RVers Guide: Get Your Mail on the Road!
If you own an RV, then you understand the struggles of receiving a ruined package or losing important mail and packages altogether in delivery.
Postal mail can get challenging when you’re always on the move or in a temporary location. In most cases, you have a PO Box in the nearest Post Office to receive all your mail, but what if you need a mailing address for business? Or what if you want to move further away from your PO Box?
There are a few ways you can safely get your mail while on the road; we’ve gathered them together for you here so consider this your ultimate guide to receiving and sending postal mail.
What are the different ways to receive postal mail?
- Rent a PO Box:
As stated, the most common method to easily receive mail is renting a PO Box. This way you won’t need to worry about it getting lost when delivered to the RV Park.
With a PO Box, you will have a designated mailbox to receive all of your mail and packages. However, you will need to opt for a larger box size to accommodate packages if you’re an online shopper or receive a lot of packages.
Unfortunately, Post Offices only accept mail from USPS, so you won’t be able to receive mail from other mail carriers like UPS, DHL, or FedEx.
You’re also restricted to being within a close distance to the Post Office to regularly check up on your mail and to the Post Office’s opening hours.
If your PO Box piles up, the Post Office may suggest you upgrade your box to a bigger size so you’ll need to be sure to always check for new mail. This may not be the best option if you’re always on the road.
Renting a PO Box can quickly be done online by visiting the USPS website and looking up a zip code to find the nearest location to you.
- Rent a Private Mailbox:
Another option to receive mail would be through renting a private mailbox, like a private mailbox at a UPS Store.
This option is usually more flexible than a PO Box because it has longer opening hours and UPS accept mail from multiple carriers, not just USPS.
However, a private mailbox is more expensive than renting a PO Box; you can rent a PO Box for as little as $15 a month in some locations (depending on demand, box size, rental period, etc.)
You will need to pick up your mail from your mailbox as well. Unfortunately, you cannot use a PO Box address or a private mailbox as a business address or for registration, especially within government entities.
- Send Mail to a Friend or Family Member:
The most affordable option would be to have your mail sent to a family member or friend staying at a permanent street address.
This way, you won’t need to rent a mailbox and you can have the recipient forward your mail to your RV Park or the nearest Post Office.
However, this may be an inconvenience for the person receiving your mail because they will need to pay postage fees to forward your mail and will probably need to make multiple trips to the Post Office to do so.
And so, this may work as a temporary solution but it won’t be the best in the long run. Mail security also isn’t guaranteed in this case because important mail can be left, unattended, in the mailbox, or packages on the doorstep if the person isn’t home or is on vacation, for example.
- Rent a Virtual Mailbox:
A virtual mailbox is a great solution not just for RV owners, but travelers, and anyone with a busy schedule as well.
With a virtual mailbox, you’ll be able to access and control your mail online through your online mailbox, without even receiving the mail.
Your mail is delivered to a secure mail facility, which can be a real street address or PO Box, whichever you prefer and then the envelope is scanned and sent to you electronically.
You get instant notifications with all new mail so your mail never piles up. And the best part, you get a unique mail forwarding service, which means your mail and packages could be forwarded to any address, wherever you are.
Using the general delivery service (available at most Post Offices), you can have your mail forwarded to the nearest Post Office to you, at the time.
And since you have a street address as your mailing address, you can accept mail from all carriers and even use your address for business registration if needed.
Another great perk with this mail forwarding service, your packages are safely stored for up to 30 days for free until you decide what you want to do with it.
Once you log into your mailbox through your phone or computer, you can choose to open & scan, forward, shred & recycle, or archive any mail piece. It’s as easy as taking care of your email!
You can call 1(800)-275-8777 or check the USPS website to find the closest Post Office to you or ask about the general delivery service.
Read more about : What is Virtual Mailbox & Why Should You Have One?
How to Rent a Virtual Mailbox?
Renting a virtual mailbox is a quick process that can get done online, without you needing to do much.
- First, you need to choose an address from the provided locations to choose from and a payment plan.
- Then you fill out a USPS Form 1583, it can be done electronically, and get it notarized online.
- You’ll need to submit two forms of ID with your form, once of them must be a valid photo ID (driver’s license, passport, etc.)
- Once the form is notarized, forward all the info to Virtual Mailbox.
Once your account is active, you’ll need to apply for a change of address. You can also do this online for $1! When that’s done, you can start receiving mail at your new address and have it forwarded to you, wherever you are. Also, be sure to check with your RV Park if they receive postal mail before forwarding anything there.
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