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djgwilly's avatar
djgwilly
Explorer
Mar 04, 2017

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What do most people do to get their mail when traveling. We plan to be on the road for at least 4 months and this seems to be an issue with people I have talked with. Is there an easy way to get your mail. Thanks
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    As a full timer my mailing address is basically a shoebox (Post Office box but not at a post office, it's at a "PO BOX store" I call 'em long about the 20'th and they send me a "Care" package,,, all my mail for the month.

    When I part timed I had a trusted friend collect the mail monthly and forward in pre-paid mail envelopes (experess mail) Worked great for the most part.. Till said friend went hospial and I missed a month.

    Basically I don't get much mail I need to attend to and most of that is fraud as it turns out.. Oh the occasional doctor's bill or statement, but that is all.
  • We had the post office do a temporary forwarding to a mail forwarding service. The UPS Store is one service that is in many cities.
    You can do up to six months with an option for another six months.
    Most mail forwarding services have a web site or email address that you can use to tell them where and when to send your mail. We used to have ours sent every week but many friends used two week or one month intervals.
  • If you have someone collecting your mail for you, or sign up with one of the several mail forwarding services, you can have them periodically forward your mail to you in a single package to either the park you're at if they'll accept it, or to general delivery in a nearby town. Smaller to offices are best for that, since larger cities may have several branches, but only one that accepts general delivery. It can also be shipped by UPS or FEDEX of course. Before you head out, move as many bills, etc., as possible to online billing and/or automatic payments. Most banks have online bill payment systems that can also be helpful.