How do people handle mail forwarding while away?

We travel a lot, but usually for less than a month at a time. We plan to be away about six weeks and as I was setting up a mail hold order at usps.com I realized it only allows 30 days at a time.

I know there are a lot of 'snowbirds' who leave home for an extended period of time and now there are several tuggers who are away from home for more than 30 days at a time.

Can people share how they handle the mail collection.

Many private mailbox stores offer a forwarding service for as long as you want. You buy a box and pay a monthly/yearly fee for the box. Then you pay for a forwarding service and have you mail sent to where ever you are at the time. You just call, email or login to their website to change the forwarding address. I remember traveling through Wyoming in an RV and getting offers from mailbox stores for such services. Apparently some states cater to "nomads."

Alternatively you hire a house sitter to fetch and forward mail on a weekly or daily basis along with whatever other house sitting services you need (water plants, turn on/off lights, care for pets, etc).


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Usps will hold, bundle and forward your mail on a schedule. It isn't free, but neither is any other solution, and at least usps is secure. it's called 'Premium forwarding'. Costs $17/week and your mail goes out every Wednesday by Express mail. We often got it on Thursdays. We used it last year when we were away for several months.

Easy- peasy.

Jim

Passepartout said:

Usps will hold, bundle and forward your mail on a schedule. It isn't free, but neither is any other solution, and at least usps is secure. it's called 'Premium forwarding'. Costs $17/week and your mail goes out every Wednesday by Express mail. We often got it on Thursdays. We used it last year when we were away for several months.

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That is great to know. I'd never heard of that service before. My in-laws could have used that in January. I'll let them know about it.

That is correct about the premium forwarding service, but if you call your Post office, the supervisor can authorize your mail to be held more then 30 days. If you need your mail forwarded, you can also do a temp forward, just talk to your letter carrier and they will give you the info you need.

Temporary Change of Address Used

Works if you are staying in one place or want to send to the last place you'll be.
Costs only $1.05 on a charge card on postal service web site. They use charge to verify who you are, they say. I usually start the day before we depart and stop about a week before we leave to come home to allow last mail to get to my temporary spot. You can go in and change the dates if situation dictates. I put my request in online about 2 weeks before we depart home ... this allows it to get down to the carrier level in time.
Uncle Davey

Passepartout said:

Usps will hold, bundle and forward your mail on a schedule. It isn't free, but neither is any other solution, and at least usps is secure. it's called 'Premium forwarding'. Costs $17/week and your mail goes out every Wednesday by Express mail. We often got it on Thursdays. We used it last year when we were away for several months.

Easy- peasy.

Jim

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I did not know about that service. It is a nice way to cover my three months in CO.

Thanks