Postcrossing Blog

PostEurop is once again hosting their yearly competition to choose the best EUROPA stamp of the year!

Have you seen the new stamps yet? The theme for 2014 is National Musical Instruments, and each country has the chance to showcase their musical heritage. Here are some of them:

Aren’t they great? From street organs to stone harps, bagpipes, horns, saxophones, flutes, drums… The European musical traditions are all present and very well represented, so we predict that this year’s competition will be a tight race!

Have you picked your favorite yet? It’s up to us to elect the stamp of the year – so head over to the competition page, cast your vote… and may the best stamp win!

P.S. – We’re always curious to know… which one did you pick?

Some of you might remember Tatjana Buisson from when she launched her Postick Kickstarter campaign, back in 2012. She has a nice little pet project called Postcard Happiness, focused on bringing smiles to those who need them, via postcards. Tatjana tells the story of Postcard Happiness and explains what it is all about:

I spent three years living in Barcelona from 2006–2009. The distance from friends and family triggered my passion for postcards. I loved walking around the city taking pictures with my little digital camera (pre-instagram). I’d print out the the pictures I’d taken with specific people in mind, stick them on a piece of paper and send them to friends and family as postcards. I also liked to illustrate things I saw that I knew friends would love and I’d send my illustrations as postcards too.

During that time I discovered Postcrossing and started posting postcards to people around the globe. I loved the exchange and I loved how genuinely happy every postcard I received made me.

At the time a friend of mine was diagnosed as bi-polar and she was going through a very challenging time back in South Africa. I felt helpless living so far away because I knew that she was feeling alone but in my heart she wasn’t alone. I started sending her regular postcards of things that I thought might lift her spirits. It wasn’t so much the postcard itself as the reminder that I was thinking of her, that she wasn’t alone, that she was important to me.

I thought very little of it and years later I moved back to South Africa. It was only when I bumped into my friend’s mother and she explained how much of an impact those postcards had had on her daughter that I understood the power of a postcard.

I knew that there were hundreds of thousands of postcard-friendly people sending postcards to random strangers via Postcrossing and I saw that there was an untapped potential in the combination of these wonderful postcard-enthusiasts and the hundreds of thousands of people who are going through a rough time… People who just need to be reminded that they’re not alone. That even strangers care about their recovery or their achievement.

I had had the idea for ages and finally launched it with my father as the first postcard recipient. He had had a stroke in 2011 and a year later I was so proud of him for his courage and determination to become independent and self-sufficient. He had worked hard to stay positive and he did not let anyone feel sorry for him because he didn’t feel sorry for himself. I felt that he deserved recognition from me and from anyone else who felt like sending him words of encouragement.

The postcards he received were genuinely heartwarming. People who didn’t know me or my father sent him the kindest messages. He phoned me in tears saying that he didn’t know what I had done or who these people were but that he was so grateful. Strangers were encouraging him to keep it up and their messages were genuine and loving. A lot of them came from a place of knowing. People who had experienced similar things or who had seen loved ones experience something similar.

Since then, I’ve kept the initiative going with friends and strangers who send me stories of loved ones who could do with a little postcard happiness. The project has consistently continued at a consistent pace because I’ve started my own little business with Postick and my illustrated cards which has kept me incredibly busy but I intend to put some dedicated time aside to get the project rolling at the capacity that I envisioned for it. I dream of connecting the initiative to schools and larger institutions with the capacity to make a massive impact on the recipients.

I recently met with a lady I added to the project late last year, Liana. She had been traumatized by an assault at her ice cream store and I added her to the project because I had heard that she had been dramatically shaken by the incident. When I saw her months later she told me that she had received over 70 postcards from all over the world. Korea, Japan, Germany, Holland, the US, France, Australia… She told me that the postcards had restored her faith in humankind. That she saw that there are a lot of good people out there.

I believe this project has the potential to heal both the postcard senders and the recipients. So many of us want to do something good but we don’t have the time or the resources to get heavily involved in massive initiatives. Here’s a tangible, genuine and powerful initiative that enables us to do good in our own capacity. I underestimated the potential that lies in a little postcard. It has the potential to connect strangers in a beautiful and uncomplicated manner. It has the potential to make someone’s day. And the beauty of a postcard is that it lasts for as long as you want it to. It can be a daily reminder on someone’s wall.

Ready to spread a little bit of postcard happiness? Grab a postcard and head over to Tatjana’s website!

To stay on top of new requests for postcards, feel free to follow the Postcard Happiness Facebook page as well :)

By now, many of you already know our Little Mail Carriers, a set of Playmobil toys that go around the world, visiting places and going on adventures… but did you know that this “toy hosting” activity is actually a popular hobby, shared by thousands of people worldwide?

Gwennie, Bernie, Nana, Luc Zeke, Captain Caramel and Bzzz attending a Postcrossing meetup and Lupus-Tigger visiting the TARDIS at Caernarfon Castle.

The intrepid travelers (often plastic or plush toys) are called “toy voyagers”, and they’re all registered on ToyVoyagers.com. Many of them are forgotten or rescued toys, getting a second chance to see the world… isn’t that nice? On the website, each toy has its own profile and travel log, which documents its globetrotting adventures. It’s fascinating to see the places they go to!

The website’s tagline is “little things on big adventures” and accordingly, each host takes care of the little ones on their trips, showing them around their towns and bringing them on adventures. They enjoy discovering the local festivals and traditions, tasting food specialities, seeing the sights… everything goes! Some of them even have special life missions, or goals that they’d like to achieve, such as visiting a chocolate factory or attending a Postcrossing meetup!

Dotdog inspects the pumpking patch.

ToyVoyagers gives everyone a fun opportunity to learn more about their own town. It’s the perfect excuse to visit the more touristy places you’ve been meaning to check out for so long… but never got around to! It’s also a very nice way to showcase your own region to the world, and learn about other countries and cultures as well.

Though the website isn’t very actively maintained these days (and many links don’t work), it’s still going strong, and everyday many toys start their voyages. Would you like to host or send a little traveler out to the world? Sign up at ToyVoyagers.com and bon voyage! :)

Gwennie visiting a museum with an RNLI lifeboats exhibit and MuhKuh making muffins.

A big thanks to FelipeDuarte, who first suggested this article, and to to manme and FairyFoot, two experienced ToyVoyagers.com hosts who kindly replied to all our questions and provided us with photos to illustrate this post! :)

PS – The ToyVoyager’s website is currently unavailable while going through some changes. For more details, please check this forum thread or their Facebook page.

At least once a year, postcrossers from Mumbai in India get together to celebrate their hobby and send some postcards. Last year, the Little Mail Carriers’ cousin was invited by Amit Surana (aka indianfriendszone) to tag along and discover his beautiful country. Here’s his report of the trip:

Hi everyone! It’s been a while… I hope you’re doing well!

Man… it sure feels good to get out of that envelope! :) Ooooh… and what do we have here?

Well hello ladies! Nice to meet you! Are you all coming to the Postcrossing meetup as well?

The local postcrossers are celebrating a special quirky date: 11/12/13! This sequential date only happens once every 100 years – how cool is that?

We met at Starbucks, and then moved to the General Post Office, who made a room available for us to share and write our postcards in a quiet environment. That was very nice of them!

A great crowd turned up, and it was really nice to meet everyone in person! And the postcards were really nice too – some where even especially designed for this event:

By the way, the building of the Mumbai General Post Office is stunning – one of the largest post office buildings in the world with 101 counters and 11,000 square meters of area. As you can imagine, it handles massive quantities of mail everyday! Do pay it a visit if you’re around…

… you might even get to meet a friendly postman, like I did!

After the meeting, I stayed in Mumbai for some time, and got to do some sightseeing with Amit, and learn a bit more about the biggest city in India. Mumbai is amazing: everywhere you look, there’s a piece of history waiting to be discovered.

We stopped at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (also known as Victoria Terminus), built in 1887 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. It’s made in the Victorian Gothic Revival style blended with traditional Indian architecture – and so remarkable that it earned UNESCO recognition.

Mumbai is also known for the Bollywood industry, which is based here in the city. We went to see one of these movies, and the songs were stuck in my head for hours afterwards… I even learned a dance move or two! I didn’t understand much of the story since everyone spoke Hindi… except now and then, when the characters would speak in English for a sentence or two! Amit explained that this is called Hinglish and it’s a mixture of the two languages.

I also got a chance to see the magnificent Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and the Leopold Café nearby. This was a solemn moment in my trip, as I remembered the many people who died or were wounded here during the November 2008 terrorist attack.

After that I was feeling contemplative… Since Mumbai lays by the sea, this was the perfect occasion to take a stroll on the beach, and dip my feet in the Arabian Sea while watching the sunset. Chowpatty beach is one of the most famous in Mumbai. It’s here that people come to try the local delicacies or just relax at the end of a long day. There were monkeys dancing, snake-charmers and even fortune tellers!

A short walk from the beach was Kamala Nehru Park, which features…

… a boot house! Isn’t that amazing? Who wouldn’t want to live in a boot? It’s inspired in the nursery rhyme There was an old woman who lived in a shoe – though I didn’t find any old women there, only happy children!

On my last days in town, there was another Postcrossing meeting, where we visited the Elephanta caves, a famous UNESCO heritage site on an island 10km from the coast of Mumbai. The caves have a series of sculptures, from the 5th and 6th centuries, depicting the cult of Shiva. They’re amazing! I felt even smaller than usual next to them…

Glad I wasn’t alone! There were a lot of friendly postcrossers there with me :)

I had an wonderful time in India with Amit and all the postcrossers, but now it’s time to go! Into the mailbox I go… who knows where I’ll pop out! :)

Thank you Amit, that was lovely! Keep an eye on the blog, we have a feeling we’ll be hearing from the Little Mail Carrier’s soon…

Danny (aka wildernesscat) was born in Estonia, but moved to Israel when he was just 10 years old. After discovering Postcrossing in late 2008, Danny has sent over 3000 postcards… and risen to be the top postcrosser in Israel! :)

Here is what he had to say to our interview questions:

How did you come across Postcrossing? What got you hooked?

I had always been fond of writing letters and postcards, but never knew that people exchanged cards on a regular basis. Then one time, as I was corresponding with my friend Aet (aka jalutaja) in Estonia, and she suggested I tried Postcrossing. At first I didn’t believe that the idea actually worked, but after I got my first card from a total stranger, I just couldn’t stop going. The idea fascinated me, and I became an avid participant, up to this day.

Show us your mailbox, your mailman/mailwoman, your postoffice or the place where you post or keep your postcards!

I am enclosing a picture of the only post office we have in our town. Kfar Yona is a small place, and we don’t have mail distribution to residential addresses. Every family has its own post office box (similar to the ones you see on the wall), and you have to collect your mail there.

I am also enclosing a picture of a regular Israeli mailbox. Next to the box you can see my electric bicycle. I use it as a main means of transportation on weekdays.

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

What I like most is the selection of a new address, and choosing the right card for that person. I do quite a bit of research before I settle on a postcard. I check their favorites, their received cards (to avoid duplicates), and some other links that may be present in the profile. Then of course, comes the preparation of the card itself. I have different stamps of different sizes, and stickers to decorate the card. Everything has to match perfectly, so the card’s surface is used in the most elegant way. I like to write down the date and the weather, and sometimes I add some sort of doodle in the corner. It has to look just right :)

Show and tell us about your favorite received postcard to date, and what makes it special.

Well, actually I have two such cards. What makes them special is the fact that they were sent from countries that have no postal ties with Israel. There aren’t many countries like that, and when someone living there makes an effort to send me a card (via 3rd party), it makes me appreciate it even more because I know that the sender has invested time and thought into getting it to me. One is from Wadih in Lebanon, and the other is from Bilal in Pakistan. So close by, yet so far away.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

My kids and I like spending time outdoors, particularly mountain biking. Every other weekend we load our bikes on the car, and set out to one of Israel’s nature reserves. The reserves are located mainly in the North of the country, were the climate is cooler, and there are several marked biking trails. On other days we go on day-hikes, and look for Geocaching treasure. We picked up this hobby on a recent trip to Australia, and now continue doing it back home. We were surprised at how many caches are hidden all over the country!

Is there anything that you are passionate about?

Yes, as corny as it may sound, I like the idea of promoting peace and understanding between people. There are many different religions and different walks of life in our country, and sometimes hatred stems from pure ignorance. People portray the other side in negative light, and fights are started over nothing. There are lots of common denominators between people, and when they open up to ideas different than their own, great friendships can form. I am happy to say that I have friends and acquaintances that speak different languages and hold opposing political views. It is okay to disagree on some things, but it’s also important to respect each other, and treat each other in a civilized manner. I think that Postcrossing can promote these ideals in a friendly, relaxed manner.