Get snail mail on CF?

[Ivan Himboski]

I’m committed to unplugging when I start my Camino next week (imagine 4 weeks without checking what crazy tweet came out of the wh the previous day).

Years ago, if one was traveling, you could tell folks where you thought you’d be on a particular day, and they could send letters to the American Express office in that town. My wife still talks about the thrill of having a clerk hand her letters from home.

I’ve searched the forums here and haven’t found any advice on this.

Anyone know if something like this is still possible?

Thanks!

 

[trecile]

I’m committed to unplugging when I start my Camino next week (imagine 4 weeks without checking what crazy tweet came out of the wh the previous day).

Years ago, if one was traveling, you could tell folks where you thought you’d be on a particular day, and they could send letters to the American Express office in that town. My wife still talks about the thrill of having a clerk hand her letters from home.

I’ve searched the forums here and haven’t found any advice on this.

Anyone know if something like this is still possible?

Thanks!

Yes, this can be done in Spain. I actually had something sent to me this way to the Burgos post office.
Here's information I copied from Wikipedia:
Spain
Mail can also be received at Spanish Post Offices. [14] There is normally no charge for the service. Poste Restante letters should be addressed Lista de Correos, followed by the address of the post office (including the post code, town and province). Put your surname in capitals. An example Lista de Correos address is:

John SMITHLista de CorreosPl. Rosa dels Vents 946730 GandiaValenciaSpain
To find the address of the Correos nearest to you check at www.correos.es. Click on the Oficinas link for the Localizador de Oficinas.

When collecting mail from the post office you will need to show some form of identification such as a passport or photo driving licence. Specify that you are collecting a Lista de Correos item as these are stored separately from the other stored mail. The Lista de Correos mail is filed alphabetically and it may be worth asking them to check if an expected package was filed under your first name if they cannot find it under your surname. Post offices vary in how long they will hold your mail.

When addressing mail for Spain, always ensure there is a return address on the parcel or packet.

 

[KinkyOne]

If you have a rough plan where you'll be on certain day your wife can send you anything by putting on the letter/parcel/package:
Lista de Correos
Ivan Himboski
"address of the Post Office" (http://www.correos.es/ss/Satellite/...iza_busca_encuentra/detalle_app-sidioma=en_GB)

And that's it.
She would have to calculate a post transfer time too of course.
You can also track the number of the parcel on-line and see if it is already there waiting for you

Buen Camino!

 

[JabbaPapa]

Yes, I've had stuff sent to me by this means.

 

[wisepilgrim]

This is an excellent idea. On my first caminos I was in the habit of mailing my tent from Pamplona to León, as I preferred to travel light and new that west of Astorga was where I wanted to camp the most.

Two Five important things to note:
1. The package MUST include Lista de Correos as the receiver. If that part get's skipped it will get returned to sender unless there is an employee at the post office with your exact name .
2. The post office will hold the mail for 30 days before sending it back as a matter of policy. As a matter of practice however it is hard to say. The exception to this is the post office in Santiago, which is something like the wild west. They hold it for less time but rather than send it back they hold it and will charge you per day. The amount appears to be up to the clerk on duty.
3. Opening hours. Only the largest post offices are open in the afternoon, and even fewer are open on the weekend. So if you walk into town after lunch on a Friday it might mean waiting until Monday morning to get your love letter and candy bar.
4. If you use the link above to find a post office, remember to choose the map marker that is GREY for bigger cities where there are more than one post office.
5. Pro Tip: Next to your name on the address form, I add {PEREGRINO} in the hopes that it stands out among the others.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Correos hours in small towns will present a problem for snail mail. The hours when they are open do not fit the typical pilgrim schedule, so you will have to wait or hurry to get there. It is less of a problem in the cities.

You will be as connected as you want to be by turning off electronic devices. It might be a good pilgrimage exercise in discipline. The next generations' appetite for their iPhones is curbed a bit at my dinner times when they have to turn them off and put them in a bowl by the front door. I sometimes suspect that epilepsy may be induced by the practice, but the rush to the bowl at the end of the meal is a clear indicator that little progress is being made on the addiction. On the camino it has become standard practice at breakfast to order coffee, then ignore the thirty other pilgrims in the bar as everyone logs onto wifi.