RVs are our home away from home. They do a great job of providing all the basic necessities a living space.
However, living on the road has its fair share of downsides as well. (Remember to sign up for RV road service!) Since you don?t have a permanent address, getting mail is difficult.
Don?t worry though, there is a mail forwarding service to help you out of this fix!
All about RV Mail Forwarding Services
Living on the road means you have no permanent address where people and institutions can send you bills and letters. Many of these things can be fixed with online bill pay, but some things still require old fashioned postal services.
An RV mail forwarding service provides the address where people can reach you. The company collects and compiles all your mail and then sends them to you whenever you want. Once you’re at a location long enough to receive mail, just let them know and they’ll ship out the bundle to you.
Some mail forwarders also offer online mail viewing, scanning, package handling, junk sorting and package handling.
Options Available To You
Almost all RV mailing services offer the basic functions and features of sending and receiving your mail and letters. Listed below are some of the best services in the US that you can check out:
Use a Reference Address
One of the easiest and most obvious solutions to mail forwarding is by adding a family member or a close friend as a reference. You can use them as a mail receiving and forwarding medium, i.e. they receive and send all you letters and bill payments while you?re traveling. However, you have to be in constant contact with this person for the arrangement to work.
Also, the family member or friend must be reliable and considerate enough to respect the privacy of your mails. This technique is not very popular among RVers as most people don?t have the time or the willingness to make that kind of effort.
Escapees RV Club
The Escapees Home Program is a mailing service that uses the ?legal? address in either Florida or Texas, depending on which state you?ve stated as your domicile location. Becoming a member of the Escapees RV Club can earn you some special perks and brownie points as well. The services are pretty affordable, costing about $85-$125 annually including the mailing expenses.
A very basic and simple mailing service, the Escapees framework is built to suit the needs of the regular RVers who are traveling from place to place. The company also has a very functional and responsive customer support team, you can post your queries on their FAQs page as well.
Join Mail Forwarding Clubs
Another way of forwarding your mail to people around the country is by becoming a member of any mail forwarding company or club.
For instance, the Good Sam?s Club is a popular and reliable option for residents of North America. The company also has special offers and seasonal discounts in their program to first-time customers and loyal clients.
As a Good Sam’s Club member, you can also save on their Good Sam Mail Service.
Travelling Mailbox
In Traveling Mailbox plans, people can send and receive mail anytime anywhere. In this plan, the mailing company accepts mails, scans the address and content of the mail and then converts it into a PDF version before sending it to the destination.
Travelling Mailbox is among the most functional and quickest of mail forwarding services for RVers who are always on the go and require a smart but reliable mailing service. The traveling mailbox also offers data storage facilities where you can store an important mail or letter for future reference.
My RV Mail
My RV Mail is a plan that you can customize according to your requirement and pay for only the services you have ordered. Considered to be the most widely used and adopted RV mailing option, there are several mail packages to choose from. Moreover, you can decide the details of the mail, from the content to the sender and the speed of the delivery- everything online.
After researching the other solutions, it looks like Good Sam Mail service and My RV Mail are effectively the same company with different looks. That means that there is one company that offers services to any business with their name put on it.
St. Brendan’s Isle
When we first got on the road, this was the one we found in Florida. We like how we could setup our mailing address as a PO Box and we’d get emails when we got a package or when it was time to get the mail shipped to us.
We would do some of the scanning features if there was something we were expecting in the mail. This allowed us to wait until the item arrived before requesting to get the mail sent to us.
Do You Need a Mail Forwarding Service?
Purchasing an RV mail forwarding service can be very beneficial, especially if you plan on traveling. The RV mail forwarding service will direct your mail to them, keep your mail safe, and help you view it online. They also provide additional services, like scanning and sending you any of your important documents when you need them. If you?re an exploring roadster, they also have some preferable add-ons.
If you are always on-the-go or you are away from your home country, this mail forwarding service can be very useful. You can keep up with receiving and checking your documentation from the scans that the mail service provides you, so you?ll still be able to access all your mail.
Another important aspect to keep in mind before signing up for any RV forwarding mail service is to check out how the service works, as not all services are the same. Make sure you find the one that best suits you.
Check beyond the price. Study the features, accessibility, communication methods, and overall processes.
Once you sign up with a good mail forwarding service, you won’t have to worry about missing out on your mail or package updates anymore.
Can You Just Forward Mail to Family and Friends?
Forwarding your mail to your family and friends costs you less than other alternative services. You might even be able to receive this service for free if they?re generous enough.
If you have decided to spend a lot of time traveling, use a family member or friend?s address for mail instead of filling up your own mailbox. This will also help you avoid spending money on mail forwarding services and will prevent you from possibly losing mail or important packages.
Choose someone who is cautious and responsible. It will be their responsibility to keep your mail safe and communicate with you in case of any emergency. Are they easily reachable? Are they organized and reliable? Can you trust and depend on them to take care of your mail?
Using an alternate address will provide you with some comfort in knowing that your mail will be taken care of while you are away from home. However, always make sure that your family member or friend is aware that you will be using their address. You don?t want them to be surprised when they start receiving your bills.
This is the best option for those who want to travel for extended periods of time and are wanting a budget-friendly way to receive their mail.
Using USPS General Delivery
The United States Postal Service is a good option if you want your mail to be directly delivered to you at a different location than where you normally are.
When ordering packages or receiving any mail, you can opt for a change of address. By doing so, you are not giving the post office a permanent address. So, you can update your location when you are about to receive your mail. You can also change it each time you move locations.
Receiving mail when you are traveling by RV might be a little more difficult. If you aren?t planning on staying in a specific place for a long period of time, you might consider putting a hold on all your mail. Once you find a place you?re comfortable settling down in for a while, you can direct your mail to your new address.
The USPS method is generally a little problematic, as changing the address so often can be very tedious. But if you choose to stay in a new place for longer, you can use this service.
Another reason why this method can be hectic is that your mail will take longer to reach you. There could be confusion, packages might be sent back to the manufacturer, or you could lose your mail entirely.
However, if everything runs smoothly, you will still be able to receive your mail even when you are far away from your home.
Choosing this method requires that you have strong communication with the post office. Do your research beforehand too. Learn everything there is to know about changing addresses before deciding to try it out.
Can You Receive Mail at RV Campgrounds?
Traveling in an RV doesn?t mean that you can?t receive mail. If you?re staying at a well-known RV campground, then you will be able to receive your mail still.
Several RV compounds and parks have been registered with a mailing service. Staying at an RV campsite means you are still able to get your mail and have your packages delivered to you. However, you must make prior arrangements before you are able to receive your mail at an RV campground.
If you?re absolutely sure about the dates you?re going to be staying in a particular RV compound, you can set your mailing address before your arrival. If it?s a spur-of-the-moment decision and you?ve just made up your mind, then you can opt for your mail to be shipped to the compound grounds within 2-3 business days.
To receive the best service possible, you should remain in contact with the RV compound?s front office before you order anything or have anything delivered.
An important aspect of this service is that there will be differences within the costs of receiving your package from one RV compound to another. Some of the compounds or parks only ask that you cover convenience fees, which are generally pretty cheap.
Another aspect to consider is whether or not the compound you?re staying in restricts regular mail services. If someone tries to turn the RV ground into their permanent residence, it can be hard for the maintenance staff to constantly keep up with their mailing requests. They might also have trouble with space. This could mean that there is no room to receive your packages, especially if you order online frequently.
The Bottom Line
Paying the bills on time, sending letters, and receiving important documents and letters become an exhausting chore for the RVers. In most cases, there are no post offices or mail boxes nearby. It becomes very difficult for them to communicate with the outside world. Thanks to these mail forwarding services though, now you can travel, camp, trek for months without having to worry about mundane things like getting letters and making bill payments.
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