LetterAgent
Mail physical letters by just asking your AI assistant.
Home > Guides > Mailing while traveling abroad
Buy the local country's postage and use the local post. Stamps are only valid in the country that issued them, so US or Canadian stamps will not get your letter home if you drop it in a mailbox in Paris or Tokyo. The rule is simple: you pay the post office of the country where you post the mail.
Start with the obvious: the local post office. Beyond that, options vary by country. In France, tabacs (tobacco shops) sell stamps. In many places, newsagents, stationery shops, and hotel front desks carry them. Some hotels will even take your stamped postcards and post them for you, which saves a trip. When buying, say where the letter is going: the price of a postcard to the United States or Canada is an international rate, higher than the domestic one, and the clerk needs the destination to sell you the right stamp.
No, with one real exception. A US stamp is only valid on mail posted within the US postal system, and the same goes for Canadian stamps in Canada. Dropping a US-stamped letter into a mailbox in London means it will come back or be treated as unpaid. The exception is military mail: US APO and FPO post offices accept US postage anywhere in the world, so service members can mail letters home with ordinary US stamps from a base overseas.
| You post the letter in | Valid postage | US stamps work? |
|---|---|---|
| Any foreign country | That country's stamps | No |
| US military post office (APO/FPO) | US stamps | Yes |
| On a cruise ship | Stamps sold at the purser's desk | Sometimes, on US-based cruises |
Cruise ships usually have a purser's or guest-services desk that sells stamps and collects outgoing mail. The stamps are typically those of the ship's registry country or of the next port of call, and the mail goes ashore at the next port. It works, but it is slow: your postcard rides with the ship until it docks. If timing matters, wait and post it yourself at the next port's post office.
Write the address exactly as you would at home, then put the destination country in capital letters on the last line, in English or French. Postal workers in the sending country need to recognize the country at a glance to route it to the right outbound stream. For postcards, keep the message side clear of the address area and leave room for the local post's own stickers and postmarks, which take up more space on international mail.
That is what international reply coupons are for: you buy one at home, enclose it in your letter, and the recipient exchanges it at their post office for the postage to reply. It is an old system and not every post office still sells them, so check before you count on it. For most travelers, the practical answer is simpler: buy local stamps for your postcards, and handle anything urgent by email.
Ready to mail it? Send your letter with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it is printed and mailed.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
Need help? Ask your assistant: it can check a job's status any time. If it ever can't handle something: hello@getletteragent.com