Postal Mail

During short trips your mail can be collected by kind neighbors or friends. As the length of your trip extends, forwarding your mail could become a burden, even for the most well-intentioned friends.

On this page we cover the services needed to keep the mail flowing, no matter where you are: Mail Forwarding Services, Receiving Mail, and Shipping Packages.

Mail Forwarding Services

A mail forwarding service is just what you would expect: a service that receives, collects, and forwards mail to your current physical location.

If you are a fulltimer, you can change your official address to the mail forwarding service and receive all your mail there.

Benefits of a mail forwarding service:

• Don't have to rely on friends and family to collect and forward your mail
• Mail is held while you are traveling
• Mail is forwarded to your current physical location on a schedule established by you
• Your mail forwarding address may be sufficient to establish legal residency (check with the state for specifics)

Here is a list of mail forwarding services catering to RVers, with their home state in parenthesis:

• Alternative Resources (South Dakota)
• Americas-Mailbox (South Dakota)
• Escapees (Texas)
• Good Sam Club (Florida)

Receiving Mail

No matter who is forwarding your mail, you need a place to receive it. The choices are:

RV Park Address

The most convenient place to receive mail is at the RV park where you are staying. Before having mail forwarded to the park address, be sure to check with the facility manager to make sure you can receive mail and to determine proper addressing.

PO Box or Mailbox

If the RV park is not a good option, then consider renting a mail box at the local Post Office or mailing store.

• Mail Boxes Etc.
• The UPS Store
• US Postal Service PO boxes

General Delivery

If none of the above options meet your needs, another way to receive mail is by General Delivery at the nearest Post Office.

It works like this: 1) your mail is forwarded to "General Delivery" in the town where you would like to pick it up, 2) go in to the Post Office and ask for your mail.

Address general delivery mail as follows:

    Your Name
    General Delivery
    City, State, ZIP
                        

While most people report no problems getting mail this way, some branch offices in large towns may not accept General Delivery. Plan ahead and call the local branch to make sure. Here are a couple of helpful resources:

• Find a ZIP code by city
• Find a Post Office, then click More Info for the phone number

Shipping Packages

To save time, you can log on to the major shippers' web sites to buy postage and print shipping labels. With the right equipment and materials, you can prepare the package in your RV, ready to be dropped off.

What You Will Need

• Computer connected to the Internet (see Internet Access)
• Printer with letter-sized paper
• Credit card to pay for postage
• Packaging materials
• Small scale to weight package (accurate floor scale will work for heavier items)
• Ruler to measure package dimensions

Shippers

Go to one of the shipper web sites below, create a free account, and log on to print shipping labels.

• FedEx (find drop-off locations)
• UPS (find drop-off locations)
• US Postal Service (find a Post Office)