While social media currently dominates the world of communication, there's something technology can't provide -- the warmth of handwritten letters, which let us physically touch something from our friends and family even when we're apart. Unsurprisingly, sending postcards remains popular during travels. This is a brief guide on how to post internationally from Hong Kong, alongside some local postal history.

When posting a letter or postcard, stamps are essential for paying the postage. Apart from purchasing stamps at the post office, four types of definitive stamp booklets - $2, $2.6, $3.7, and $4.9 (each containing 10 stamps) are available at certain convenience stores, including Circle K and 7-11, as well as Shell petrol stations. You can also print self-adhesive postage labels of 10 pre-set denominations at kiosks located outside post offices. For stamp collectors, Hong Kong Post (HK Post) releases about 10 sets of special stamps annually, which you can purchase in-person at post offices or online through the ShopThruPost website. You can then adorn your postcards with these special stamps to give them a unique Hong Kong flavor.

Once you've secured your stamps, it's time to choose the type of mail service to post your postcard. HK Post offers both surface and airmail services. If you're posting via airmail, you should affix a blue "BY AIR MAIL" label (available at each post office) or clearly write "BY AIR MAIL" beside the receiver's address on your mail item. It's important to note the differences in postage between the four regions HK Post distinguishes worldwide. The faster and further your mail needs to go, the more expensive the postage. However, if you don't want to bother with calculations and reading webpages, simply stick a $5.0 stamp on your 20g postcard/letter, and it's ready to be sent almost anywhere on Earth! A tracking service is also available and costs $15.5 per mail item, though registered mail items can only be posted at post office counters.

Moreover, you might wonder where to post your mail. In addition to post offices, post boxes are available nearly everywhere on the streets and in specific MTR stations. After the handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China in 1997, the local government replaced most of the colonial post boxes, bearing the crown of British monarchs, with the familiar rectangular post boxes we often see. However, you might occasionally spot some of these green, colonial post boxes still in use, despite their "old" appearance. If you're lucky enough to find one, make sure to take a picture beside it!

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