A How-to Guide Part II: Mail

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So you've saved up enough money for your new life at sea, chosen your preferred cruise line, and starting to book some itineraries. But how do you ACTUALLY live your life at sea? Where do you wash your clothes? How do you get your mail? Is there good internet access? Do you take your passport? In this multipart series, we'll explore the ins and outs of living on a cruise ship!

Mail

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has been serving this country longer than it's been a country. In 1775, Ben Franklin was appointed the first Postmaster General who built it into the behemoth we know today with 500,000 employees, housing 30,000 post offices , consuming 444 million gallons of fuel via 220,000 vehicles, delivering 143 billion pieces of mail to 160 million delivery addresses. According to the USPS, their main principal is "that every person in the United States – no matter who, no matter where – has the right to equal access to secure, efficient, and affordable mail service". Let's use that to our advantage.

The USPS is steeped in history with effective and efficient operations

Paperless

First and foremost, we're going with the obvious. Credit card and bank statements, online bill pay, tax forms, pay stubs, and those massive Ikea catalogs should all be sent via email. The boat has Internet. Simple as that.

Friends and Family 

If you plan to live at sea for the foreseeable future, it might make sense for you to change your mailing address to a friend or family's address. Hopefully they can take in your letters and packages and leave them aside for you while you are living it up. Be sure to properly thank them for their service and treat them nicely!

Actual Paper

Some people resist and can't get everything into email. That's ok. The common approach would be to use P.O. Boxes which are securely located in a Post Office. But you're limited to only receiving USPS letters and packages, nothing from FedEx, UPS, or DHL. Typical pricing is $5-10 a month for the smallest size and up to $20-120 for something larger, depending on location. If you go this route, we recommend finding a post office near your primary port.

P.O. Boxes can be especially helpful when living at sea


Luckily for those who have the budget or don't have the time, we recommend back-to-backers consider a service that accepts, scans, and shreds your mail and sends it to your electronically. There are too many good services out there so we recommend you find one that works for you. Pricing starts at around $20/month and increases with the quantity and size of parcels received.

Amazon Lockers

For those who don't want to run to the big box retailer on their turnaround day, we recommend finding an Amazon Locker near your base port. It will allow you to order anything from the retailer to a local Locker and you can pick it up with a provided code. The Amazon app is quite seamless and intuitive. You simply order your goods while at sea and just pick it up when you arrive on land. No need for a smart lock, doorman, or front desk to accept the packages, Amazon manages the cargo instead which is usually located in a 24/7 brick and mortar retailer.

Sending Mail

Did you know you don't need an envelope, stamp, or a mail box to mail a letter? Switch is an excellent and professional option to send snail mail. Simply upload your Microsoft Word or PDF file, provide the address, and hit send. The cost is $1.48 to have a #10 envelope sent out which is quite reasonable. I signed up with a $10 promo not too long ago, tested it out and love it! 

Voter Ballot

One of the hardest pieces of this puzzle is figuring out how to get your voter ballot abroad. First, you should be aware that even though you live at sea, you will be voting in the last state in which you lived.  While every state has different absentee and mail in voter ballot laws, the USPS will only deliver a ballot to a physical address which excludes P.O. Boxes. Our hack? Get an International P.O. Box! There are some restrictions though. While the Bahamas is one of the cheapest destinations for back-to-back cruises, be aware that you must be a citizen, resident, or business to open a P.O. Box located in Nassau. 

Conclusion

There are many options to handle your mail while you're living at sea. Making receivables paperless, a few friends, and a little preparation can go a long way in taking care of your needs. 21st century technology allows you to view and send mail from the Internet, what more can we ask for?

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