RamonaCreel.com

Are you interested in the ‘live riveted” ‘streaming lifestyle? We asked full-time Airstreamer Ramona Creel (who is also a fabulous organizer and year-round traveler) to share her tips on how to become an RVer. Today, we’re sorting through (pun intended) the ever-present question — how will I get my mail?

How does mail forwarding work?

Once you choose a state, it’s time to make everything legal — and for that, you have to obtain a permanent address. But a post office box just won’t cut it when you’re full-timing! You need a “mail forwarding service” that not only receives your letters and packages, but also sends them on to you, wherever you are around the country.

These companies are the greatest things since sliced bread (or perhaps construction-delay-and-pothole-bump-and-traffic-jam-free roads) for us modern nomads! For a nominal monthly fee plus postage, you’ll be given a dedicated street address to that can legally serve as your “residence” for any and all business dealings.

How do you receive mail while you’re traveling?

The folks at your mail forwarding service will receive your mail each day — including delivery service shipments, registered mail needing a signature, and packages requiring special handling. They may even allow you to view your mail online, clean out the third class junk mail and unwanted solicitations, and even recycle the trash (depending on the company) before forwarding the good stuff on to you. Just call or e-mail (or log into a web account), tell your folks when/where/how to send your mail, and it will go out as scheduled.

You can have mail forwarded daily, weekly, monthly, every 2nd and 4th Tuesday, when Jupiter and Mars are aligned during a full moon, 41 times a year — whatever you want. Mail can be sent to a different address each time, or set up as a recurring series of shipments to the same location (great when you’re settled in one spot for several months) — delivered to the RV park, a friend or family member’s house, or to the main post office in the next town you’ll hit. And you have the choice of shipping via parcel post, Priority, Express, any of the major shipping companies, or just the cheapest method available — fabulous!

Wow, what an amazing service and awesome way to make sure you get your mail in a timely manner! If you need Ramona’s help organizing this (or the many other details necessary for full-timing), contact her!

Everyone needs a mail forwarding service. (How else would you be able to send and receive your first year’s holiday card and photo of you sitting in front of your Airstream?) Next time, Ramona will be sharing tips on how to protect against the unexpected. It’s one you don’t want to miss!