Last update on September 18th, 2022 at 10:15 am
Life as an RVer can be everything you’ve ever dreamt of—thrilling, satisfying, fun, and adventurous. However, like the average individual living in sticks-and-bricks homes, RVers face a few challenges.
One of the biggest challenges many RVers face is regarding their mail delivery. As a seasonal, part-time, or full-time RVer, how do you receive your mail while camping with your family in the Mill Creek Ranch Resort or touring the Arcadia National Park?
Through post offices? That would be impossible!
No idea?
Don’t fret. We’ve got you covered!
This post highlights how you can get mail and packages while RVing. Check out the options and select which works best for you.
Mail Forwarding Services For RVers
Imagine mail forwarding services as errand boys or delivery men. These errand boys or delivery men are charged with forwarding all incoming or essential mail from your previous address to a new address or a place of your choice.
There are various mail forwarding services for digital nomads, individuals who love spending time on the water in their luxurious boats, and part-time or full-time RVers like you. In addition, this service is ideal for globetrotters who wish to keep all their important documents and packages in one location while they travel the world.
Do you plan on traveling or visiting the spectacular Oregon RV Park?
Engaging the services of a mail forwarding company can help ensure that your mail remains safe and neatly stacked while you are away having fun. And of course, you can also have your mail forwarded to you at a mail center, wherever you are, whenever you wish.
RV Mail Forwarding Service Options
As said earlier, there are many RV mail forwarding services available for part-time and full-time RVers. Good Sam Mail Service is considered one of the RVers favorite. But does that mean you should go with Good Sam Mail Services and ignore other options like the plague?
Certainly not.
While Good Sam may be one of RVers’ favorite mail forwarding options, there are other RV mail forwarding services that boast features you may like. Before we outline these services, let’s look at a question many RVers ask themselves.
Why Should You Choose a Mail Forwarding Service?
Mail forwarding services are the go-to solution for RVer looking to organize or get mail regardless of their location.
But is an RV mail forwarding service suitable for you?
Why should you use this service?
Unlike typical homeowners who have their package or mail directly delivered to their traditional mailbox by a mail carrier, your RV lifestyle makes it difficult for a post office to determine your precise location and have your mail forwarded to you. And that is where a mail forwarding service comes in.
Mail forwarding companies offer travelers or individuals living on the road an easy and reliable way to get mail and packages. With this service, you don’t have to worry about piling up mail in your post office box. Neither do you have to bother about urgent mails that need your attention. All your mails will be neatly arranged and sent to you as you wish, whenever you want.
What to Consider Before Choosing a Mail Forwarding Service Option?
Choosing a mail forwarding service isn’t difficult. There are a variety of options at your disposal. But does that mean you should go for any option that comes to mind? Or one with an attractive name?
No!
Before selecting any service option, you may want to consider these factors:
- Physical street address
- Tracking numbers for all shipments
- No storage fee
- Ability to receive more mail
- Help set up a domicile
- Email notification on mails received
- Tracking numbers for all shipment
- Ability to get mail scanned
- Reading and sending information over the phone or online
- Ship your mails on a schedule or whenever you want
- No limits on mails or packages received
- Postage account or pay per service
- Monthly billing option
- Call in to review your mail over the phone with a staff member.
- How much mail do you receive?
If you are visiting a resort in the US or abroad, ensure they have a functioning and dedicated mail center where you can receive general delivery mail or shipping packages. You can contact the resort center or check with their office staff to confirm.
Those visiting a campground should call the campground office beforehand to ask if you’d be able to receive your mails.
Best Mail Forwarding Services for RVers
Whether you are a full-time, part-time, or seasonal RVer, mail forwarding is always available. Below, we haven’t only listed some of these options and outlined their advantages and disadvantages to help you select which is best for you and your situation.
Let’s begin with the first.
IPostal1
Ipostal1 is a popular name among RVer thanks to their reliable mail forwarding service and the great features they have. This virtual mailbox service offers over 200 mailing locations, mainly in the United States. They offer international locations too but are limited.
IPostal1 mailbox service remains an excellent choice for RVers who want to receive mail while on the go. RVers who use this platform often get email notifications when they receive new mails. Additionally, those on the road can use their devices (laptops, phones) to send mails and packages to their next destination or request a content scan for fast viewing.
And if you intend on staying at a location for a long time, you can select those closest iPostal1 locations for your mails and packages.
Pricing
- Virtual mailing address: starts at $9.99 per month
- Virtual business address: start at $9.99 per month
- Virtual office: starts at $39.99 per month
Pros
- No hassle reliability
- One of the largest mail forwarding service
- Secure package and mail receiving
- Easier online shopping
- Phone and fax line for business
- Addresses in Montana and Idaho
Cons
- Only 2 GB of cloud storage
- Limited internal location
- Scanning mails cost extra from the onset
Anytime Mailbox
If you are looking for a mail forwarding service with many mailing locations, Anytime Mailbox is your best bet. Founded in 2013, Anytime Mailbox has become one of the most reliable, easy-to-use, and feature-packed virtual mailbox service providers for businesses, mail centers, and RVers.
This digital mailbox service has an impressive global network of more than 700 mailing center locations. These locations are spread across countries like the United States, including continents such as Europe, Asia, Australia, etc.
Like iPostal1, Anytime Mailbox service has its applications that can be used to access your mails at your convenience. Also, it has physical locations that allow you to receive mail yourself.
Pricing
- Pricing starts from $6.50. However, if you choose the lower-priced option, charges could increase fast if you surpass your assigned incoming mail quota.
Pros
- Offers affordable monthly fee compared to other options
- Provides secure office mail automation services like scanning, mail storage, and shredding unwanted mail.
- Has a variety of addresses in the United States and abroad
- It comes with a flexible plan
- Offers efficient mail forwarding services for documents and packages
- Boast of unlimited storage space for scanned documents
- Has topnotch customer support
- Only mail forwarding services that offer a military discount for active duty and veterans
Cons
- Check deposit isn’t available at all locations
- The vast number of addresses, packages, and price plans available can baffle you.
- The cheapest packages come with a low monthly mail quota.
Traveling Mailbox
As the name implies, a Traveling Mailbox offers Rvers and globetrotters the opportunity to organize and get mail at a place of their choice. It comes with five plans. You can select the plan of your choice based on your needs.
Unlike prominent mail forwarding services like anytime mailbox and iPostal1, traveling mailbox has a limited number of addresses in the United States ( around 30-45).
However, it makes up for its low mailing locations by introducing amazing features like envelope scan, junk mail filtering, unlimited cloud storage, and failed mail shredding.
It also merges with Evernote, Bill.com, and Dropbox to provide users with the best virtual mailbox service. Traveling mailbox’s pricing plan depends on your quota amounts. Regardless, it’s expensive.
Pricing
- Basic plan: $15 per month
- Extended plan: $25 per month
- Small business plan: $55 per month
Pros
- Full-service platform
- Good customer service
- Check deposit feature enabling you to get mail with ease
- Topnotch security for your mails and packages
- Offers standard and premium virtual addresses
- Mail scanning option to view mail online
Cons
- You can’t use the address as a physical address
- High fee compared to other mail services
- No refund
- Limited payment methods
- Charge extra fees for some addresses
Post Scan Mail
Post scan mail is another mail service forwarding option that can help manage your mails and send them to your preferred pickup location. With this service, you can open mail virtually, scan it, forward it, store it, and even destroy it.
Post scan mail offers limitless shredding and recycling, thus ensuring that you don’t pay more for discarding junk mail sent to your virtual address. In addition, Post Scan Mail has local and international mailing center locations like typical virtual mail services.
However, their services are ideal for individuals who want their mail or packages delivered to them within the US as it has more US-based mailing center locations.
RVers outside the United States can have their packages and mail shipped to them. But, they’ll need to pay a small shipping rate which varies by destination. In addition to the US-based mailing addresses, post-scan has international addresses in countries like Canada, the UK, Geneva, Grenada, and Switzerland.
Pricing
- Starter: Starts from $15 per month
- Standard: Starts from $20 per month
- Premium: Starts from $30 per month
Pros
- You can select from an extensive network of physical addresses across the United States.
- Locations are available for local pickup during regular business hours
- You can download their applications from the Apple App Store and Google Play
- They offer a mail scanning service
Cons
- Ideal for individuals looking for a US-based mailing address
- Locations in larger cities are a little more costly
Escapees
Escapees is not a mail forwarding service per se. Instead, it is an organization for RVers that also offer mail forwarding services but with a real street address. With over 12,500 subscribers and an origin dating back to 1985, it’s safe to say that the escapees RV club operates the oldest and largest private mail forwarding service in the United States.
Like its competitors, Escapees helps registered part-time or full-time RVers receive their mails and ship them to them whenever they want, in a location of their choice. They also have multiple plans. Each plan includes a unique mailing address from Texas, Florida, or South Dakota.
Escapees accepts packages from logistic companies like UPS and FedEx and offer three categories of mail services. Plan A is in charge of your mail, plan B is in charge of selected letters and packages, and plan C offers custom mail sorting.
If you aren’t a member of the escapees RV club, you can join by paying an enrollment fee of $50. As a member, you can enjoy many benefits, including advocacy services, discounts, and support networks.
Pricing
- All mail types ($95/ year)
- S selected mail types ($115/ year)
- Custom mail sorting ($135/ year)
PS: For an extra $10 per month, you can view and destroy your mails online.
Pros
- Licensed by the US postal service
- It suits the RV lifestyle
- Oldest and largest private mail service in the United States
- They accept packages from UPS and FedEx
- Ideal for full-time RVers
Cons
- It’s a little expensive.
USPS General Delivery
In addition to virtual mailbox options, RVers can get mail via the USPS (United States Postal Service). The USPS option is ideal for RVers who don’t want to get a permanent address. It allows users to change their address through the local post office whenever they change their location.
USPS general delivery work simply: You ask that your mail be shipped to your current location. You can pause all mails and request an address change through your post office when you change location. As soon as you arrive at your new location, you can release all your mail and ask that they are sent there. Rinse and repeat!
While the United States postal service option seems cool, we don’t recommend it as a first choice. However, if you still choose the general delivery mail option, please remember that USPS general delivery only accepts USPS packages, not FedEx or UPS packages.
PS: Post office keeps general delivery mail for 30 days. Some hold outgoing mail for lesser days (15 or 10). Contact the post office to determine their precise holding time if you won’t be able to pick up your mail on time.
Pricing
- It is free of charge.
General Delivery Pros
- You don’t get to pay a dime to get mail ( aside from your service fee)
- You can pick it up without an appointment made beforehand.
- Suitable for those without a permanent address
- Ideal for part-time and full-time RVers
General delivery cons
- It can result in lost mail, significantly if you change location frequently.
- Impossible to know when your mail arrives unless you paid more for a tracking number
- Possible pickup delay
Other Options to Receive Mail While RVing
Are you on a tight budget? Or are you in a difficult situation and don’t have the time to set up a virtual mailbox service account?
There is one option you can try out. It’s easy and costs almost nothing.
Using Friends and Family Members to Accept Mail
Do you have a tight budget? Or a small amount of mail? Are you traveling for a short period? Then, you may want to consider giving family members or friends a try.
However, before you implement this method, you must ensure that whoever you put in charge of receiving incoming mail is responsible, organized, and has enough time to sort through your mails.
So how does this method work?
Simple!
You request that postal services send mail to a family member’s or friend’s address. The individual—on your request—will sort out and have the received mail delivered in batches to any location of your choice.
With permission, you can use a family member’s address as your permanent mailing address. For example, with this address, you would receive official mails like your driver’s license, passports, voter registration, and vehicle registration.
Consider renting a mailbox if you feel you may burden a family member or friend with regular mail deliveries. Individuals who don’t have friends or relatives who can receive, sort through, and forward mail should sign up for a post office by visiting the local post office where they want a box.
Pricing
- It’s free.
Pros
- It’s free. Or at least much cheaper than other options.
- Your mails are handled by someone you trust
- Constant communication
Cons
- Chances of your mail being mishandled or lost are high
- Issue of family or friends not being available to receive, organize, or ship your mail.
- It may not be a good option for full-time RVers
Final Words
Receiving mail while on the go has always been a significant headache for part-time or full-time RVers and typical globetrotters. However, thanks to mail forwarding companies, USPS general delivery, and reliable family and friends, RVers can manage and get mail regardless of their location.
While selecting the ideal mail forwarding service for your needs, please consider your pockets, how long you plan to be away, and where you plan to travel.
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