Postal Services for Travelers

Posted by Dan Florio Oct 29, 2007

Finding a post office while traveling is a hassle. So is waiting in line to send a package. It's so much easier to just text a message, shoot an email, or send a fax from your hotel concierge. Even Federal Express is more user-friendly to the business traveler. Who needs regular old snail mail mail these days?

This are probably among the reasons the United States Postal Service (USPS) started waving their banner about their newer, faster and - best of all - mostly free online services. According to a recently mailed USPS postcard you can now: "ship a package from your kitchen...put a hold on your mail from the airport, (and) change your address while sitting in a coffee shop."

And you can buy stamps from your hotel room, personalized with your pet poodle's face...not a free service, but definitely a fun one when you're feeling homesick.

Go to the the USPS website and poke around before your travels - register away and learn the rules at leisure in your home office. Then get ready to use what your tax dollars are paying for. Want a quick primer on easy (and mostly free) USPS options you can use from your laptop? Check out Postal Service Tips for Travelers.