Of the many many many things we love about our digital world, there are certain remnants of a not-so-distant past that can evoke twinges of nostalgia for what used to be. The small delight, for example, of getting a letter or postcard in the mail. When we discovered Hazel Mail, a service that brings the two together, it was impossible not to feel instant affection. Tuck this one away for the next time you take a trip:
Hazel Mail lets you turn a digital photo into a traditional postcard, that they mail for you…
Mirroring our bit of nostalgia above, Hazel Mail was inspired by founder Michael Lato’s mother (yes: Hazel) who he learned had saved every postcard he had ever sent her during his many travels. Recognizing that there is a unique, tactile pleasure in tacking a postcard to a refrigerator door, he sought to create a way of taking the ubiquity and convenience of digital photos and enabling them to be quickly converted into a lasting keepsake.
How it works: upload your photo to the Hazel Mail site and format it; you will then be directed to craft your note for the back of the postcard. Choose your recipient (or recipients; you can send to more than one person at a time) and for $1.50 per card, Hazel Mail will mail it for you. (The $1.50 charge covers the card, plus postage and handling). Sure "snail mail" takes days as opposed to seconds to reach its destination, but an interesting note: the company has set up with a network of local printers in North America, South America, Asia and Europe, in order to cut costs, time and environmental impact.
There are now iPhone and Blackberry applications you can download to make it that much easier to snap a shot while you are away and quickly convert it into instant grandparent gratification (or a fun way to say hi to kids at home when you are traveling solo).