not to contact anyone while I am on holiday but carry a phone in case of emergencies. However, I do buy postcards instead of taking endless meaningless photographs of the landscape. I also look out for quirky ones that I can frame or make greetings cards from.

I agree with everyone's comments - we only send postcards to my mother and sister-in-law nowadays. My sister sees the card my mother gets. Once or twice I have sent one to the office, if the place we are visiting has some relevance to work.

But we used to go away with a pack of ready-printed address labels - nearly as many as the Christmas card list.

At one point, when the kids were small, you could get address labels which were the size of a postcard, which I pre-printed before going away. We then took a 12 exposure film of us on the beach or at a famous place of interest, had several copies made locally and stuck the stickers on the back of them.

We also sent them to ourselves, so there was one waiting for us when we got back home.

As someone has said, stamps are difficult to come by these days, especially in an unfamiliar country. And if you see a letter box, you either forget to post the cards, or haven't got them with you. Fortunately you can leave post at the hotel reception desk or camp site office, but it may take a while before they actually get posted!

We used to send them to GC but we got back long before they arrived. I haven't seen a postcard for sale on any Greek Islands for years now except fr sort of arty ones that really aren't for sending- more for framing.

It does worry me that future historians will not have access to source material as everything is on computers and can be wiped away at the click of a button. I love finding old postcards in antique/junk shops; I have some that follow one family for several years [oops; makes me look like a retro stalker doesn't it ].My aunt had boxes of postcards that had been sent by various family members over the years and it always fascinated me to look at them; it also helped, address wise, with family tree research. My cousin has just found, whilst clearing out his mums house, a letter I sent to my aunt many years ago. It was so strange hearing my own words read back to me many years later, but also a relief in that, I'd felt I'd neglected her when I left home [she was my favourite aunt] but I had told her I was going to visit her and drive her to my mums. However, in reply to the OP; no, I rarely send postcards any more and, if I do it's to the grandchildren . Of the ones I sent from America only one arrived!

Depends how long I will be on holiday. Two weeks then probably yes.Nothing worse than arriving home before your cards reach the recipient and what do they do with them ? If like me, after thanking the sender, then take for recycling.

Only to those that expect them. My late mother-in-law loved getting one but my tech-obsessed erstwhile co-workers considered people who "still sent those things" dinosaurs and a laughing stock. Most people are happy with a batch of photos uploaded to Facebook after the fact (if that)!

My sister saved all our family postcards in a shoe box for years. There were cards sent from me and my sisters going back over 50 years, such a laugh to read what we all wrote back then.I even sent a card from my honeymoon reporting that I was having a good time!!!!!!

Always to the DGC as they love to get a card with a jolly picture and a tale of something that Grandad has done to make them laugh. Otherwise no - my DS informed me that 'only old people send postcards' - how rude!

I havent sent any recently, largely because it's so often a pain getting stamps! Didn't send any on 2 recent trips to France for this reason - post office was some distance away from the Tabac where they sold the cards.

In some countries they will sell stamps in the same shop as the postcards - so much less faff. And I think it was South Africa where they had just one lovely stamp for postcards anywhere in the world. So sensible.

OT

I remember the risque cards from the 50/60's fat ladies in striped costumes at the beach. Etc.

We found some in a shop, but havenot sent them, being kept in a 'safe'place for now.

Anyone remember the artist he was very clever

Yes Mostly it is LOL ...sorry.

It takes the hassle out of buying and finding stamps. I really like it.

Sometimes take pictures and send via an app. Done from phone and sent from Guernsey so they get to recipients quite quickly

I send to my 102 year old Aunt; she likes to receive pc's from the family and I sometimes send to the grandchildren but I often see them before the cards arrive from far flung places?. Even though cards are not expensive I think the postage precludes sending too many - same with Christmas cards.

The app TouchNote is BRILLIANT, I send a card to my grandson and he abs loves it, something he can see and touch and mummy reads it to him, £1.99 each, no buying card, not finding stamps and then no having to find postbox, no cards arriving after you, a great way of sending little notes to friends or grandchildren local or abroad. You buy 10 credits for example and so you can think of sending and rather than forgetting, you can just do it instantly in 30 seconds , I love it

Only send a couple now. Went to Sicily recently and the stamps cost €1.20 for post cards . You can't get local stamps! These are specials for tourists and then they took 3 weeks to arrive. Making me think I might not send them in future. I'll stick to whatsup.

jollyg Eric Gill

Sue01 you say, "Particularly since I found out that our saucy end of the pier cards have run foul of the EU."
I can't find any information on this. How have they run foul of the EU?

Always to the younger granchildren. Try to find cards of birds, animals etc that are only found in the are of our holiday. They like to take them into school where they look at the atlas to find our holiday spot and discuss the wildlife.

I send post cards to my sisters, children and 1 to DGS on main holiday. I don't struggle with finding stamps as usually only go to France and tabac have them. If we cruise then not always only if I happen to see postbox and can get stamps. When ever I buy post cards I think of how my Mum used to love them and keep them up on the mantle for weeks when we sent them to her.

Got one from friend via website in Guernsey, all pre printed. They were in Greece. Kind thought, but not the same as hand written and knowing they've trekked miles to a post office and it arrives three weeks later!!

Why do postcards take so long to reach the recipient? The stamps are the same as for a letter, which arrives a day or so later. I used to send postcards but was usually back from my holiday long before they were delivered - even if I sent them before I'd even unpacked!

Another Touchnote fan here. Was very aggravated when I sent one from all of us on a school journey and Head assumed it had been done by young male teacher, not rather older female!
I send very few, usually to DGS. Although I did send one from Malaysia to my elderly aunt because her sister had been stationed there in the 1950s. I was pleased I had because she still remembered it months later.
Narrowboatnan, my son did a comparison test on that. He sent one from Italy which took 3 weeks to arrive and another was posted in the Vatican and was here in 2 days. Apparently the Vatican post office is noted for its efficiency.

I think of a TouchNote postcard to be a bit more than a text/email but not as much as a card. A thought given just a little more effort and not just to be sent from holiday. Esp for grandchildren who live far away, a little note from granny that actually comes to their door, which is unusual these days anyway. The two or three youngsters I have sent one to where amazed to have something addressed to them when it wasn't expected and that they could stick up on the wall/fridge.

I sent my DGD, aged 4, a postcard from my holiday last year. I spent quite some time finding just the right one and eventually chose one of a circus with clowns and acrobats - very colourful. I was in the dog house when I got home because the postcard did not have a picture of a sandcastle, bucket or spade "*or even an ice cream Granny*! I never knew there was a set protocol for postcards from holidays. I was more careful this year!

narrowboatnan When I was in France I was recommended by the lady in the post office to put my postcards in envelopes as they would get back quicker that way and cost the same. So maybe it is true that postcards get 'held back' for some reason.