Post Cards to the US
 

We'll be traveling to Italy in a few weeks. When we travel, we print out our post card list for friends and family on address labels and then use them to send back home. In France earlier this year, we were told it was cheaper to buy an envelope and put the post card inside the envelope instead of putting the label on the post card itself.

Does anyone know if that is the case in Italy. We'll be sending about 100, so it does add up quickly.

Thanks.

I don't think using an envelope is cheaper (fellow posters, correct me if I'm wrong), it is that it gets better service and is more likely to arrive in a timely manner.

Personally the stamps, postmark, etc. on postcards is what I like, even if it is slower service.

Either way I'm guessing you should allow ~$150USD between buying cards and stamps.

Suggestion: Search for Postal Rates.

I was told the same thing as Suze, i.e., that putting the postcard in an envelope will get it to its destination faster. I tried it out on a trip to Paris two years ago and it worked.
PS: I must admit that I'm floored by the fact that you send out 100 postcards!

Are all the people you are sending cards to <i>really</i> interested, or are you just trying to be nice? On the first trip or two, I sent out a few cards, but I don't do it anymore. Most people say, oh a postcard, that's nice, then into the trash it goes. I have realized this after recognizing the level of true interest (or pretended interest) in looking at our photo albums.

It's funny you say that, Travelnut. Usually I don't have much interest in people's travel photos, and I always feel a little uncomfortable when people show them to me. Granted, this sort of thing goes both ways. For a while, I didn't take many photos. I've started taking more now. But rarely do I bother showing my photos to my friends.

I love getting postcards from traveling friends. I keep them all. The newest ones go on the fridge or here on my desk. My newest one is from a certain friend who just returned from Provence. I love these cards because they show that while my friends were having fun in another country, they still thought of me/us and wanted to share.
I am mostly impressed with knowing 100 people that one would want to share with!!
Have fun djmc!

I'll agree that I think most people are sort of impressed by the idea you thought of them, but I bet most of those postcards go right into the wastebasket, if not sooner, then later.
To be honest, if you're not gone long, it might make more sense to put US stamps on them and drop them in the post office box at the airport when you return. In most cases the people will get them sooner that way.

By the way, for the record -- I tend to keep all my correspondence, except for e-mails, which I need to delete regularly.

Half the fun of getting postcards, for me at least, is seeing the foreign stamp and postmark!

I agree with the other posters: it's much more special with the foreign stamp on the postcard itself rather than in an envelope.

By the way, when I sent postcards to a few people in the U.S. last year--far, far less than a 100! :) -- I called them about a week later and they already received it. That was a surprise after hearing about stolen, lost, unprioritized postcards. I even sent some to Asia and it got there in around the same time.

It may also help to send postcards from major cities (i.e. Florence, Rome, etc.). I've also heard that Vatican City has a good postal system. From my experience, it took the same amount of time as the cards I sent from Florence.

Here's another tip to save your tastebuds: Stickered stamps are not yet available in Italy(based on last fall), so you may want to bring a moistener or sit by the sink to stamp your many postcards. I do hope that your friends and family appreciate your thoughtfulness!

Good luck and have fun!

In my experience from two years ago, postcards sent from the Vatican arrived much sooner than cards sent from elsewhere in Italy.

Yes, I also like the foreign stamp and postmark. So what do I do? I send postcards to myself! Sort of like a travel journal, I buy nice postcards from the sites and write down my impression or thoughts and send them home. It's a good wait to kill time while waiting for the next course in a French meal. On a long trip, I'll have a pile of postcards waiting for me when I get home! In fact, I send more postcards to myself than to friends.

I sent a few post cards back to the states in May. I did not put them in an envelope. It took about 2 weeks for them to reach their destinations. The cost was .80E so, if my math is right, you'll be spending 80 Euro on postage alone. One hundred post cards sure is a lot and the time it takes to write them all out. I'd be more selfish with my time and go out to see something than spend that kind of time writing. You sure are a very giving person. Have a wonderful time.

I agree with MileKing. The vatican postal system is faster than the Italian one.

or, you could buy them, write them out, and hand them out in person? or mail them when you get home?

although I agree, having all those cool stamps all over 'em is what makes them so cool to get.

I think it was in France where I went to buy stamps for post cards that the clerk told me it was cheaper and faster to use envelops. So I did that time. Unfortunately, I didn't think to check on the timing of arrival between the envelopes vs. postcards. (it was a long trip). Who knows. Maybe she just wanted to sell me the envelopes!

I sent postcards from Paris back home (Ottawa, Canada) and I think it took less than a week. I was pretty impressed. You're right about postage though. The postage alone would cover the cost of a cheap hotel for the night :)

Speaking of stamps, maybe our love of postcards is partly due to the fact that our Yugoslavian babysitter, gave my young son postcards from home, starting him on an early stamp collecion hobby. So we were always on the lookout :)
Like Foreign money used to be, some stamps are just beautiful!

Carcass, I do the same sometimes, depending on where I am - send cards to myself, close family, so I know I will have them back later.

If the trip is short I bring the cards back, put a USA stamp on, and mail out of San Francisco (home). Surpisingly haven't been caught yet, so probably nobody pays attention to my travel :)

DM, are you sending your cards with a note: wish you were here?