U.S. Mail

[GaryNK]

Thought this would have been addressed before but didn't find anything.
We made a 27 day run and completed a request at the post office to hold the mail. Well, they screwed that up and it's been addressed but, in the process we were told they will only hold for 30 days. As yet I do not know what happens then (after 30 days) nor what we will do next year on a 6 week trip, the planning of which is beginning. So the bottom line is, how have you prepared for that "not full time but over 30 day" mail deliverly?

[Tunce the traveler]

We are usually gone for 10 weeks at a time and have our neighbor keep it at their house. If we’re gone all summer we’ll have our neighbor send it to us in NY, State every 2-3 weeks depending on contents.As far as medicine goes I always have a 6 month supply on hand.

[Nature Ist]

I've been through this numerous times. When we go for long term, we have the 30 hold, and then have someone pick the mail up at the Post Office every week or two (and tells then NOT to resume delivery) )when the 30 days is up, we generate a new online request to hold the mail. You can do this repeatedly as long as they don't screw up. You should always have someone check your mailbox every now and then.
Another option is informed delivery, or they can hold and forward your mail on a weekly basis, but you would need to have a destination address that is constant (hard to do when moving around in an RV)
It is best to have someone you can rely on check your mailbox and retrieve the mail from the post office.

[GaryNK]

Seems reliable advice. We had friends offer to check on it but at the time we didn't see the need. As we well know now, that didn't work. Thanks,

[Grumpy]

Get this mailbox.....

https://www.step2.com/p/mailmaster-storemore-mailbox/

[Sundancer330]

We do this every summer when spending June-August on the Great Lakes boating. We put on a 30 day hold, you can request carrier delivery or customer pickup at the end of 30 days, we always use customer pickup and start another 30 day hold several days before the current one expires. The post office holds our mail for 120 days and we pick up everything which isn't much besides junk mail now a days since every bill is paid online. This has worked great for several years without fail.

[Scott]

When my Dad goes south for the winter in his FW, I pick up his mail every 4 weeks. He has to renew the 30 day hold. If he does not, or I don't get to the post office, they try to deliver a month's worth of mail at 1 time and stuff it in his mailbox. We didn't know that the first year, and I arrived on day 31 due to snow. That was a surprise.

[michael.g]

Every Post Office is different. I would recommend you talk to the Post Master at your local Post Office. Don't talk to the person at the counter, they will all tell you something different, talk to the Post Master.

Our Post Office would not hold more than 30 days, so when we needed longer, we used the Premium Hold Service, where they hold the mail for a week, then send it out to you in a Priority Mail envelope or box. Rinse and Repeat until you return. This can be expensive if you'll be away long as they charge a fee every time they send out the held mail.

The Post Office does offer short term mail forwarding, which we've done. We camp seasonally in the same location, so we just tell them when to start forwarding, when to stop and where to send it.

Unfortunately Forwarding and Premium Hold most likely won't be an option if you are moving around while you are away. Do you have any neighbors with kids? Offer one of the kids $20 to get your mail and hold onto it for you. Or as others have mentioned, ask a neighbor to collect it for you. If you think you might need some of your mail, have your neighbor or a friend send you the important stuff in a priority mail envelope or box. You can pre-purchase the postage for the USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate envelopes and boxes. Grab a couple flat rate envelopes and/or boxes and purchase the postage for them. Give them to your neighbor/friend and have them send them to you where ever you are camping. If the campground you are staying at doesn't accept mail/packages, your neighbor can send them to you in care of the local post office. The benefit of this is that your neighbor won't have to go to the PO to drop off the package, just schedule a pick up. I do this a lot and just leave the package at my mail box or if it will fit, in my mailbox.

Our Post Office is a nightmare. In our previous house (we moved in March of 2020), we were on a Auxiliary Route with no permanent Carrier. We'd have a different carrier everyday. We had a lot of trouble with Mail Forwarding because not every carrier knew it was to be forwarded. We had talk to the folks at the Post Office several times, but it didn't help. Fortunately, 2 years ago, we got a dedicated carrier so things improved, however when she had a day off, any mail that day wouldn't get forwarded. It was a real pain.

-Michael