Mail Forwarding

[kemer]

We are about to head out on our next adventure which will last about 6 months. The last 3 and a half months will be in one spot so having our mail forwarded there by USPS shouldn't be a problem. Since we will be mobile for about 2 months, I'm wondering what others have done regarding getting mail. We probably won't be in one place long enough to have it physically mailed to us. Are there services out there that can help?

THANKS

[xctraveler]

I had enough trouble with USPS forwarding to one address, for up to 6 months in the same Sectional Facility, that once we started moving around it was clear that if I ever hoped to see my magazines - about the ONLY thing I care about having forwarded - I needed some other service. We change location every week or two and the USPS is not set up to provide that service - Escapees and the other RV friendly services are set up to do just that.

[jerseyjim]

2gypsies: There is a charge for the USPS mail forwarding service. Not much, tho. I THINK there is a time limit for magazines, etc.
Go to your post office. All the info is there for the asking.

g'luck!

[2gypsies1]

J-Rooster wrote:
When we go to AZ. or anywhere else for the winter we have the Post Office hold our mail until we call for it!

Isn't there a time limit for a post office to hold mail? How do you work around that? Or do you have and pay for this special service? Perhaps small post offices will work with you in this respect.

[jerseyjim]

As mentioned before, you can most likely have ALL your bills go electronic...thru your bank, for instance. Notifications, payments, etc..
That's when you're on the road for awhile. Then....if you choose, and are "stationary" for some time, the USPS has a forwarding system for a few bucks a month.

I've used both with no problems.

[J-Rooster]

When we go to AZ. or anywhere else for the winter we have the Post Office hold our mail until we call for it!

[FloridaKash]

We use travelling mailbox. I'm happy with the service.

[Traveler_II]

We've used

DakotaPost
3916 N Potsdam Ave,
Sioux Falls, SD 57104-7048

We've used them for a number of years, most years we are on the road six months, this year 9 months.

See you are getting out of Minnesota for the winters, that's what we do.

[xctraveler]

All our mail goes through the Escapees Mail Service in Livingston TX. for $105 per year they dump the third class mail and forward everything else to me by whatever service I specify (UPS, USPS, FedEX). Takes about 24 hours for them to ship and using USPS Priority I can have in in from 2 to 4 days.

Been doing this since 2007. They just added a scan service where they scan the outside of the envelopes and post them to me for review before mailing and for $.50 a page they will open and scan contents upon request. Most would not want that done, but it is an option.

[GMandJM]

MyRVMail.com is another good option. (Discount for GS members).

MRVM will hold your mail until you're ready to have it sent to you and you can view on line what's waiting for you.

If you see something important, the mail service can open and scan it for you.

I agree with msmith1199 above - on-line banking for billpay is the way to go.

Keep in mind that USPS forwards only First Class mail (not bulk rate). Magazines will be forwarded for only 90 days.

[2gypsies1]

As full-timers, we moved around constantly. We used a mail forwarding service - Escapees RV Club. When we knew we'd be in an area at least 5 days, we'd email them to send our mail to a close by SMALL post office c/o General Delivery. They sent it out Priority Mail and we usually received it in 3 days.

The key is to pick a SMALL post office so there's no confusion.

This even worked for us when we spent the summer in Alaska.

I don't know if your post office at home would change addresses like that.

If you had someone picking up your mail for you, they could easily do this procedure.

Nowadays, the majority of travelers put everything they can on AutoPay so you don't have to worry about getting bills on time.

[2oldman]

kemer wrote:
I'm wondering what others have done regarding getting mail.

I do everything possible to avoid getting anything important in the mail.

[msmith1199]

One thing you can do if you haven't already, is go paperless as much as possible. Many of the bills you get or important mail like financial statements can generally all be set up to come in email. I get very little important mail in the mail box. My daily trip to the mail box usually involves a stop at the garbage can on the way back to the house where almost everything ends up in the trash. I'd hate to have to pay somebody to forward my junkmail to me.

[donn0128]

There are hundreds of mail forewording compaines. Places like FL and TX are very popular for permanent addresses. If you want to keep MN as your home, check out local UPS stores or places like that. Rent a box from them, permanently move all your mail there. A store close to me charges 96 dollars a year and will foreword my mail for cost of postage plus a 2 dollar handling fee.