Before the photo dump, there was the postcard. This summer, we’re bringing it back.

Words by Lila Saifaei

Penned on holiday, postcards serve as a quick means of checking in. Of saying hello without the commitment of pages from a letter – just enough to say, ‘I’m thinking of you, wish you were here.’ A love language in itself, the act of selecting a postcard to suit the recipient and then handwriting a message was a tangible symbol of your care.

There’s also a certain kitschiness and whimsy that postcards permit. A postcard of a recipe for wiener schnitzel from Vienna? Delicious! A postcard made of cork from Lisbon? Delightfully playful. An illustrated map of Hong Kong? Why not? In the world of correspondence, a postcard is unconstrained by formal etiquette, so let your personality shine – both in paper and in words.

Also unconstrained by the routine of daily life is you! Whether the purpose of your summer holiday is to laze on the beach on an island paradise, flit between effortlessly cool art galleries, or navigate the cobblestones of delightful old towns, the carefree you can add browsing for postcards to your itinerary.

You can also use postcards as a daily journal, writing one each evening to send to yourself. Then you can marvel at the stamps, the postmarks, and the creases the postcards acquire on their journey back to you, giving them character. In the future, reading the postcards will transport you right back to your holiday.

So, in this summer issue, I invite you, in an often-topsy-turvy world where instant response is the expectation, doomscrolling abounds, and our minds are continuously whirring, to take a moment to write both for yourself, and to give your recipient(s) the pleasure of your thoughts, your feelings, your words on paper. Handwritten, glorious in its imperfection, from wonky lines to spelling mistakes.

Find a café to people-watch and write postcards over coffee. Or a park bench to soak in the verdant soundtrack that is a summer’s day. Share holiday updates, a fun moment, future plans or stick to basics like the weather – all work. And if you have more to say, shower the recipient with postcards – or take the leap and move onto letters. Then, send the postcard, this souvenir of memory handwritten on a rectangular piece of card – may it travel swiftly to those you cherish.

Wish you were here.