Three decades ago, a few lucky people could receive news from the other side of the world - relatives of sailors and diplomats and members of international friendship clubs. Today, such joy is available to anyone who collects postcards and stamps or just wants to find new friends.
How to become a postcrosser?
The passion for postcrossing, that is, the exchange of postcards with random people, was born not so long ago, but it is actively taking over the world. It's easy to become a postcrosser - just register on one of the specialized sites. The main one is www.postcrossing.com, where hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world are registered. There are also more modest portals, however, the chance to get an unusual postcard from an exotic country is lower there, mainly the exchange will take place within the borders of the homeland. The language of communication on postcrossing.com is English, so to work you need either knowledge of the language or the Google Chrome browser (in it you can translate the entire page into Russian by selecting the desired menu item by clicking the right mouse button).
It is not difficult to register on the site. It is important to correctly translate your address and name into English so that the sender can correctly indicate the data on the postcard. It is useful to write in your profile, postcards on what topic you would like to receive (only very politely and kindly). After registration, the user receives a randomly selected five addresses to send a message and special codes for each postcard. When they reach the recipient and they register the codes written on the postcards, the sender's address in the same random way will fall out to other strangers.
Where to buy postcrossing cards?
It makes the least sense to apply for this to the offices of the Russian Post: there you can find only endless flowers with gilding. As a rule, sets of postcards with views of the city and region are found in bookstores and souvenir shops. There are postcards with reproductions of paintings in the same place or in museums. However, it is much more useful to search for a suitable online postcard store. The most popular ones usually post their banners all on the same postcrossing.com. You can find them in social networks, and by making a request in a search engine. The least popular types of postcards are handmade or self-printed in a photo center. Many directly write about their unwillingness to receive such messages.
Important details
It is worth regularly checking the Russian Post website for the current tariffs for postcards sending within the country and abroad. It is better to buy brands not standard, but with interesting pictures - this is appreciated by many postcrossers. You can write on the sent postcard about anything: about your work, hobby, the weather outside the window, your favorite book, or emotions or knowledge related to the recipient's country and city. It is worth decorating the postcard with bright stickers or drawings next to the text.
