These days, not too many people send postcards. Why take the time to go pick one out, handwrite a note like a caveman, find a post office, buy a stamp and then mail it? Delivery time for my postcards usually takes between a few days to a month depending on the country I’m sending it from. It’s a hassle – especially since you can just get instant gratification by sending an email, IM-ing, calling or Skype-ing someone using a webcam to share your experiences. I know I’m old fashioned but I still send postcards to my older relatives and niece and nephew but I must admit, some of the cards I find are not that impressive and half the time, I feel like I’ve taken a better picture of that beach, landmark or sunset myself. I always think to myself I should create my own postcards but it would take even more time … until now. Thanks to HazelMail.com, you can avoid the hassles described above and log on to a new online service that allows travelers and photo enthusiasts to instantly turn their photos into personalized postcards and mail them from a computer anywhere in the world. To create a postcard, users simply upload a photo, enter a message and address and pay a flat-rate $1.50 postage fee to have the postcard mailed to any destination. To reduce cost and time, HazelMail utilizes a global network of printers located in North America, South America, Europe and Asia to print and deliver postcards closest to the recipient's destination. By printing and delivering locally instead of using international airmail it also helps reduce stress on the planet. It’s available in five languages - English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. You can also create a personal address book on their website to make it easier to send one to the same recipients from your next trip.
These days it seems everyone has their own website or blog. If they don’t, you know they at least have some kind of social network page like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter … There are a ton of applications that can be added but many of them are annoying, require a download and aren’t the easiest to figure out. That’s where 29travels.com comes in. It’s a simple website that allows users to create uncomplicated maps to add to their website/blog/webpage. The Map Generator technology, which uses Google Maps, is so easy my sister could probably even figure it out. Just pick the size, color and start checking which countries you have been to, then grab the code and/or hyperlink and add it to your webpage and … voila! You have a map that shows all the countries you’ve been to. I just made one and it took me less than five minutes. Here’s the link.
Okay, I know this one isn’t a travel-related video but I think it’s so inspiring and that its message can be used for road warriors or anyone stuck in a place they don’t want to be, physically or mentally.
