Writing Lessons & Advice: Postcards and World Postcard Day
In October 2025, I took a cross-country road trip with my husband. A few days in, we parked overnight at a truck stop that had some cool postcards. I grabbed a handful to share as souvenirs for some kids back home and made a point from then on to check out any postcard inventory at most other stops we made. Little did I know that our road trip started just a few days after a recently implemented holiday that celebrates the souvenir of choice.
If unfamiliar, postcards are special pieces of stationery that present an image on one side and bears space on the other for a message and recipient’s address. This format allows them to be sent in the mail without being sealed in an envelope first. In fact, historically, the concept of the postcard was proposed and developed as a way to simplify the letter format and letter-writing process. And as such, they are common and popular items connected to travel, typically being shelved at establishments or sections for souvenirs. Conversely, some offices or businesses also appreciate the postcard format, utilizing them as appointment reminders, advertisements, or promotionals.
Grammatically, the term is a one-word, compound noun, so writing it out as a single word--postcard-- is most common and accepted. Albeit, in British English, it is sometimes presented as two words--post card--and the U.S. has the less-common variant, postal card. But if ever in doubt, follow the one-word route. The term can also appear as an adjective, like postcard view. In most cases, it is usually another way of expressing awe or praise towards a view, scene, or object. As in, one is calling a view, scene, or object worthy of, well, the picture side of a postcard.
Implications and Benefits
Despite not needing an envelope to go through the mail like letters and other cards do, postcards round out the correspondence cousins to make them a trio that shares many qualities and benefits. (Check out the other posts to see what else the cousins have in common.) In fact, postcards might even come off as less daunting than writing full letters and naturally more versatile, doubling as a fun print to display as well as a correspondence. Building off that versatility for a moment, my research indicates that postcards had significant implications in World War One--at least according to an English source. The Postal Museum in London emphasizes that postcards boosted morale, promoted propaganda, and even that all countries involved agreed prisoners of war held abroad could send them home free of charge. On the flipside, the museum also explains that postcards also got subject to censorship out of concern for information leaks to enemies or spies. On a lighter note, the museum adds that postcards bearing romantic messages and imagery were popular as well since the war would have separated many couples.
In more modern times, postcards are connecting people in more ways than just as pen pals. Collecting and studying postcards--formally called deltiology--is the third largest collection interest in the world behind collecting stamps and coins. The online postcard exchange Postcrossing initiated the first World Postcard Day on October first in 2020, the date chosen in commemoration of when the first official postcard was sent in 1869. Even at that, museum exhibits, if not a few whole museums, are also dedicated to their history and preservation. As of 2025, searching #postcards or some variation across most social media platforms points to a steady trend of users showing them off, encouraging purchase/use, and hosting groups or accounts related to them. Many digital services available provide almost anyone an opportunity to make their own. (My wedding save-the-dates were postcards!) Some might even create or collect them to sell. Passionate entities might even attempt developing their outreach or communicating their causes through postcard activism.
What to write on postcards
If you attain postcards for the purpose of corresponding with someone, here are some tips to help and keep in mind:
Unless perchance the stationery notes otherwise, the personal message goes on the left of the blank side of the postcard and an address goes on the right. A message of some kind is encouraged but a complete address is required if sending it. Make sure you have the recipient’s correct address either memorized, noted down somewhere, or you have some way to reach out about it. If the basic structure of an address is needed, it is as follows:
Recipient name
Street address or PO Box
City, state or province, country (if needed), zip code/post code
The length of an ideal message on a postcard is up to you, but some good parameters would be anywhere from a phrase or a few sentences to about a paragraph at most--give or take the size of line-spacing, handwriting, or font. Again, think of it as a more abbreviated letter. Details like context, purpose, and recipient can also help shape your message. For instance, if you want to touch base with friends or family back home while on a long trip, you might send sentiments like “love you”, “miss you”, or “wish you were here”. If you want to share more, you might highlight any experiences at the locale, include any fun facts you come across, or mention any future plans from that point. Conversely, if writing for a business or social cause, you’ll want to convey your pitch or call to action into a few sentences.
A postcard’s journey will include being handled, shuffled, stowed, and stamped a few times over. So, if handwriting a postcard, writing with ink is a good way to preserve the legibility and longevity of the message and address. The longer the message, the more helpful some kind of drafting could be.
I loved shopping for the postcards and thinking about what they could mean for the kids back home! For one thing, I know they’re homeschooled and almost certainly starting to study subjects like U.S. history, geography, and the states. So, I saw the postcards as tangible connections and enrichment to their academics. I even made a point to find ones with factoids on the back to ensure they either picked up some new knowledge or saw something they might already know in some new light. Coincidentally, after picking up one with a Pony Express image on the front, I found out one of the kids studied it the year before! Several of the postcards were also landscape images, chosen specifically to share the natural beauty of the American west with them too. Maybe they’ll be inspired to check out the featured areas themselves someday. Or maybe I’ve sparked their interest in collecting or exchanging this kind of stationery. Whatever those postcards ended up being to those kids later on, I at least knew right away they loved the gifts and would realize that their cool, grown-up friend was thinking of them while on their road trip!
Some of the post cards I got for the kids!
Some of the postcards I got for the kids! Oregon Trail and Pony Express
Much of this can also apply to nearly any opportunity to mail or gift a postcard. The gesture shows the recipient you are thinking of them while distance is between you. The effort to prepare a postcard can be as little or as much as one would like.Some capture brilliant snapshots, art, and maybe even trivia that more can see. While rooted in the past like its other correspondence cousins, postcards are far from a thing of the past. They might even be the coolest of the correspondence cousins!
Hope you’ll send some postcards and celebrate World Postcard Day!
Have you sent or received postcards before? Where did yours come from? What did you think? Feel free to share pics, experiences, or any other topics you want Lessons & Advice about in the socials!
Sources/further reading
Why did we stop sending postcards? (Opinion post in favor of postcards that published in summer 2026)
Some postcard/postal museums and collections
Postcards - The Postal Museum (London, England)
The Donald McGill Museum (Isle of Wright, UK)
Learn | National Postal Museum (Washington DC)
Welcome to the Chicago Postcard Museum (Chicago)
The Institute of American Deltiology (Myerstown, Pennsylvania) Contact them first regarding visits
The Greater Johnstown Postcard Club (group based Pennsylvania; holds regular meetings and events)
Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, CA) Contact them first regarding visits
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