Remember when we used to send postcards on our travels

I remember the good old days when we would travel the world, buy postcards, handwrite a lovely message and then mail them to our friends and family back home. They were colourful scenes of faraway places that would keep us in touch with our loved ones, long before email and social media took over.

I’ve always loved postcards, both the sending and receiving. It’s always been a particular triumph to buy and send postcards from a country where I do not speak the language, and, particularly in recent years to imagine the delight of a small grandchild receiving a letter with their name on it.

I have a photo album tracing my parents’ trips in retirement as they explored Australia by the postcards they sent my daughters. They would always seek out a postcard of animals or something quirky, rather than a view.

The oldest postcards I remember seeing are the postcards my grandfather sent from Belgium in the Great War. They were sometimes decorated with lace and always spoke of missing home and family back in Australia.

Postcards make the best travel souvenir. Doing a clean up recently, I found a selection of postcards from more contemporary years.

The first was from a dear friend who died in 2017. A few simple words brought back her smile and sense of fun. Another postcard showed a shared interest with a photo of Green Gables. My brothers have sent postcards from exotic places, though their most recent travels have been covered by social media. Perhaps the postcards are still coming, as it was not unusual for the travellers to arrive home before the postcard. My daughters have added to the list as they began their travels. These days they have sometimes returned before I even knew they were going on a short trip. Most of my postcards are from couples, though I often wonder if the second name ever knew of the warm wishes they were sending.

Thankfully there are still postcards on sale, highlighting scenery and buildings. They are a treasure trove to the historian and delight to recipients everywhere. It is good to know someone somewhere stopped and thought of us for just a moment.

Did you send postcards to your loved ones while you were travelling? Can you remember when the last time you sent or received a postcard was?

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