Staying in Touch
Getting Your Mail--Without Going Postal
Russ and Tiņa De Maris

One of life's little problems associated with spending a lot of time in your RV -- keeping up with the mail. Even with the advent of e-mail, e-billing, e-bank transfers, some things still come the old fashioned way: With a stamp in an envelope. How can you keep up with it all, while staying on the road? Let's look at the alternatives.

The first trick to receiving forwarded mail is to be somewhere to receive it. If you'll be staying in a given place for a while, this may not be difficult. Staying in an RV park? Check with management and see if you can have mail sent to you there. For boondockers and others who don't have a regular stop, using the Postal Service's "General Delivery" system is your next alternative.

General Delivery service is available throughout the country. Simply have your mailer write:

"Your Name"

"General Delivery"

Your Town, State, Zip

Of course, you'll need to substitute the appropriate names, towns, states, and zips. Beware! Some towns have more than one post office, and general delivery will only be delivered to the post office specified for that service. We've actually found that using a small town post office for a general delivery address is easier. Usually the lines are shorter, the office easier to find, and traffic much more bearable. Call the Postal Service to find out what post office will accept general delivery mail at 1-800-275-8777.

Be sure to have identification when you pick up your mail. And if you have an odd name, like ours, De Maris, if you don't get mail you expect, ask them check under alternatives. In our case, the mail is often found under "M" for Maris.

The Old Folks at Home: Once you know where to receive your mail, perhaps the quickest setup for getting it there is relying on friends of relatives back "home" to ship it out. It's kind of handy -- at least for us on the road. The problem is, it isn't always easy for the folks at home.

If you want to try the "friends forwarding" service, make sure they'll be available for the time you're away. If they want a vacation, get seriously sick, or otherwise out of the picture, do you have backup plan? Odd as it sounds, you might consider paying them for their help, even if the amount doesn't seem like a lot. It puts a "business" feel to the matter, and may make them more responsive to your needs of having your mail on hand.

Be sure to leave clear, written instructions on how you want your mail handled. Do you want every Sears catalog, Reader's Digest, and non-profit solicitation? Having a friend "weed" out the mail can be a major saver on mailing costs.

Perhaps the best way to have mail forwarded in a timely manner is by supplying a stack of priority mail envelopes. These are available free from the post office, and if you ask for the "flat rate" envelopes, you'll pay a specific rate for however much you can stuff into the envelope. If you pre-pay the postage, that much easier for your forwarding friends.

You'll see them all over the country: Private mailing services. There not just the place where "scam" businesses get their ill-gotten gains. Lots of folks have found that a PMS is just the thing for the RVer on the go. (Cool it on the jokes, fellas, PMS stands for "Private Mailing Service.")

For a regular monthly fee, most PMS outfits rent you a box like you'd get at the post office. However, unlike the post office, they stand ready to forward your mail at a moment's notice to wherever you direct. Some will "weed" your mail, others just dump everything in an envelope and ship it out.

The advantage that we've found is that a PMS is reliable, and we've developed an excellent working relationship with ours. Even better, our service is also an agent of our "home" state's Department of Motor Vehicles. When we need to renew our license tags, we order it up via the DMV's web site, have the new registration and "tabs" printed out at our PMS, and then simply included in our next mailing. Our PMS also receives packages for us, and can handle their being sent to us directly. We don't have to worry about them sitting out on somebody's porch in the weather.

You'll be asked to make a "forwarding deposit" for your mail; this can usually be handled with a credit or debit card over the phone, so it's fast and convenient. When we're in the area, we have a key to get our own mail without the need of forwarding.

One more note: The Postal Service makes it very clear that PMS users may not make their address "look" like something that it is not. For a while the service had contemplated that anyone who used a PMS would need to make it clearly known, by using the designation, PMB (private mail box) as their address. For example, Joe Doaks, 124 West Main, PMB 1244, Anytown, USA. Well, Joe Doaks and plenty of other PMS users had a major fit, and the postal service has relented. Instead of the giveaway "PMB" you may legally use the # sign instead of PMB.

Very much akin to the PMS outfits are club mailers. Organizations like the Escapees! RV club provide members the opportunity to use their own club mailing service. Like a PMS, the club receives your mail, and forwards it on demand. However, most club mail services don't give you a mailbox, as such. To get your mail, you'll have to have it forwarded.

Yes, Uncle Sam wants in on the act. It's not PMS, no, it's PFS. You sign up at your "local" post office, pay a $10 (non refundable) sign up fee, and watch the Post Office bundle up your mail, and once a week, send it to you via Priority Mail. Sounds great? Well, for some, it may work just fine. Keep in mind, in addition to the sign up fee, you'll also pay $10 a week for each week you have the service ship your mail.

We talked with a Postal Service representative and asked about RVers who might find themselves moving around a bit, say on short notice. There's a sticking point here: You'll need to notify your "home" post office of any address change for deliveries -- by mail. Once the notice hits the home post office, it will take two to three days for the change to be effective. By that time, you and your home on wheels may have long departed into the sunset. For instances like that, you'll need to leave a "forwarding order," at the post office where you've been receiving your forwarded mail.

Fulltimers, you'll also need to provide the Post Office with proof of residence at your "primary" address, and two forms of identification. For some fulltimers, this can be a bit of a burden, so keep in mind if you want to use this new service.

Whatever way you decide to go with, be sure to keep whoever is handling your mailing up to date with your address. If for some reason you must leave before your mail reaches you, be sure to fill out a "forwarding" order that points your mail on down to your next destination.

Whatever you do, work on developing your patience when the mail's on its way. "Trust in God and the Post Office," somebody once said. We know who wins, hands down, every time on that one.