Dealing with Mail when You're Out of Town

Handling mail when you're out of town if you live in an apartment is a pretty simple thing.  But if you don't want to come home to an overflowing mailbox because you're going on a business trip, on vacation or maybe even going back to live with your parents for a while during the summer, you'll need to make some arrangements for your mail delivery.  About.com shares the options open to an apartment dweller. If you are close to those who live around you, a simple option might be to ask a neighbor to check your mail while you're gone.

A neighbor can easily check your mail because they'll be going to the mailbox anyway to get their own mail.  This is also a great option if you want to know if anything important arrives while you're away.  You can have your neighbor call or email you if a particular package or mailing you are expecting arrives.  Make sure you trust the person you ask to do this for you because they will have access to anything you receive in the mail.

You can also have the local post office hold your mail.  If you're going to be gone for a while, but you don't need to know what mail you are receiving while you're away, this may be the best choice for you.  You can have the post office hold your mail by either going to your local branch or by visiting the United States Postal Service's website.  If you need to actually receive your mail while you're out of town, you should contact your local branch and ask them to forward your mail to your temporary location while you're away.

Finally, if you are only going to be gone for a short trip, it might be best to simply do nothing.  A trip that takes you away for just a few days, particularly one that spans a Sunday or postal holiday, should not be long enough to fill your mailbox with mail.