The nitty gritty of van life includes mail delivery! How do you get important personal documents delivered, or packages you buy online?
Let’s go over several of the free and paid options available.
USPS General Delivery (free)
Did you know you can mail items to your local USPS office using General Delivery and held for up to 30 days to be picked-up in person.
To use this you’ll simply add General Delivery below your name, followed by the address of the post office you wish to pick the mail up at. For example:
Captain Erica
General Delivery
123 Main Street
Some City, CA 92000Be warned that the availability of General Delivery for any individual is at the discretion of the postmaster at that location! If they decide they do not like you for any reason or don’t wish to accomodate you((This happened to me once.)), they can choose to refuse your mail with no recourse available.
Learn more about USPS General Delivery.
It’s worth trying to be as likeable as possible when you go in for General Delivery pick-ups to avoid getting on the postmaster’s shit list. Even if you think you won’t return to the same post office down the road, life happens and it’s better not to burn that bridge if you can help it.
USPS Post Office Box (paid)
If you’re committed to a specific location for longer periods of time you might consider getting a paid post office box at your local USPS office.
The minimum amount of time you can rent a USPS post office box is 3 months.
Learn more about USPS Post Office Boxes.
The biggest drawback here is they require you have a permanent residential address when you apply. If you don’t have that you’re shit out of luck and should consider the next option.
UPS Mailbox (paid)
UPS also offers paid mailboxes, similar to PO Boxes but without the P.O. Box address((Which actually is a bonus because many places won’t allow you to ship items to PO Boxes.)).
Learn more about UPS Mailboxes.
This is the service I use because I can ship items without running into hassles about it being a PO Box or non-residential address.
While I don’t love the cost of it, after being treated very poorly by the local USPS postmaster I refuse to give them more money than I have to.
Phone Mail A Friend (free?)
This isn’t always an option for everyone, but it can be worth having a solid friend or family member whose residential address you can use for important mail((Like taxes, credit card statements, etc.)).
My best friend very generously lets me mail important letters like this to her and anything I physically need she ships to my UPS Mailbox.
Mail Forwarding Services (paid)
When I first went mobile I looked into all sorts of options for mail delivery. Including mail forwarding services.
I didn’t find these to be particularly useful for my own situation, but they are an option for some.
You might have a physical address of the location you’re staying for short periods of time as you travel.
I’m not much of a traveler so I’m not staying with friends, family, or at campgrounds, etc to make use of this type of mail service.
Because I don’t use them, I can’t make any suggestions for good companies to use. But an online search should help send you down the rabbit hole.
Amazon Lockers (free)
If I’m ordering a product online, Amazon Lockers are a really great way to be able to pick-up an item when traveling.
Of course there are limitations to how useful this is because what you need to purchase might not be sold by Amazon. And you can’t use Amazon to deliver important personal documents (yet?).
But in limited situations these work really great!
Random Strangers (free?)
While I was still sorting out my mail situation, there were a few times I made use of random strangers’ offers to let me ship an item to their address to pick-up.
This is far from secure, so I wouldn’t recommend making use of it for important documents.
Also, if you’re a woman please be mindful that generous offers are often laced with unspoken expectations of repayment in some form or another. It’s worth being very wary of any kindnesses like this and to vet a person thoroughly before accepting.
Summary
Nothing drives it home faster that much of society considers you to be homeless as a full-time vanlifer than when you try to figure out the logistics of mail delivery.
Something as basic as having a place to receive important letters or packages is actually a luxury that most people take for granted.
If you don’t have enough money to use paid services, and are unable to rely on the kindness of friends, family, or complete strangers, you will fully realize the barrier of entry into “normal society” that homeless individuals face.
You lose your driver’s license and don’t have a place to ship the replacement? Guess you can’t legally drive, apply for most jobs, apply for most government assistance, or get a cell phone.
I’m very lucky because I do have options; not everyone does.
All of that to say, please be kind to homeless persons. They’re often shit on to such an extent that any normal human-being would give up on trying to overcome in short order. ❤️
And in spite of that, they still manage to be some of the most kind and generous people I ever have the pleasure of meeting.
Like David, who I met on our morning walk today. He gave some of his muffin to Dora as a treat and we gleefully chatted about aliens and that happiness comes from your heart not from achievements. I talked to a dozen other “normal” people today and by far he was the most positive one of them all; having nothing but some stale coffee in a plastic bottle and a park bench.
I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more.