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Post Office and Temporary Mail Holding...
Many years ago, when I traveled the summer on "teacher summer break" I don't recall any problems with holding my mail for long periods of time.

However, I went to the post office yesterday and was told that mail can only be held for one month - no longer.

This wasn't a problem before as I had my next door neighbors gather my mail for me as I just gave them a mailbox key and they would give it to me when I got home.   The  problem is now they're both in their mid-eighties and can barely get to the mailbox themselves.   My other neighbor lost her husband in February and has moved to Arizona (her home is up for sale).

Does anyone leave for longer than a month?  If so, how do you handle the issue with the post office only holding your mail for one month?

I have no idea what to do...
Cheryl (a.k.a. Desert Diva)
1998 Lazy Daze (26.5 mid-bath)
2002 Honda CR-V
Re: Post Office and Temporary Mail Holding...
Reply #1 –
While I may never have this issue, others here have signed up with Escapees to take care of the mail issue.

Not exactly sure how everything works but a “search” here on the LDO forum can answer those questions for you. In the meantime here is a link to Escapees. Escapees RV Club (Home) · Freedom Driven

Kent
2015 27' RB "MissB.Haven"
 
Re: Post Office and Temporary Mail Holding...
Reply #2 –
Quote from: Kent Heckethorn  - 
While I may never have this issue, others here have signed up with Escapees to take care of the mail issue.

Actually, I don't want to sign up for a service that "forwards" my mail, as I'm going to be traveling and not in any place for very long.  Therefore, Escapees wouldn't work as they're a mail forwarding service.  What I need is a way to have my mail held at home for between two and three months...

Cheryl (a.k.a. Desert Diva)
1998 Lazy Daze (26.5 mid-bath)
2002 Honda CR-V
Re: Post Office and Temporary Mail Holding...
Reply #3 –
Quote from: desertdivanm  - 
Actually, I don't want to sign up for a service that "forwards" my mail, as I'm going to be traveling and not in any place for very long.  Therefore, Escapees wouldn't work as they're a mail forwarding service.  What I need is a way to have my mail held at home for between two and three months...

Maybe rent a commercial size mail box at the local post office?
The Escapees have a wide range of options, you should check them out, their mail forwarding is customizable.
Full timers have the same issues you will have.

Larry

Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: Post Office and Temporary Mail Holding...
Reply #4 –
I have been using UPS Store and before that Mail Boxes etc. for my mail service.
I have changed locations as I've moved around and now use one in Silver City, NM.
Cost is about $175 a year which includes the ability to accept packages. This also lets me have my mail
which is minimal at this point, sent to me wherever I am. They go through all the junk and just send the important stuff.
I do this at most, twice a year. They will hold my mail until I get it, or the box is full, which has never happened.

My buddy uses a service in south Dakota, that does all kinds of additional services for him as he uses it as his residence and RV registration.
Jota
96 23.5 FL
Re: Post Office and Temporary Mail Holding...
Reply #5 –
"I don't want to sign up for a service that 'forwards' my mail, as I'm going to be traveling and not in any place for very long."

Perhaps you've misunderstood what these services do. They don't just redirect your mail to one place. They receive your  mail, sign for packages, etc., and hold it for you... until you ask for it to be sent on to you, wherever you are.

For example, I use DakotaPost. All my mail goes to them. Every time something comes in (other than junk mail, which they discard), they email me to let me know. They scan the outside of the letter or package, and I can view the scan on a secure web portal. I can even ask them to open it and scan the contents, and view that on their website. They will hold all my mail until they hear from me.

When I want to get my mail (typically every couple of weeks), I place a request via their secure web portal, and they'll pack it all up and send it--my choice of carrier and delivery speed--to wherever I tell them. That could be General Delivery at a local post office, or a local UPS Store, or a campground office... whatever's handiest.

There are companies in Texas (Escapees), South Dakota (America's Mailbox, DakotaPost), and elsewhere that offer these kinds of services. I used Escapees for many years, but later moved my legal domicile to South Dakota and switched to DakotaPost. I've been very happy with them.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Post Office and Temporary Mail Holding...
Reply #6 –
Don’t know if this is feasible for you, but it’s not too difficult to install a mail slot in your front (or garage) door. All mail goes into your house to await your return. We’ve taken to taping a laundry basket to the door right under the slot to catch (most) of the deposits. Helps when you try to open the door after six weeks on the road. 😉  Some areas, however, you can’t get “door” delivery, but only to a curbside box. — Jon
(Former) ‘06 TK “Albatross.” And (former) Vespa 250.   Alas, no more; both are gone.😕 Great memories remain! 😄
Re: Post Office and Temporary Mail Holding...
Reply #7 –
“Actually, I don't want to sign up for a service that "forwards" my mail, as
I'm going to be traveling and not in any place for very long. Therefore,
Escapees wouldn't work as they're a mail forwarding service. What I need is
a way to have my mail held at home for between two and three months...“

We used the Escapees’ mail service for many years when we fulltimed.  It worked perfectly.  Since we have been off the road, we continued to use the Escapee service, but then in a flash of brilliance discovered that we didn’t have access to our mail, and it was costing about $20.xx a month in postage charges to get our mail twice a month.  Since this revelation, we have used the UPS store in town here for ALL of our mail delivery. 

This is the best of both worlds for us.  We have a street address that can accept packages so we don’t need to be home to receive/sign for packages, or risk having them left on the porch.  The mail is held until we pick it up on our own schedule, or ask for it to be sent to wherever we happen to be if we are on a trip.

Another benefit that one can never really tell is useful or not . . . Your street address is not out there in the wild, easily to be harvested. 

This also makes it easy to use a credit card for ordering as the delivery address is always the same as billing address.  Sometimes there is a problem with having two different addresses, and sometimes not, but now that problem is non-existent for us.

The folks at our local store are super friendly, and we’re made to feel like family, and not just a casual drop-in customer.  The peace of mind is wonderful.  They have plans to cover any amount of time, but we have just renewed annually for about ten+ years with not a blip in service in all that time.  It has been lovely to have a static address for everything.

I suspect, but have not verified, that having a presence here would make it easier for me to receive a package from a local UPS office in another location, should that need arise.  I did actually do this once, but I don’t recall if we were customers then or not.  In any case, there was no problem receiving a package at their local store in New Mexico.  I just asked that the package be sent with the notation HOLD FOR PICK UP, and everything went smoothly.  This is just a single data point, I know, but it was a good one!  ;->

Virtual hugs,

Judie
Re: Post Office and Temporary Mail Holding...
Reply #8 –
Quote from: Judie Ashford  - 
They have plans to cover any amount of time, but we have just renewed annually for about ten+ years with not a blip in service in all that time.  It has been lovely to have a static address for everything.
Judie

Thanks for the information Judie - this is EXACTLY what I'm looking for!  :-)
Cheryl (a.k.a. Desert Diva)
1998 Lazy Daze (26.5 mid-bath)
2002 Honda CR-V
Re: Post Office and Temporary Mail Holding...
Reply #9 –
Another recommendation for Escapees Mail service.  We have the service level where they scan the outside of envelopes and send us an email.  We use their web portal to view that scan and can request a scan of the enclosed pages if we wish (extra cost per page).  We periodically let them know how and where to forward stuff.  We even get mail order prescriptions and Amazon purchases using this service.  We've even had mail forwarded to Canada Post offices.

Before going fulltime, we had trusted housesitters living in our house.  We left an amount of petty cash for them to forward packages of mail to us when we would email them when and where to send it.

Art
Art and Barbara
Settled in Atterdag Village of Solvang
2015-2022 fulltime in a 2016 Tiffin Allegro Bus 37AP
2002-2015 2002 LD MB
Art's blog
Re: Post Office and Temporary Mail Holding...
Reply #10 –
We went cross country in a TT in 2009 spending 2 months on the road.  We contacted the local Post Office.  The Postmaster said to write an pickup authorization letter, leave a copy with the PO and another with  person authorized to pick it up.  That worked fine.  For our 2014 LD shakedown cruise, we forwarded our mail to the UPS store and a house sitter came by every week or so to clean it out and take it home.  For 2016 we again contacted the Post Office and repeated the authorization process.    A week or so before we returned,  a postal employee refused to allow the authorized person to pick up the mail.  We did not follow up with the postmaster so I don't know if the policy changed or if the postal employee wasn't following procedures.

Joel
Joel & Terry Wiley
dog Zeke
2013  31 IB   Orwan   / 2011 CRV Tow'd LWEROVE
Re: Post Office and Temporary Mail Holding...
Reply #11 –
Quote from: Judie Ashford  - 
The folks at our local store are super friendly, and we’re made to feel like family, and not just a casual drop-in customer. 
Virtual hugs,

Judie
I suppose that occasionally dropping by with one of your plates that you post goes a long way to help that.
;)
joel
Joel & Terry Wiley
dog Zeke
2013  31 IB   Orwan   / 2011 CRV Tow'd LWEROVE