Many people ask us “How will the postman know where I am!”
So we thought we would put an article together on how you can receive your post whilst living afloat.
Most of the post we get through our letter posts falls into the category of “Junk Mail” which goes straight into the recycling bin; however there are letters that we want to receive, so how do we get hold of them?
There are various options available which we will look at now...
At Your Moorings
If you have a permanent mooring at a marina, the marina may be happy to collect your mail on your behalf. Every marina has different policies so contact them to see if they are willing to offer this service. If you are permanently moored near a business, pub or shop the business owner may be happy to accept your mail on your behalf, but again you need to ask.
Friends and Family
Asking a friend or family member is also another good solution. You may even be happy for them to open your mail scan it and email you the contents.
Use The Post Office Service Post Restante
Alternatively if you would prefer your mail to stay private you can use the Post Offices mail service called Post Restante which is totally free to use in the UK.
3 Simple Steps Of How Post Restante Works 1. Go to the branch you’d like your post sent to. Please note, the Poste Restante service may not be available everywhere.
2. Tell your friends, family and business contacts the Post Office address you’ll be picking up your mail from. This is how it should be addressed.
Your name
POST RESTANTE
Post Office name
Full address of the Post Office
Postcode of the Post Office
Country (if applicable)
Your Poste Restante address will be active straight away, but don’t forget to tell them they’ll need to include a return address on the back of the envelope.
3. Pop into your designated Post Office branch to pick up your mail, make sure to take a form of identification for you and in the UK proof of your address. More info
here
Use Your Work Address
If you have a place of work and have the permission of your boss you could consider having your paper mail sent to your work address.
Rent A Mail Box
If you are in easy distance of collecting mail from a rental mail box you can set up an address with a company like
Mail Boxes Etc. You can tailor a package that is right for you, choosing your rental period, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 2 or 5 years. There are different packages to meet your needs i.e. business, personal and premier. Prices differ from location to location.
Mail Forwarding Service
If you prefer not to ask friends or family to help out, you may find that using a company like
boatmail.co.uk is a good option for you.
The company will; - Receive and hold your mail securely until it is required to be forwarded at no charge (a UK street address can be supplied - again at no charge)
- Send it to an address of your choice anywhere in the world
- Post mail to you as they receive it, weekly, monthly or at any time you request
- Scan received mail and forward as part of an e-mail (mail2email service)
- Act as a forwarding agent for purchases (e.g. from eBay/Amazon)
- Receive an e-mail, printing and posting on your behalf (email2mail service)
So these are the options available to you, one of these is sure to suit your needs.
Do you know of any other ways your mail can be delivered?