by Samantha Holloway

Created on: October 22, 2010

Before the internet, the only way to keep contact with people too far away to visit regularly, was to write letters. This past generation, the long history of letter writing and the skills involved- good penmanship, clarity of thought and idea, writing, reading comprehension, the ability to tell a good story, the ability to know what's important enough to pass on- all sort of went out the window. But you know what? The internet hasn't killed it. It's just made it easier to find other people who share your passion, and cleared out all the people who don't care about writing letters and maintaining classic modes of communication. It's like the slow-food movement of the letter-writers: sit down, slow down, disconnect from all the wires and the super-fast always-on cyber world, and indulge in something sweet and personal.

For kids, pen pals teach them about other lives in other countries, and anything that expands a kid's world is worth the effort. For adults, it's about knowing that someone on the other side of the world cares about what happens to you, and sometimes that's all that matters.

It's not just a hobby, it's a social statement. What do you define as valuable in human interaction: instant access and a constant torrent of useless information, or a slower but much more personal, and therefore more human, nugget of interaction?

Thankfully, if you're the sort who likes the personal tack, there are places you can go to find others who can send letters back and forth with you, and there's more than a little freedom in having someone outside your immediate life you can tell things to, someone to confide in and learn from.

Here are some of the best sites:

IndieFixx's Pen Pal Project: Perfect for all the crafters and makers who are looking for new ways to indulge the old ways. You post a little bio and people read through them and contact you, or you can read through theirs and contact them. The number of participants is growing all the time, and the people involved are interesting and varied.

Post Crossing: For the quicker-sort of pen pals. You get an address from one of 211 countries all over the world and you send a post card. Someone else gets your address and sends you a post card. Everyone gets little snippets of lives and information from all over the world, and if you include a return address, many of the people you write to will write back!

Send Something: If you want to find not only pen pals, but also gift exchanges, this is the one for you. On your bio, you list the things you'd like to see and have, the things you can make and do, and, occasionally, you'll get a beautiful little package from a stranger- an international random act of kindness that can make your day. Or you can send something and make someone else's day. Either way, the opportunity for contact is almost unlimited.

The Letter Writer's Alliance: If you're more into the retro feel of writing and you love original, retro-inspired and a little bit cheeky stationary, this is the place for you! There are a few free downloads, but to get to the penpals you have to become a member, which is only eight dollars for life. Once in, they send you a pin and a membership card, and you can get penpals and exclusive downloads. Well worth that tenner.

Mailfriends: The original pen pal site, they claim, started way back in the 90s and still going strong! You can choose from hundreds of places and thousands of people, and there's a fairly good balance of male to female. 

Where did you find your pen pals?

Learn more about this author, Samantha Holloway.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.