You've Got Mail: Send & Receive Postcards From Strangers Across The World With This Service

Get beautiful postcards from strangers all over the world with the system of Postcrossing, that connects you with letter-writers in over 240 countries in the world.

Started in 2005, Postcrossing is a service that connects people around the globe by thousands of fluttering pieces of paper – postcards, stamped duly with love to a stranger who will write back to another stranger in return.

How does it work? There are thousands of people who are signed up with Postcrossing and whose details are on the database. Once you sign up, you request an address and are provided with a postcard ID. The job now is to pick a pretty postcard of your choice, fill it in and send it to the address provided. Remember to put in the Postcard ID somewhere in the text, so that the receiver can confirm that they have got the postcard online.

Once they do that, your address will be sent to someone somewhere in the world, who will have a unique Postcard ID. On getting your first postcard, you too have to confirm that you’ve received it, and the process continues.

The members are from 248 countries from Austria to Bulgaria to Yemen {and no, Chandler fans, there isn’t a Yemen Road in Yemen}, so you’ll get beautiful postcards from all parts of the world and stamps too.

The service is free to use, but the cost of mail will be borne by you. Sign up here and get the joy of receiving mail from around the globe.

The Postcrossing Twitter account regularly posts pictures of the parcels received and sent by postcrossers, if you want to be a part of the larger community.