How Do You Get Mail When You Live on a Boat?

Ever wondered how on earth you get mail when your address changes every few days? I'm not surprised you're curious about this… it's one of those questions that sounds simple until you actually try to answer it — so let's give it a go!

The Short Answer: We Try Not To

Honestly, our first strategy is just avoiding it altogether. If we can buy something at the next port, we will — even if it costs a bit more or isn't quite the brand we're used to. It saves us the headache, the customs forms, and the waiting around.

Mostly this requires a lot of searching through towns and stores, looking for a specific part we need. And then when we do find it, it will likely cost more than usual. But hey, it's worth it to make sure our engine runs right? (The answer is yes.)

There are, of course, a few times when this method simply won't work and we have to ship things, but this is usually where we start. Before anything gets shipped, the first question is always: can we find this where we already are?

When We Do Have to Ship Something

Sometimes, though, there's just no getting around it. Certain things simply aren't available wherever we happen to be — or they are, but not in a version we trust with our lives (looking at you, boat parts).

When that happens, we've got three go-to options for where it actually lands:

• A family member we know we're visiting soon. If we've got a trip back to Australia (or wherever the family is) on the calendar, that's often the easiest option — ship everything we can think of to their address and then pick it up and bring a couple extra suitcases back to the boat.

• A friend or family member flying out to meet us on the boat. The second best option is to have someone bring the thing out. Obviously this means you have to have a friend or family member who's coming out to the boat… not a super common occurrence, but it does happen, and we will completely load them up with stuff when it does (sorry, guys).
• The next port we know for certain we're going to. This one's trickier, because "definitely going to" and "sailing" don't always agree with each other. We do everything we can to not "sail to a schedule," and this is included — that said, sometimes we know we're definitely going to be stopping somewhere. Maybe we don't know the time or date, but we know we'll be there at some point, and often marinas will let you ship things and will hold packages for a fee. This is exactly what we do — ideally well in advance, so we won't be waiting for anything.

What Actually Gets Shipped

It's not like we're mail-ordering everyday groceries (ahem, we may have done that in South Africa, but that was a total luxury). The things worth the hassle of shipping tend to be pretty specific:

• Boat parts — things like engine parts, watermaker fittings, sails, etc. These are specific and can't be bought off the shelf.
• Boat spares — same as the boat parts, but we tend to have more time to get them, and therefore can plan ahead as to where to ship them.
• Tech — sometimes it's easier to ship GoPros or drones if you know exactly what you want.
• And yes — deodorant. Our favourite brand just doesn't exist in half the countries we visit, so every so often a very ordinary parcel of deodorant becomes surprisingly exciting.

Generally, the things that actually get shipped are very specific and necessary.

Random Things You Probably Didn't Think Of When It Comes to Boat Mail

• You don't get any letters. None.
• You depend on family's and friend's addresses whenever you're asked for one — for us, we tend to use my sister's house in Australia to ship things now (thanks, sis).
• And can you imagine writing down your address? It would be the best: 13 days, 5 hours, 22 minutes, mid-Pacific Ocean. Totally doable, right, Amazon?!
  

• You learn to not depend on "next-day delivery" like so many land people do nowadays — instead, you're left to figure it out on your own.

Summary

So there you have it — how we handle mail while living a life where "home address" isn't really a fixed thing. Buy local first, ship only when we truly have to, and always have a plan for where it's actually going to land.

It's not a perfect system, and every now and then something goes sideways. But it works for us, and it's just one more thing you figure out along the way when your front door moves every few days.

Do you have mail stories of your own — boat life or otherwise? Let us know in the comments!