Now that we're retired we go out on the road for 6 to 8 weeks at a time several times a year. We are wondering what other folks in this situation do for mail forwarding? We are able to pay most bills online as we travel (we have a Verizon Jetpack) but there are some bills and other items that come in the mail we need to see. We have considered having the post office forward our mail to campgrounds. Does this work? Any better ideas? Thanks.
Mail forwarding
- Thread starter Jim Posz
- Start date
danemayer
Well-known member
We used to be in a similar situation and used the Post Office Premium Forwarding Service. It can be a little tricky because 1) the Postal Employees aren't all that familiar with Premium Forwarding, 2) you have to tell them in advance where to forward the mail each week, 3) if your plans change, it can be difficult to give them updates, 4) if your regular carrier is out for some reason, the replacement may or may not execute the forwarding instructions correctly.
When we went full-time, we changed our address for everything to Escapees in Livingston, TX. They forward our mail when we request, to where we request. Requests can be by phone or email. When we're in one place for a while, I just have them forward weekly on the same day of the week, until further notice. Escapees has been 100% reliable. I wish I could say the same about the Post Office.
When we went full-time, we changed our address for everything to Escapees in Livingston, TX. They forward our mail when we request, to where we request. Requests can be by phone or email. When we're in one place for a while, I just have them forward weekly on the same day of the week, until further notice. Escapees has been 100% reliable. I wish I could say the same about the Post Office.
TravelTiger
Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
I would not trust the USPS. We have our mail set to temporarily forward, and it's been hit or miss as to what gets forwarded. Got half our Xmas cards forwarded, the other half not. Still get all the generic junk mail at the house, no matter what.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
klindgren
Retired Virginia Chapter Leaders
If you trust the US Post Office to forward your mail, I can almost guarantee you are going to get screwed. Believe me, I speak from experience. Back on December 9th I submitted a temporary change of address to our Florida campground. Got notification from the PO, before we left, that everything was sent to begin on the date I selected. That was over a month ago and I have yet to receive my first piece of forwarded mail. Three phone calls and a resubmission of my signed forward request. Seems the PO needs to have a signed piece of paper in front of them to initiate the change, but someone can go on-line and cancel that request, at will. According to the PO they can't tell who canceled the forwarding request ("we can't see that on-line information from here") but they initiated the cancellation without a signed paper in front of them. VERY FRUSTRATING
I've signed up for a mail forwarding service and as soon as I get home, I'm putting in a permanent change of address! I'm done dealing with the Post Office.
I've signed up for a mail forwarding service and as soon as I get home, I'm putting in a permanent change of address! I'm done dealing with the Post Office.
I haven't had to do this, since we just had our mail held when we went away from our house before we started fulltiming. But just thinking about what I would have done in your situation, I don't think I would have tried to have our mail forwarded to a campground. Just seems like too many things that could go wrong - mail getting forwarded to the wrong place, or you could be ready to move and your mail hasn't caught up with you. Do you have a relative or good friend that you could have your mail forwarded to? I would have had it sent to my sister and then she could have looked for any of those important pieces, scanned them and emailed them to me.
MTPockets
Well-known member
We use Good Sam MyRVmail.com - it's a FL address and in over three yrs no issues. Love how I can go on-line and see every piece in our mail box. Select pieces to forward, how to ship, where to ship. I can select trash and they will shred the piece. They will also open and scan if you need immediately.
Bohemian
Well-known member
Gaffer
Well-known member
For the last 25 years we have used a UPS store or similar. All of our mail goes there. We don't even have a mail box at the house. When we are in town we pick it up there and when we travel they send it to where we tell them. It usually comes in a 3 day flat rate priority package general delivery to the nearest post office. With tracking we know when to pick it up.
Howdy!
We also have used Escapees mail forwarding service the last nine year and highly recommend them. I would cassion you though that I have read information on the Escapees forum about people that started the service and had difficulty counceling the service later. Not the fault of Escapees but the USPS. So if your only using the service 6 to 8 eeek at a time I would check with any mailing forwarding service to find out how to stop the service when needed. As I understand it the USPS will not let the mail forwarder service forward any mail to the USPS whe you want to sto the service.
"Happy Trails"
Chiefneon
We also have used Escapees mail forwarding service the last nine year and highly recommend them. I would cassion you though that I have read information on the Escapees forum about people that started the service and had difficulty counceling the service later. Not the fault of Escapees but the USPS. So if your only using the service 6 to 8 eeek at a time I would check with any mailing forwarding service to find out how to stop the service when needed. As I understand it the USPS will not let the mail forwarder service forward any mail to the USPS whe you want to sto the service.
"Happy Trails"
Chiefneon
SeattleLion
Well-known member
We've used a UPS store for 20 years. When we moved to Washington, we used the local UPS store as our legal address. Two years ago the state refused to renew our drivers licenses because the UPS store wasn't a "real" address. We had to bring a utility bill showing our "real" address. We do live in a house, but we still had a problem. I pay all my utility bills online. I printed out my electric bill but the DOL refused to accept it since it wasn't mailed. Finally, we had a supervisor call the power company and verify that our address is real.
My understanding is that some states will accept a mail forwarder but ours won't.
Gaffer
Well-known member
Oregon does when both address are on the license. When we were full time, DMV was okay with the PMB after printing Continuous Traveler on the license.
dbbls59
Well-known member
Hi Jim. When we are traveling on extended summer vacations we have the mail forwarded to one of our children. We call them and they tell us what we received. If it is something that needs attention we have them open it. When we are in the south for winter we have the mail forwarded to the campground. Have it held about two weeks before we leave for home. There are problems having USPS forward the mail. I have had two very irritating experiences involving medicine from a mail order pharmacy. Because of this we have quit using them even though it was cheaper.
Since we are part timers (only gone for 3-4 months during the summer), we have one of our children go through our mail to get rid of junk mail. We leave large envelopes for them to put the mail we want in and have them send it General Delivery to a post office of our choice. We always pick one in a very small town that we know we plan to pass through down the road. Usually when we go to pick it up, the post master always says "I've been wondering who this was for". They have to hold it for 30 days. We always seem to get more personal service from the small Post Offices. Hasn't failed us yet.
Jim.Allison
Well-known member
That Escapees forwarding service sound like a pretty good service. But I would think that you could forward your mail to a relative who could trash the junk, stack up the stuff you pay online, and scan any docs to email you might need. If it is private they could forward it. Im picturing my mail needs and I can't see much that can't be handled via internet. I don't get much private stuff anyway, Christmas cards do present a problem, as well as gifts, but freight is so expensive anymore, I see freighting gifts as a thing of the past.
We use the Escapees service and travel about 4-5 months a year. When not traveling we have them forward every 2 weeks anything that has accumulated(they throw out junk mail) to our home. If there is nothing to forward we get an email. We like it as we have full control of when and where mail will be forwarded. We get very little mail. Our biggest aggravation is medical bills. For some reason some of them cannot be forwarded by the USPS and they bounce back to the doctor who then calls us and we give them the forwarding address. Not all, just some of the medical bills. We have never had a problem and it works well.
We use a mail forwarding service---there are several to choose from. Ours started as a Good Sam forwarding company but then changed to "Home base forwarding'. They are out of Pensacola, FL, so we use that address as our permanent resident and get a break in taxes--they will also register your vehicles. They will separate what you ask (junk mail, 3rd class, etc) and only forward what you want when you request it. We have used them for 6 years and have had great service.
al
currently in Crystal River , Fl
al
currently in Crystal River , Fl
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