There's a good chance that the first postcards you received were from loved ones exploring new places, wanting to share their experiences with you. My grandmother never traveled much as a single mother of four boys, so she had great adventures with her friends in retirement and sent me postcards from across the US, Canada, and Europe.

Sugar and I are currently traveling in North Georgia. We’ve visited Blairsville, Clayton, Helen, and handful of other small mountain towns. I’ve found postcards in general stores, gem mining gift shops (no gem mining required to shop), hotels, bookstores, outdoor stores, and…wait for it…at Babyland USA, the home of Cabbage Patch Kids in Cleveland, GA.

Your summer fun may happen near or far. Whether you go one continent, one state, or just one block away, report back to your loved ones. Tell them about:

the new people you meet: what they’re like, their fun accents, or maybe a funny story
the foods you’ve tried (I had the best potato salad of my life two weeks ago and wrote an entire postcard professing my love)
the detours you took, whether on purpose or not
the sights you’ve seen, especially if the postcard doesn’t do it justice

Places we like to go to find postcards include:

Naturally, you’ll likely find Elvis postcards at an Elvis Tribute Artist competition, like I did at the 18th Annual Big E Competition in Clayton, GA.

Local bookstores often have postcards with local art and photography.
Some restaurants, breweries, etc. give them to patrons. It’s a win-win: free postcard for you and free marketing for them.
Gas stations and airports, because sometimes you want the corny ones. Gas station postcards are often the cheapest.
Visitors centers and attraction gift shops: even if you don't go to the attraction, you're likely to find postcards about the area.
Unexpected treasures show up in rural general stores, antique shops, and other spots that may require wading through some stuff.

Other helpful tips:

Buy stamps before you leave. Searching for a post office on vacation can be a drag.
Print a sheet of mailing labels with your pals’ names and addresses. Peel and stick - and easily keep track of who’s left to write. Or enter pals’ addresses in Google Sheets or Apple Numbers, so you can pull up your list from any device.
Keep a few postcards in your bag, so you can jot a note while you’re waiting for an activity to start, for your food to arrive, or for your traveling partner to finally make their road trip candy selection already.

Happy summer, everyone. Can’t wait to hear about your fun.

Summer Fun