Sending a postcard is a holiday tradition for many. A tradition that originated over a century and a half ago, when the Austrian Postal Service adopted Dr. Emanuel Herrmann’s idea for a practical and cost-effective way to send short messages by writing a note on a single card, which we now know as the postcard.
Since 1856, sending a card in the post to loved ones back home whilst abroad is something I’m sure most of us have done at some point, and continue to do, even in this age of social media, where a message can be delivered in a matter of seconds. However, some people, including me, love sending postcards so much that we send them to other postcard enthusiasts around the world as part of a hobby known as Postcrossing.
It was July 2023 when I signed up as a Postcrosser. Two years later, with intermittent spells on the platform, I have sent over 70 cards and counting, and received the same amount from countries all over the world, including China, Russia, Japan, Azerbaijan, and even Libya! If one thing Postcrossing has taught me, it is that we are all just human, and getting a postcard in the letterbox is a lot nicer than a brown envelope from the tax office.
For those unfamiliar with this niche hobby, Postcrossing is a website that allows anyone to send and receive postcards from all over the world at random. Each Postcrossing member can send a postcard to another randomly selected member, and in return, receive a postcard from another random Postcrossing member. This process enables members to connect with people from all over the world, forming a global community of postcard enthusiasts that promotes cultural understanding through the simple act of exchanging postcards.
From the Algarve with love
The idea was conceived by Algarvian resident Paulo Magalhães back in 2005 during his student years. With a love for receiving mail in the post, especially postcards from friends and family holidaying abroad, he set out to create a community of postcard enthusiasts, and before long, the Postcrossing platform was born.
Anyone can join the Postcrossing site for free. Members add their postal details and generate a random member’s address somewhere in the world to which the sender sends a postcard. Upon receiving, the recipient enters a special postcard ID number assigned to that specific card and adds it to their profile. Meanwhile, someone else in the world generates your address and sends you a postcard in return.
This fun activity only costs the price of a card and a stamp, and connects you with people all around the world. Just as Paulo said, “our goal is to connect people across the world through postcards, independently of their country, age, gender, race, or beliefs”. A positive message given the troubled times we are currently living in.
Now in its twentieth year, Postcrossing has over 800,000 members spanning across 211 countries and territories. As of January 2025, Postcrossing has registered over 80 million postcards since its launch two decades ago. The member who has sent the most postcards is Willherm from Germany, who has sent a staggering 40,481 postcards since joining back in 2007. Willherm states that his favourite cards are “UNESCO World Heritage Sites, city-views, maps, churches, and castles, to name a few.
Closer to home, Portuguese Postcrosser Miguel, from the Viseu region, takes the lead as Portugal’s most active postcrosser, having sent over 15,608 postcards since joining back in 2010. In total, Portugal has around 5,821 postcrossers nationwide. At the time of writing, Portugal-based members have sent around 759,756 postcards and received 767,306 from around the world, and ranks 21st on the post crossing charts.
Meeting fellow postcrossers
In addition to sending and receiving cards, some members have created enthusiast meet-ups where like-minded hobbyists can exchange, buy, and sell postcards, as well as make new friends over a cup of coffee. Meet-ups are organised in all four corners of the globe, and Germany alone is hosting over 80 meet-ups this year.
The last Portuguese Postcrossing meet-up, held near Leiria, was in March and was organised by Ana, a veteran Postcrosser with 20 years of experience. The small but friendly group of 12 Postcrossers met not just to discuss postcards, but also to plant trees to help reforest Pinhal de Leiria.
In addition to the site-generated postcard exchange, members can also message each other and request a ‘direct swap’ at their discretion. This means both members, usually from different countries, send each other a card privately. Ivan, one of the newest members, from Spain, kindly sent me a card from his hometown in Galicia, as I have not yet received a card from our neighbouring country. Likewise, I sent him a card from the Algarve, showing our unique architecture. Ivan said he joined Postcrossing to learn about other countries, people, and languages, whilst sharing his knowledge about Spain with others.
Over the years, Postcrossing has spread far and wide, connecting people the old-fashioned way through snail mail. It’s not only about connecting nationalities, but also about people from all walks of life, many of whom are happy to share a little bit about themselves, even if it’s just a couple of sentences long.
If you’re looking to take up a new hobby this summer, why not sit down with a glass of wine and start Postcrossing. It’s a great way to share the wonders of your hometown with others, right from the country where Postcrossing began. Who knows, you might just make a pen pal along the way.
Did you know?
- CTT – Portugal’s postal service was founded in 1520 when King D. Manuel I launched the Correio Público. Today, it is the oldest company still operating in Portugal.
- The first postcard to be sent in Portugal was on 1 January 1878, when Portugal officially adopted them as part of its postal system.
- The top five Postcrossing Countries: Russia, Taiwan, USA, China, and Germany
- The top five countries for sending postcards are Germany, the USA, Russia, the Netherlands, and Finland.
