From mythical towns to real-world souks: snail mail subscriptions like Mythbridge and Letters From Afar turn everyday mailboxes into portals for art, storytelling, and offline exploration. (Left image from @mythbridge; Right image from @letters.from.afar)
I’ve always liked the idea of having a hobby that arrives in the post. There’s something fun and old-school about willingly signing up to receive a little piece of someone else’s world, especially when you have no idea what your future self will be doing with it. One month it might be a letter about a place you’ve never heard of; the next, a murder mystery or a challenge that gets you out of the house.
Mail clubs are essentially a subscription to curiosity. Some are made for people who miss travelling, while others are for anyone who likes making things, collecting pretty paper, solving puzzles or just having something to look forward to. These are eight I’d happily find in my mailbox.
Letters From Afar
Travel the world one letter at a time
This is probably the mail club that started my fascination with the whole idea. Each month, Letters From Afar sends an illustrated letter, field notes and a map, following the fictional explorer Isabelle as she travels through a different destination. You might find yourself learning about a souk, a mountain, a festival or an obscure bit of local history, all from your own mailbox.
The character is inspired by real-life 19th-century explorer Isabella Bird, which gives the fictional adventures a nice historical thread.
Subscriptions start at US$8 a month.
Travel Snail Mail Club
Get a real traveller’s adventures in your mailbox
If a fictional explorer feels a little too polished, here’s an alternative. Travel Snail Mail Club turns founder Marta’s adventures around the world into a monthly letter, complete with a photo print from the journey.
You get the places she has seen, the moments that stayed with her, and a little glimpse into the life behind the trip. It feels like having a friend who sends you postcards from wherever she happens to be.
Subscriptions starting at US$7 a month.
The Postal Runway Mail Club
Travel through art, fashion, and paper
For anyone who likes their travel inspiration with a creative streak, this one combines destinations with art and fashion. Created by best friends Haj and Anj, each monthly envelope is themed around a different place and includes a personalised letter, postcard, sticker sheet, mini prints, and a mystery item.
The recommendations and fashion inspiration are designed to build a little world around each destination, so it feels less like receiving souvenirs and more like opening a tiny editorial spread in the post.
Subscriptions start at US$8 a month and ship worldwide.
Somewhere Society
Collect a city through an artist’s eyes
Run by Filipino artist Ciara Gan, Somewhere Society is an art-and-travel-inspired mail club built around a different city each month. Previous themes have included London, Kyoto, Hanoi, Paris, and Vienna, with each envelope containing a letter designed by Ciara, an art-print postcard, an exclusive sticker, and destination-inspired packaging.
It’s a good pick if you like the idea of travel mementoes without actually having to travel – and if, like me, you have a weakness for pretty paper, you will probably struggle not to keep everything.
Subscription is under US$9 a month.
Sidequest Mail Club
Turn “one day” into something you actually do
Not all adventures need a boarding pass. Sidequest Mail Club sends a monthly letter containing a real-world “sidequest”, a personal story behind it and a reflection prompt. The idea is simple: instead of endlessly saving things you want to try, you get one small nudge to actually go and do something.
The sidequests are designed around curiosity, courage, or connection rather than productivity, and can be done alone or with someone else. It’s particularly suited to those months when you look up and wonder where all your weekends went.
Subscriptions start at €9 per month.
The Post Mortem Print Club
Solve a murder by post
For a more dramatic kind of adventure, The Post Mortem Print Club turns your mailbox into a detective’s desk. Each mystery unfolds over three months, with a new batch of physical evidence arriving on the first of each month: newspaper clippings, photographs, witness interviews, receipts, notes, and other case files.
You investigate offline, then use the online Case Portal to submit your theory, ask for optional hints, and unlock the solution. It’s essentially a murder mystery you can collect piece by piece, rather than finish in one sitting.
Subscriptions start at £10 a month in the UK, or £13 for the EU, US and the rest of the world.
Red Apron Recipe Mail Club
Cook something new from the mailbox
Some rituals are worth bringing back offline, and Red Apron Recipe Club makes a good case for cooking by post. Each month, James Beard Award-winning chef Jonathon Sawyer sends a recipe card printed on archival card stock, along with a personal letter about the dish and a curated Spotify playlist to cook along to.
It’s a nice little ritual for anyone who likes collecting recipes as much as making them, with the occasional bonus thrown in.
Subscriptions start at US$12, with an additional international postage fee.
Mythbridge Fantasy Mail Club
Get a letter from a magical town
If you’d rather escape somewhere that doesn’t exist, Mythbridge sends you there one letter at a time. Every month, a missive arrives from the fictional town of Mythbridge, a cosy, slightly satirical fantasy world populated by all manner of odd happenings, with each envelope containing a story, print, stickers and an activity.
The whole thing is illustrated and written as though you’re a resident receiving correspondence from the town, which makes it feel more like entering a story than simply reading one.
Subscriptions start at £9.99.
