Recently updated on April 26th, 2023 at 04:39 am
As more Americans resort to living an RV or Van life, the question of how I get mail and packages while on the road becomes very common.
If you live in a permanent RV location, you can easily use a local PO box to receive your mails and packages. But once you start traveling full-time, you’ve to figure out how to get your mail and packages without having a permanent address. That’s where a mail forwarding service comes in handy.
This guide will discuss how you can receive mail and packages on the road as an RVer. Let’s start!
Table of Contents
What is an RV Mail Forwarding Service?
An RV mail forwarding service provides a way to receive mail and packages while RVing. You’ll redirect your mails to the mailing address of the RV mailing service, and from there, your mail is forwarded to the address you gave.
This service works by providing you with a physical street address where all your mails will be sent while you’re on the road. Then they’ll compile the mails and packages and send them to you based on how you want them. Many RV service providers offer additional features like online mail access, mail scanning, sorting, recycling, shredding, and oversized package handling. Mail forwarding service can also help in giving you a fixed address for your insurance, driver’s license, and tax liabilities.
Getting Ready to Receive Mail While Traveling?
Are you ready to Start Receiving Mail and Packages while you’re touring the country? Don’t worry; it’s pretty easy and saves you from the hassle of changing your address with USPS every time you move. Dive in to find out.
How can I Get Mail while Living on the Road?
If you live in a van or RV, you can still get your mail and packages sent to you. A postal system is ideal if you’re traveling for a year or less. But suppose you plan on traveling for more than a year. In that case, you should consider setting up a residential address somewhere so that you can easily renew important documents like vehicle registration, driver’s license, insurance, and others.
There are two simple ways to get mail while you’re on the road: mail forwarding from a mail service provider or setting up a PO box forwarding in a local postal office.
Ways to Get Mail While Traveling in an RV
Here, we’ll look at how you can get your mail as an RVer. You must know that each of these methods has its pros and cons; therefore, you’ll have to weigh between the two before making a choice. The last thing we’ll have you going through is the hassle of changing your mailing address frequently.
Mail Forwarding from a Family or Friend’s Address
If you’re starting your RV adventure, you can consider giving a family or close friend’s address a try. This mainly works well with short-term travelers. Ensure the person is responsible and organized and has time to handle your mails.
If your income is low and you’re receiving few mails, then using a friend or family member’s address is your ideal option. This will enable you to have all your first-class mails forwarded for free. Here, your mail piece is sent piece by amount then the resident will cross out the old address and write the new one without affixing the postage.
However, this type of mail forwarding has its drawbacks. If you’ve forwarded multiple mail pieces, there’s a high chance they’ll arrive on different days, leaving you stuck in one location. Some individuals have developed a method of knowing how much mail is left to be forwarded.
For example, if they’re forwarding two different envelopes, they’ll mark them 1:2 and 2:2, so once you’ve received the 2:2 envelope, you know you don’t have pending mail.
Also, your mail can be delayed, mismanaged, or even returned to the sender. To avoid these problems, you should have your mails packaged in one parcel and then forwarded to you.
USPS Mail Forwarding Service
Not everyone can trust others with their mails and packages; if you’re one of those, you can go for the USPS mail forwarding service.
USPS has always been doing a fantastic job serving its customers. If you’re traveling in your RV for a few days and staying in one location, they can help forward your mails to you. However, if you’re planning to move around, this option won’t be ideal for you as USPS will only forward mail to one temporary address at a time.
Fortunately, some USPS offices have started offering essential mail scanning services, which you can consider if you wish to handle your mails remotely.
A USP Private Mailbox Rental
USP is a well-known shipping and postal service provider in the United States. Though they offer mail forwarding service, it isn’t ideal for RVers constantly on the road.
They offer virtual mailbox forwarding services with an actual street address that you can use for receiving all your mail and services. However, its benefits are limited and more expensive than other professional mail forwarding providers.
Private Mail Forwarding Service Providers
If you’re a full-time Rver moving from one location to another, then a private mail forwarding service is the perfect option.
These professional mail service providers efficiently handle mail more flexibly than the abovementioned options.
How Do Full-Time RVers Get Mail
Most full-time Rvers opt for a professional RV mail forwarding service to get their mail. This service provides you with an actual street address so that you can also direct your mails and packages. That’s what makes it ideal for full-time RVers who need a real address always to receive their mails.
An RV mail forwarding service will sort and keep your mails securely until you’re ready to pick them up or get them forwarded to your location or a friend’s residence. Some will also scan each mail service and send it to you digitally so you can choose which mail should be opened, held, shredded, or forwarded.
Florida RV Mail Forwarding Services
Florida is a big state in the US, and some of its residents have chosen to explore RV or van life. As such, there are many RV mail forwarding services in Florida.
These services offer professional RV mail forwarding at different price ranges. They also allow you complete control over your mails by logging in to your online account.
Besides mail forwarding, most service providers offer features like shredding, recycling, package handling, and other add-on features.
How to set up Mail Forwarding for Full-time RVers
Setting up a professional mail forwarding is very simple. Here are the steps to follow:
1. Choose a Service Provider
The first step to setting up your RV mail forwarding is choosing the right service provider. There are a lot of private postal services offering Rv mail forwarding at different prices. Go for a service provider that offers the best features at a budget-friendly price. You can check PostScan Mail.
2. Choose a Location and Plan
RV mail forwarding service providers usually have street addresses in various parts of the nation. Go to a Location close to where you’re RVing so you can easily pick up your mail. Then choose the best plan depending on how many mails you’ll receive and how frequent.
3. Redirect Your Mails
To start receiving mails at your new address (your service provider’s address), file a temporary change of address with USPS to have all your mails redirected there.
4. Start Receiving Mails and Packages from Different Carriers
Since most professional RV mail forwarding providers use a real street address, not a local PO box, you’ll be able to receive mail from USPS and different carriers like FedEx, USP, e.t.c.
5. Open and Manage Your Mails Anytime, Anywhere
When you receive a new mail, your service provider will scan and upload the exterior part to your account. They’ll also send a notification alert via the email you used for signing up. With a click, you send a request of what you want to do with your mails – either open, shred, recycle, forward or schedule a pickup.
Tips to Receive Mail While RVing
Now that you know how you can receive mail while Rving, let’s give you some tips to help you get your mails more efficiently and faster.
Stay in a Resort with Mail Center
One of the easiest ways to get mails while Rving is by staying in a resort that has a mail center. This is especially handy for Rvers that will stay in one location for some months.
Many camping resorts in Florida offer on-site mail centers. If you aren’t sure whether the resort you’re planning to go to has a mail center or not, consider giving them a call to ask. Most alternatives will gladly help you receive your mails if you request so.
Mark Your Envelopes If You’re Using a family or Friend’s Address
If you use a friend or family member’s address to receive your mail, ask the person to help you mark your parcels whenever he’s forwarding them to you to know how many mails you’ve left before moving to your next location.
For example, if they send three separate envelopes, they can mark them 1:3, 2:3, and 3:3. This way, you’ll know how many mails you’ve sent.
Use FedEx or USP
FedEx or USP is a simple way to receive your mail while RVing. These carriers will deliver right to your Rv in any camper ground.
You provide them with the address of your camper ground like a real street address. For example;
Ann Joe
ABCD street (Site number)
X City, X State, Zip code.
Why Choose PostScan Mail for My RV Mail Forwarding?
While there are many RV mail forwarding providers, PostScan Mail is inarguably the best. At PostScan Mail, we offer you the flexibility to receive and manage your mail digitally.
With our unique RV mail forwarding service, there’s no need for you to go to the post office before you can access your mail. Also, there’s no need to worry about whether a critical package has been delivered to your old address – with a single click on your device, you can review all your incoming mails and packages.
We scan your packages and envelopes once they arrive, then send you a notification. From there, you can review the image and request for the mail piece to be handled.
Maybe you’d love to forward it to your address, a friend’s place, or even discard it – all can be done in a single click.
To get you started on your search, here are our top recommendations.
Finding the Best mail forwarding service for RVers service can be a difficult mission. With so many options available, it can be hard to know which company is the best for you.
RV Mail Forwarding is another excellent option for RVers who need a reliable mail forwarding service. This company will take care of all your USPS needs, including packages and letters that are too big for your mailbox or PO Boxes.
We have done the research and narrowed it down to our top recommendations.
We recommend PostScan Mail because they are one of the most affordable companies on our list. In their secure facility, they offer various services, including USPS mail forwarding, Package forwarding, and Virtual PO Box.
PostScan Mail is a reliable mail forwarding service. They are the perfect choice for RVers who want to stay connected with their loved ones and friends while on the road. And offers features that make it easy to keep in touch, including USPS mail forwarding, package forwarding, and mail storage in their secure facility.
PostScan Mail is a trusted company with over years of experience in the mail forwarding industry. They have an A+ rating with the BBB and have been featured on Good Morning America as one of America’s top mail forwarding companies.
Sign up for our mail forwarding service for RVers and choose a real street address to begin handling your mail digitally anytime, anywhere.
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- The Complete Guide to Changing Your Mail Address and Finding a Mail Forwarding Service