What you may have noticed in the My Adventure Book post is that I have a postcards on my wall. I started collecting post cards when I was 16 and on a school trip in the US. Here’s my postcard wall.
The Art Of Sending A Letter
I love the art of sending post cards and writing letters. I have a penpal in Ohio who I’ve been writing to since I was 12. Although we’re friends on Facebook, we much prefer sending letters.
Since social media became big, postcards sales have been declining. The section available is smaller than it was in the early 2000’s. Some places don’t sell them at all anymore! However, it’s not all bad news. The wave of nostalgia that revived vinyls and vintage clothing has spread to postcards.
Most post cards I collect are for myself, but I always buy an extra to send to my pen-pal.
While I love social media, I’d hate for postcards to die out. I always look forward to postcard shopping when I travel. It is easier to just snap a selfie or picture and upload it for everyone to see. When I was a kid, it was nice to come home and ask my friends if they got the one I sent them. If you’re letter box is full of bills and serious grown-up letters, it’s nice to get something to make you smile.
When I Started Collecting Postcards
On the trip I mentioned above, I visited Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York, Washington DC, and kinda-ish Newark. We flew in and out of Newark Liberty Airport and stayed in a hotel there but didn’t actually get to see New Jersey.
I only decided to do this half way though the trip which means I don’t have any from Baltimore or Newark. However, I’d love to revisit those places one day.
Six years later I’ve added post cards from Morocco, Spain, and France, as well as from other cities in Ireland. Although over the 22 years of my life here, I’ve probably been to almost every county, I started collecting Irish postcards much later than international. Right now I only have Kerry, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Clare, and Kilkenny on my wall, but I’ve been the more than that.
The goal is to one day have a whole wall of my house covered in postcards, like wallpaper. I’d love to see as much as the US as possible, especially California, Salem Massachusetts, Ohio, Nevada, and Hawaii. I also really want to visit; Canada, Australia, and Japan.
Why I Collect Postcards
It always makes me smile seeing my postcard wall because it’s a constant reminder of all the wonderful places I’ve seen.
I quite often feel unachomplished, and the postcard collection proves that thought wrong. I think life is about experiences, and where better to get those experiences than travelling?
Do you collect postcards or other things when you travel?
I used to collect stuffed animals from places I’d travel. I can’t recall why I stopped but I sort of wished my mind told me to collect postcards instead as they’re much cheaper and easier to decorate with. A part of me would want to just order some postcards online from the places I’ve been and then start collecting from new places.
You have a great postcard wall! Hope it grows tremendously in the years to come!
Thank you, I’m sure you could track down some postcards online or find to send them
This is such a wonderful idea, and I never thought to do it! We always buy postcards for one person who hangs them up, but never for myself! I might start now haha – great post! 🙂
Thank you!
I have a bunch of penpals so I usually buy postcards on my travels to send to other people. I don’t actually buy them for myself but on the flipside I’ve had people send them back to me from all over the world so I have quite a good collection.
I hope you can add many more to your collection 🙂
This is so cute <3 Lovely idea
This is such a great idea. I used to collect postcards and put them in a scrapbook but it became very time consuming! Now I collect fridge magnets from my travels – I love that they’re reasonably inexpensive and can fit easily into hand luggage.
Our fridge is covered in travel magnets, whenever any of is go somewhere my dad asks for one