Digital travel trails
The revival of postcards, in digital form, sees the iconic vacation memorabilia becoming a travel directory of sorts.
ONCE upon a time, a postcard was just a card – with a photograph on one side – for travellers to send messages by mail without an envelope. That’s before the existence of Facebook and Instagram. Today, it’s a visual travel social directory.
Postcard & Tag is a new site that introduces a novel way to share digital postcards. The platform allows travellers to share inspiring imagery of their discoveries with other globetrotters.
For those with wanderlust, this means a collection of digital postcards sorted into a personal guide for future trips. For Postcard & Tag co- creator Punyo Sakharet, it’s a dream come true.
“Postcard & Tag was born from my passions for designing, travelling and digital space. I couldn’t find anything online that shares personal travel moments through beautiful images, within a social community dedicated solely to travel and discovery, so I decided to create one,” he offers via email.
Conceptualised back in 2014, Postcard & Tag took about a year in the making. The site was officially launched in April this year, with chief executive officer Ruth Naderer on board. Sakharet is its creative director.
“We’ve built up great content and now have over 16,000 Postcards on the site,” says Sakharet. Postcard & Tag currently covers 3,000 of the world’s top destinations. They are categorised into Sleep, Eat & Drink, See & Do, Shop and Play.
Part of the site’s vision, according to Sakharet, is to fulfil a number of gaps in the online travel realm.
“Most people who are about to take a trip share the idea with their family and friends and receive all sorts of advice about where to go and what to see. Postcard & Tag gathers the best advice from not only friends and family but also the travel community. So, the site becomes a directory, as well as a social space to share your trip with others,” says the Filipino. Postcard & Tag has over 13,000 registered users today.
Sakharet reckons the site is a refreshing alternative to wordy travel reviews as people respond far better to imagery than long- winded comments that might sometimes contain irrelevant information.
“Building an album of memories from a journey is something you can always share with family and friends, but it also becomes a relevant guide for other like- minded travellers. Postcard & Tag is there every step of the way – from planning a trip to capturing personal discoveries, and then it sharing with others,” he says.
“Our intention is to support our community in building a global travel directory of Postcards to help people discover unique and real experiences all over the world that you won’t find in outdated guide books.
“Should you find yourself in a city that you’re not familiar with, or haven’t had time to research, you can search Postcard & Tag for tips on where to go, where to stay or where to eat,” Sakharet says.
Take, for example, a digital postcard posted by Postcard & Tag user Karen Laidlaw of the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
“The place to go. Take note of the ATM that dispenses gold instead of money. It has a pretty good coffee house too and the International Film Festival is here each winter,” Karen writes in her message.
Another notable attribute about the digital postcards is that they’re geo- tagged. What this means is holidaygoers don’t need to Google addresses or maps when it comes to locating a quaint antique shop or wonderful local restaurant they stumble upon on the site. Apart from that, there’s a budget range attributed to the digital postcards.
“You can see at a glance what you might expect when it comes to cost. All recommendations come from other travellers, and people enjoy sharing great finds wherever they travel,” Sakharet explains.
Signing up for a Postcard & Tag account is free of charge and can be completed using Facebook or e- mail. Once registered, a user can follow other Postaggers, interact, comment and engage with the community.
But with a dozen or more social media services out there, the question is: Should people invest time and interest in another social media platform?
“Postcard & Tag is completely unique as it’s the only photographic site that is purely dedicated to travel. It is full of travel inspiration and discoveries that anyone can use,” says Sakharet.
And if that’s not convincing enough, the digital service tugs at nostalgic sentiments with the revival of an iconic travel memorabilia.
“There was a time when tourist attractions each had their own postcard which you would send home, with the obligatory ‘ Wish you were here’ message. Postcard & Tag is the reinvention of the traditional postcards in the 21st century. Today, we instantly deliver interactive postcards that inspire and inform other travellers.”