Spain By Mail

Airmail is the best way to send mail home from Spain and Portugal. Aerogrammes, printed sheets that fold into envelopes and travel via airmail, are available at post offices. Write “airmail,” “par avion,” “por avión,” “por avião,” or “via aerea” on the front. In Spain, airmail usually takes from five to 10 business days to reach the US or Canada. Express mail may be the most reliable way to send a letter or parcel, and takes four to seven business days. Be aware that Spain’s overnight mail may not exactly be “overnight.” For faster service, try companies like DHL, UPS, or SEUR, under mensajerías in thes. Stamps are sold at post offices and tobacconists ( estancos or tabacos ). Mail letters and postcards from the yellow mailboxes scattered throughout cities, or from the post office in small towns. Mail in Portugal can be inefficient—airmail can take from one to two weeks longer to reach the US. Again, stamps are available at post offices (which can have automatic stamp machines) and at central locations around cities. Fax machines are often available at post offices. Surface mail is by far the cheapest and slowest way to send mail. It takes one to two months to cross the Atlantic and one to three to cross the Pacific—good for heavy items you won’t need for a while, such as souvenirs that you’ve acquired along the way.

Sending Mail To Spain And Portugal

In addition to the standard postage system whose rates are listed below, Federal Express (www.fedex.com) handles express mail services from most countries to Spain and Portugal. Service tends to be best between major cities like Barcelona, Lisboa, and Madrid. Rural areas often have slower service. There are several ways to arrange the pick up of letters sent to you while you are abroad. Mail can be sent via Poste Restante (General Delivery; Lista de Correos (S); Lista de Correiros (P) ) to almost any city or town in Spain or Portugal with a post office, but it is not very reliable. Address Poste Restante letters like so:

Miguel de CERVANTES
Lista de Correos
Salamanca, España

The mail will go to a special desk in the central post office, unless you specify a post office by street address or postal code. Itiss best to use the largest post office, since mail may be sent there regardless. It is usually safer and quicker, though more expensive, to send mail express or registered. Bring your passport (or other photo ID) for pickup; there may be a small fee. If the clerks insist that there is nothing for you, ask them to check under your first name as well. Let’s Go lists post offices in the Practical Information section for each city and most towns. American Express’s travel offices throughout the world offer a free Client Letter Service (mail held up to 30 days and forwarded upon request) for cardholders who contact them in advance. Some offices provide these services to non-cardholders (especially AmEx Travelers Cheque holders), but call ahead to make sure. Let’s Go lists AmEx locations for most large cities in Practical Information sections; for a complete list, call ☎+1-800-528-4800 or visit www.americanexpress.com/travel.