Member - Footloose replied:

There are paid services available, sorry can't remember their names but others here will.

Notso replied:

We have had a few different goes at this. Get one of the family or a friend to pick it up and cull out the trash. Then let thyem know where you will be in a week or so and get em to send it on.

Get Aus Post to hold it for you and Pay all your bills by automatic debit. If you're on a pension get centrelink to send you a text message when a letter is waiting for you on their web site.

Use a mail forwarding company. This is probably what we'll do next trip in conjunction with auto pay bills etc.

Peter_n_Margaret replied:

We don't get ANY mail on the road (except our new rego disc).
Who needs it?

We pay as many bills by auto debit as possible.
We have a trusted friend who opens ALL our mail, pays any bills and chucks it all into a box 'till we get home.
Evey so often we transfer money to her bank a/c via the internet.

If something unexpected and important pops up, they email us or call on the sat 'phone.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome

Member - Josh (VIC) replied:

A friend of ours collects it and then sends it to an address that we advise them of off. If it will be a while before we will get it they check if any bills need paying etc. As mentioned above there are companies who do this for a fee, I know there is one mob in QLD but can't remember their name. Apparently they started doing after being on the road and having hassles with friends forwarding mail. One tip when getting mail forwarded- Don't put in a new envelope with a new stamp, Just wrap it all together with tape and write the new address with please redirect and please hold- no stamp required. In two yrs we have only lost one lot of mail and our phones all still work so can't have been too important lol.

Josh

Member Boroma 604 replied:

Gooday,
We have a PO Box at local PO, (franchised,owner operated), have had one for about 15 years where ever we have lived.
Buy X-Press envelopes 3KG, usually 10 at a time, a bit cheaper, give enough to Postal people where our box is for time we expect to be away, approx 1 a week, with our name on them & return address detials on, give them to Postmaster.
Then we FAX them where we wish to receive mail, both have a copy in print, minimises mistakes, and they complete the addreess when fax arrives & "Bingo" it is usually where we ask for it, sometimes it waits for us. They keep it at a PO for 3 weeks before they send it back.
Costs us a couple of bottles of wine at Xmas for our friendly Postal People. Been doing it now for 9 years.

Cheers,Boroma604.

Member Boroma 604 replied:

Gooday,
We have a Post Box at our local PO (Franchised Owner Operators), have had a box for many years where ever we have resided.
We buy 3 Kg X-Press Post Satchels, buy 10 you get them a bit cheaper, fill in our name & return address etc on them. Then when we go away take as many as we think needed to PO, usually one for each week.
We then FAX the Postal Managers with the address we want it sent to, usually another PO, they will hold it for 3 weeks before sending it back. With Fax no dispute abput address we both have a hard copy. "Bingo" it is waiting for us, or some times it has to wait for us,
All it cost us is a couple of bottles of wine to the Frinedly staf at the PO at this time of the year.

heers,
Boroma604.

Willem replied:

Local Post Office keeps all our mail in a box for collection when we return.

We pay Power and Water up to date and advise authories we will be away for X-amount of time. They then put our account on hold and we advise them when we return.

We pay Phone and Satphone accounts while on the road at any Post Office with a dedicated telco card

Thats about it. Anything else can wait!


Cheers

Motherhen replied:

Dug, We are lucky than we have family at home who can handle our mail for us. Our daughter checks all mail, and emails a list of bills to be paid each month. She can handle other business mail herself. When i go on line, i set payments by due dates. Power, insurance and health cover (ancillary) is direct debit from credit card. Personal correspondence is mostly by email. This year we stayed at Kununurra for a few weeks, and during that time, she express posted any mail we needed, plus a few computer gizmos including a new modem as the one we had didn't work very well (thanks Telstra - 15 months before we got one that actually worked all the time).

Hint: If using either a mail service, Australia Post forwarding or family/friend, don't choose a big city. Parking with a caravan is usually difficult in the vicinity of a Post Office. Choose a nice small town where you can walk to the PO from anywhere, and it will be nice to stay in for a few days if you are ahead of schedule and have to wait for mail.

Motherhen

Motherhen replied:

Dug, We are lucky than we have family at home who can handle our mail for us. Our daughter checks all mail, and emails a list of bills to be paid each month. She can handle other business mail herself. When i go on line, i set payments by due dates. Power, insurance and health cover (ancillary) is direct debit from credit card. Personal correspondence is mostly by email. This year we stayed at Kununurra for a few weeks, and during that time, she express posted any mail we needed, plus a few computer gizmos including a new modem as the one we had didn't work very well (thanks Telstra - 15 months before we got one that actually worked all the time).

Hint: If using either a mail service, Australia Post forwarding or family/friend, don't choose a big city. Parking with a caravan is usually difficult in the vicinity of a Post Office. Choose a nice small town where you can walk to the PO from anywhere, and it will be nice to stay in for a few days if you are ahead of schedule and have to wait for mail.

Motherhen

D200Dug replied:

Thanks for the ideas hints and tips I am sure we will work something out from this.

Has anyone worked out a way to get their kids to pay the bills while they are away on the road ?

Our kids all earn more money than we do ;-)

Member - Matt & Caz H (QLD) replied:

Hi,
We have all our mail sent to one address they collect for us (before we left I purchased a 10 pack of the 3kg express post envelopes) they then post it on to us (at an address we advise) approx every 6-8 weeks.

I just bpay money off our mobile phone bills each month when I think they are due - then just make the adjustment either - or + when the actual bill comes in.

Cheers
Matt, Caz and kids