Whether exploring the great outdoors or taking a road trip across the country, traveling can be an exhilarating experience. However, one challenge many travelers face is managing mail while on the go. The United States Postal Service’s General Delivery—offers a convenient option for nomadic adventurers without a permanent address. If you’ve been reading trail guides or hiker forums, you’ve likely seen the term “General Delivery” and wondered how this mail service worked. An equivalent service outside the USA is known as Poste restante. Here’s a detailed look at how USPS General Delivery Post Office mail works and how you can make the most of it during your travels.
What Is USPS General Delivery?
General Delivery is a unique service offered by the United States Postal Service, enabling individuals to receive their mail at a participating post office, even if they don’t have a address in the USA. This service is a convenient solution for travelers who want to receive mail when away from home. Essentially, it allows you to have packages and letters sent to a temporary address while visiting a particular location.
How Does General Delivery Work?
Using General Delivery is straightforward, but it requires a bit of planning. You’ll need to know your schedule and the nearest post office that accepts General Delivery. Thru-hikers must estimate their hiking pace and know what post office locations are accessible by foot from the trail. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you navigate the process effectively:
1. Choose Your Post Office: Before sending your mail, find the nearest post office to where you are by searching for locations on the USPS website and clicking on the location link to check that General Delivery is listed under Mailing Services at that location. Some smaller post offices may have limitations, so verifying their capability to accept General Delivery is essential.
2. Addressing Your Mail: When shipping a ‘General Delivery’ package or mailpiece, ensure your name matches your identification card. You will need to show an acceptable photo identification card at the post office to pick up your mail. Acceptable forms of identification can be a U.S. or foreign passport, U.S. driver’s license, military ID, and state/federal-issued identification card. See 10.3 Acceptable Primary Forms of Photo Identification.
Once you’ve selected a post office, address your mail in the General Address format as follows:
General Delivery (address line)
City, State Zipcode (of the post office where you will travel to)
3. Wait for Delivery: Allow 3-5 business days for your mail to arrive. Check the tracking number to confirm if your mail is ready to be picked up. If there is no tracking information, you can call the local post office to ask if your mail has arrived.
4. Pick Up Your Mail: Give yourself adequate time to retrieve your mail from the post office. Getting there can involve extra hiking miles, especially in larger cities where mail is routed to a central location. When you arrive at the post office, be prepared to stand in line. At the counter, let the postal clerk know that you are there to “Collect mail sent General Delivery,” and have your photo ID ready. You can help speed up the retrieval process by describing if the mail is a box or envelope.
Common Pitfalls and Things to Keep in Mind
While the process is generally straightforward, hikers and other travelers should be aware of a few nuances that can make or break your experience using General Delivery:
- Confirm Services by Calling: Even if a location lists General Delivery services, it is a good idea to call the local post office directly to confirm, especially in a very populated metro area. A common mistake is assuming that a location that accepts General Delivery on the USPS website also holds it there for you to pick up. In major urban areas, General Delivery mail can be sent to one central location within the city instead. The 800 customer service line might not have the latest information on specific services offered at the local level. Be advised that some post office locations are difficult to get ahold of. The phones can ring for several minutes before someone answers; you may stay on hold for a long time and get hung up on if you call near the office closing time.
- Pickup Procedures: Different locations have different mail pickup hours. While most post offices are open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Monday – Friday, smaller post offices may limit pickup hours to specific times. Knowing this ahead of time can avoid frustration.
- Postal Employees: It’s always a good idea to have internet access showing the online order delivery status and tracking information before going in to retrieve your package. If a post office employee tells you they can’t find your package, show them the tracking number and have them check again. If they still can’t find it, ask to speak to the postmaster or a manager to see what happened. Packages can often get misplaced within the office, and some employees are unwilling to search for them.
- Fees: Some post offices impose handling or holding fees or specific restrictions on General Delivery; these vary from location to location. When confirming services, inquire about potential fees or special procedures that might apply. Outdoor Herbivore mails hiker boxes every year and is unaware of costs imposed on post offices in trail towns.
- Size Limitations: While most postal offices will hold and receive your mail, larger packages might be a different story. Some post offices are tiny and might not have the room to store oversized packages, so checking beforehand is advisable.
- Time Limit: Using USPS for General Delivery is a temporary mailing service for travelers and people moving to a new area. It is not intended as a permanent mailing solution once you are a resident. As such, some post offices will restrict the time you’re permitted to use General Delivery before they start declining your mail or directing you to use a PO box. This is not a problem for residents passing through but discourages people in the local area from using it as a long-term mailing address.
Sending FedEx/UPS to a Post Office
Remember that UPS, FedEx, and DHL are major competitors to USPS and often will NOT accept packages delivered by these companies, including General Delivery and PO Box mail. Also, competing carriers won’t recognize General Delivery or a PO Box as a valid street address. We recommend contacting the local post office to confirm whether they will receive packages from other carriers and, if so, how to address them. For instance, they may instruct you to use the actual street address of the post office and put “Post Office” as the company or business name. You can find the post office street address using the location finder on the USPS website. The post office may charge you a handling/holding fee for receiving non-postal mail.
For instance, if you needed to mail a FedEx parcel to the post office, you’d address it as:
Street address of the Post Office (address line 1)
City, State Zipcode (of the post office where you will travel to)
Using FedEx/UPS Mail Centers for Mail Holds Instead of the Post Office
If the post office won’t accept your package, or you need to receive something oversized or express, we recommend having your order mailed to a local FedEx or UPS mail center instead. You’ll need to find a participating business that will hold your shipments. Be aware that holds are much shorter than the post office, often only 7 days. Also, some locations will charge you a fee to hold the mail.
- Find a FedEx location that offers Hold/Pick up service, often a FedEx office center or Walgreens store.
- Find a UPS location by filtering Mail and Package Receiving under Other Services, often a UPS Store and Authorized Shipping Outlet.
- DHL offers a Hold for Collection service primarily for international shipments arriving to the USA, often to a DHL Express Service Point. You can learn more at DHL.
When mailing a FedEx/UPS parcel to be held for pickup, you’d address it as:
- FedEx/UPS/DHL will typically hold packages for only 7 days.
- Bring a government-issued photo ID to collect your package. You’ll need the tracking number if the name on your ID doesn’t match the name on the package label.
- Some places will charge a fee for the Hold service, which typically ranges from $5 to $10, depending on factors such as package size and weight.
Final Tips for Travelers
- For all Travelers: You do not need to be a U.S. citizen to use USPS General Delivery mail services. Keep in mind that you will need to have a valid photo ID to retrieve your mail.
- Plan Ahead: If you know you’ll be traveling and need to receive mail, plan your routes and stops accordingly to ensure your mail arrives when you are there to pick it up. General Delivery mail will be held for a maximum of 30 days and will get returned to the sender if unclaimed.
- Stay Patient: Navigating urban areas, finding parking/transit, and long lines at the post office can add stress to your pickup experience. Give yourself plenty of time.
- Use Local Resources: For any queries, use local post office numbers rather than the national customer service line, as the latter may not possess the specific information you need
By understanding how USPS General Delivery works, you can ensure a hassle-free way to manage your mail while on the go. This service allows for greater flexibility and peace of mind, letting you focus on enjoying your travels without worrying about where your mail will end up. Whether you’re exploring trails, national parks, or simply on a road trip across the states, USPS General Delivery can be an invaluable resource for any hiker or general traveler. If you are traveling outside the United States, many countries have an equivalent service to General Delivery mail called Poste restante.
Backpacking Food Mailing Services by Outdoor Herbivore
Are you planning to hike a long-distance U.S. hiking trail and need to have backpacking food mailed to you on your hike? Outdoor Herbivore can mail you backpacking food to participating post offices and businesses near the trail. We have extensive experience working with thru-hikers worldwide as a trusted partner in getting resupply packages shipped on the Appalachian Trail (AT), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), Continental Divide (CDT), Colorado Trail (CT), John Muir Trail (JMT), and Arizona Trail (AZT). See Outdoor Herbivore’s hiker mail delivery services page for information. If you are planning a hiking trip to the United States, also see our guide for international hikers.
