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How full-time RVers get mail

Most of us have digitized everything, or at least most things, so getting your snail-mail delivered in a timely fashion may not be too much of an issue. But some things are still sent via the U.S. Postal Service, like greeting cards, notices from the IRS, Social Security or other government agencies, and sometimes bills. I still prefer to get hard copies of some documents, especially some bills because it serves a s a reminder for me when my email inbox becomes too cluttered (every day). How do you receive mail when you’re changing locations every week or two, or month-to-month?

US Postal Service Temporary Mail Forwarding Service

The USPS will forward your mail temporarily, for a period of 15 days up to one year. This service is offered free of charge. This is a great option if you can plan ahead (at least 2 weeks ahead of time) and know where you’re going to be camping. In order to use the USPS temporary forwarding service:


— Give 2 weeks’ notice if possible (at least 3 days)
Go to https://moversguide.usps.com/mgo/disclaimer and choose the “temporary” option under the “type of move” category.

— The US Postal Service also offers electronic scanning of your mail en route, so you can view ahead of time what mail is being processed . This is a free service.

Send Mail to Friends or Family

Have your mail forwarded to a trusted friend or family member who can review it and send it to you on a regular basis. We did this for my mother- and father- in-law when they started full-time RVing.  We sent mail once a week, and called them if anything looked important.  A private resident can even forward a piece of mail for free by crossing out the address and writing the new address on the envelope and placing it back in the mailbox. NOTE that if you’re traveling full-time, using someone else’s address for your mail could cause some domicile issues. Domicile is the state you intend to be your permanent residence – where you vote, pay taxes, etc.  When having your mail forwarded to a friend or family member, include “in care of” as the second line of the address, along with your name on the first line:

Your Name
c/o Family or Friend Name
Street
City, State, Zip

Use a Professional Mail Forwarding Service

Hire a professional mail service to collect, review and forward your mail to you. They will provide you a street address to forward your mail to, and then monitor and scan it, making it available for you to view. They will forward mail that you want them to, and shred the junk mail that you do not want. There are many available, and I’ve searched for reviews of the services that are the most trusted. These services can also help with obtaining a street address for the purpose of establishing domicile in another state. See our page to learn more about establishing domicile.

We use Anytime Mailbox https://www.anytimemailbox.com/.  Addresses are available in almost all 50 states. Pricing varies by location. This service will open and scan mail, and upload to a cloud-based platform.
This is the service that we use, since they have the most addresses available, and we needed one in Wisconsin.

GoodSam https://www.goodsammailservice.com. / MyRVMail https://www.myrvmail.com. Good Sam uses MyRVMail as their service provider. Discounts for Good Sam members if you go through Good Sam, and get discounts through MyRVMail if you are a Passport America member. Located in Florida, this service can be used to obtain a domicile address in Florida if you want. 

Escapees https://www.escapees.com/mail-service/.  Your address will be in Texas, but Escapees can also provide an address in Florida or South Dakota, if  one of those is your domicile state.

Traveling Mailbox https://travelingmailbox.com.  This service has over 25 addresses countrywide to choose from.  Use any or all of the addresses any time.

USA2ME https://www.usa2me.com/site/Mail_Forwarding_How_It_Works.aspx.  Provides an address in Texas. They will photograph and log your items so you can choose whether or not to have them sent to you.

Legalzoom Virtual Mail  https://www.legalzoom.com/business/business-operations/lz-virtual-mail-overview.html. This service used to be known as Earth Class Mail. They now seem to be more suited to providing mail service for small businesses. They will scan mail and upload to a cloud account, and also deposit checks for you. Set up automatic scanning for senders, or automatic shredding for others.

Checklist of What Your Mail Service Should Do

Provide a physical address to send your mail to, not a P.O. box. A P.O. box cannot receive packages, and cannot be used in establishing a state as your domicile. If you are changing your domicile state, then choose a mail forwarding service that can provide an address in that state.

Real-time mail notifications

Physical sorting of mail

Scanning the outside of the mail for online viewing

Opening and scanning then contents if requested

Mail and package forwarding

Mail disposal including shredding

Check depositing

What are the hours of operation and service availability?

Can the addresses they have available for mail also be used as domicile addresses?

Where to forward mail to

Campground or RV park you are staying at, if they will handle mail for their campers. Be sure to ask first.

Have it sent to “General Delivery” at your local post office.  Not all locations will accept general delivery mail, so make sure to check with them first. Mail should be addressed as follows:

Your Name
c/o General Delivery
City, State, Zip

A UPS store mailbox.  Some UPS store locations have mailboxes for rent. This option provides a real street address where packages can be delivered.  Pick up your mail any time.  https://www.theupsstore.com/mailboxes/personal-mailboxes