Save the Postcard

With mobile phones enabling us to constantly stay in touch, many are worried that the humble postcard will go the way of the dodo. A recent survey by TripAdvisor found that only 11% of travelers still took the time to jot off a simple card to their friends back home. So to counter that depressing trend High Life, the in-flight magazine from British Airways, has launched a Save the Postcard campaign. Working in conjunction with British artist Tracey Emin, they’re celebrating these “mini works of art” by auctioning off 43 postcards designed by artists and celebs like Diane Von Furstenberg, Jack Vettriano, and Gordon Ramsey. All proceeds from the sales go toward Flying Start, BA’s charity partnership with Comic Relief.

The Guardian weighed in on the effort in yesterday’s paper:

“Picture postcards did something important. They were ‘forget-me-nots

that connected home and away when togetherness was a bigger deal than it is now. They carried more love, more affection, more care, than any other kind of correspondence. No one ever sent a bill by picture postcard. They were happy things.”

Happy things indeed. I still love finding time to write out postcards, even if they do tend to be far less instantaneous than posting a picture on Facebook. And getting one in the mail is still pure joy.

Do you still write postcards?

[Save the Postcard]
[The Guardian]

Image: A postcard designed by artist Jack Vettriano, now available at auction through November 1, 2010.