Comparing Travel Mail Clubs For Kids
As people become more disillusioned with tech everything, there’s been a big movement to bring back tangible goods and experiences, which has led to an explosion of snail mail clubs for both kids and adults. With so much to choose from, we thought we’d write a comparison of just travel themed mail clubs for kids to help folks figure out which club would be the best fit for their family or another special child in their life. We just started a mail club ourselves focused on our real travels and outdoor adventures, which you can check out below along with many other travel mail clubs!
Wandering Woods Adventure Mail Club
Best for: Families looking for real stories about travel and outdoorsy adventures from a real family
Cost: $11/month or $120/year
What arrives: A letter plus handcrafted goodies such as custom stickers, travel photos, mementos, simple games and activities, and hand drawn illustrations to bring each trip to life
Strengths: Real stories from a real family that teach kids about travel and nature, fun for adults too!
Keep in mind: No international shipping currently
Working on a sketch for the Wandering Woods Adventure Mail Club
Example of fun extras that get sent each month with a letter from the Wandering Woods
Real travel photographs and custom stickers from the Wandering Woods
Letters From Afar
Club: Letters From Afar
Best for: Simple, beautiful travel letters
Cost: $8/month or $72 yearly
What arrives: One monthly letter from “Isabelle” about a world destination. Includes illustrated field notes and a map.
Strengths: Cheapest polished option, very “real mail” feeling, low parent prep
Things to keep in mind: Mostly a letter, not a full activity kit
Example of what the letter, field notes, and map look like from Letters From Afar. Photo credit: Letters From Afar
Photo credit: Letters From Afar
Future Explorers Club
Club: Future Explorers Club
Best for: Letter + small activities
Cost: $8/month
What arrives: Illustrated letter, craft card, recipe card, map, fun-facts card, activity sheet
Strengths: Low cost, mails worldwide
Things to keep in mind: UK-based so currency/shipping may matter for families outside the UK
Photo credit: Future Explorers Club
Polar Pen Pal
Club: Polar Pen Pal
Best for: Families who want real stories and a pen pal experience
Cost: $54 for 6 months or $34 for 3 months
What arrives: A monthly letter with stickers, pretend boarding passes, postcard, and a video link for a detailed look at Arctic life in Iqaluit
Strengths: Your child can send mail back to the family who founded Polar Pen Pal with questions about their life in the Arctic that they respond to via email
Keep in mind: Not a mail club about world travel but rather, one specific place in the world
A mail delivery from Polar Pen Pals. Photo credit: Polar Pen Pals
The Adventure Letters
Club: The Adventure Letters
Best for: U.S. geography, twice-monthly mail
Cost: $12.99/month or $150/year
What arrives: Two personalized letters/month with stories, activities, surprises
Strengths: Good for homeschool geography, more mail than most clubs
Keep in mind: U.S. centric; site says no international shipping currently
Example of what you get in a letter from The Adventure Letters. Photo credit: The Adventure Letters
Letters From Matro
Club: Letters from Matro
Best for: Budget travel-letter subscription
Cost: $11/month or $82/year
What arrives: A personal travel letter written by Matro during his travels around the world
Strengths: Worldwide shipping listed as free
Keep in mind: Less kid-specific than most other mail clubs for children, doesn’t look like there are extra goodies aside from a small photograph
Photo credit: Letters From Matro
Little Passports
Club: Little Passports
Best for: Kids who want to do lots of activities and don’t care whether or not they get a letter
Cost: Starts at $25/month
What arrives: Map/passport-style kit, stickers, activities, souvenirs/projects
Strengths: Good for hands on activities
Keep in mind: More like a subscription box than intimate snail mail and quite a bit more expensive than other mail clubs
What a delivery from Little Passports looks like. Photo credit: Little Passports
Photo credit: Little Passports
Womple Studios
Club: Womple Studios
Best for: Hands-on activity box to teach kids about the world
Cost: $30/month or $299 for a year
What arrives: Storytelling, geography, STEAM activities, country materials
Strengths: Strong educational design
Keep in mind: More box than letter and higher cost; geared for kids ages 6-11
Photo credit: Womple Studios
Photo credit: Womple Box
Backpack the World
Club: Backpack the World
Best for: Older kids / homeschool depth
Cost: $35.95/month or $28.41 if you prepay for a full year
What arrives: Newsletter, guide letter, map, language, currency, craft, recipe, virtual tours
Strengths: Rigorous design for ages 9–15
Keep in mind: Expensive and less magical/personal for younger kids
Photo credit: Backpack the World
Photo credit: Backpack the World
Miss Maya Travels
Club: Miss Maya Travels
Best for: Kids who want to learn about destinations in the US
Cost: $13.99 to $19.99 depending on whether you choose the letter or explorers bundle
What arrives: A letter from Miss Maya (a pretend traveling mouse) each month, postcard keepsake, craft or activity, family-friendly recipe, stickers, and a mini passport booklet with the first delivery
Strengths: Get lots of things in each mailing
Keep in mind: Letters are just about different US cities, not international destinations; only ships within the US at this time; can’t find any photographs of what you actually get
What you get with a Miss Maya Travels subscription
Explore By Mail
Club: Explore By Mail
Best for: Families looking for something educational; kids interested in geography
Cost: $120 for 6 month subscription or $240 for an annual subscription
What arrives: Letters, recipe, simple activity, videos that go along with each month highlighting cultural events and places
Strengths: More focus on culture than some kid mail travel clubs
Keep in mind: Expensive and less magical for younger kids, website states that their subscription takes you through 12 countries, so it sounds like the most you could do is a 1 year subscription
Example of Explore By Mail’s month on India. Photo credit: Explore By Mail
Writings From the Wild
Club: Writings From the Wild
Best for: Kids who love animals
Cost: $7-$10 for basic and premium letter packages or $77-$110 for yearly subscriptions of the same
What arrives: The basic package contains a letter about an animal from somewhere around the world, distribution map, collector card, and access to downloadable activity sheets
Strengths: Can choose from different plans to accommodate different budgets
Keep in mind: Letters are about animals from around the world, not countries or travel experiences
Photo credit: Writings From the Wild
Comparison Chart
And here’s all that info summarized in a chart for those who just want to take a quick glance!
| Club | Best for | Approximate cost | What arrives | Strengths | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wandering Woods Adventure Mail Club | Families looking for real stories about travel and outdoorsy adventures from a real family | $11/month or $120/year | A letter plus handcrafted goodies such as custom stickers, travel photos, mementos, simple games and activities, and hand-drawn illustrations | Real stories from a real family that teach kids about travel and nature; fun for adults too | No international shipping currently |
| Letters From Afar | Simple, beautiful travel letters | $8/month or $72/year | One monthly letter from “Isabelle” about a world destination, with illustrated field notes and a map | Cheapest polished option; very “real mail” feeling; low parent prep | Mostly a letter, not a full activity kit |
| Future Explorers Club | Letter plus small activities | $8/month | Illustrated letter, craft card, recipe card, map, fun-facts card, and activity sheet | Low cost; mails worldwide | UK-based, so currency/shipping may matter for families outside the UK |
| Polar Pen Pal | Families who want real stories and a pen pal experience | $54 for 6 months or $34 for 3 months | Monthly letter with stickers, pretend boarding passes, postcard, and video link about Arctic life in Iqaluit | Kids can send questions back to the family who founded Polar Pen Pal and get responses by email | Focuses on one specific place rather than world travel |
| The Adventure Letters | U.S. geography and twice-monthly mail | $12.99/month or $150/year | Two personalized letters per month with stories, activities, and surprises | Good for homeschool geography; more mail than most clubs | U.S.-centric; no international shipping currently |
| Letters From Matro | Budget travel-letter subscription | $11/month or $82/year | A personal travel letter written by Matro during travels around the world | Worldwide shipping listed as free | Less kid-specific than most other children’s mail clubs; does not appear to include many extras aside from a small photograph |
| Little Passports | Kids who want lots of activities and do not need a letter-based experience | Starts at $25/month | Map/passport-style kit, stickers, activities, souvenirs, and projects | Good for hands-on activities | More like a subscription box than intimate snail mail; more expensive than many mail clubs |
| Womple Studios | Hands-on activity box to teach kids about the world | $30/month or $299/year | Storytelling, geography, STEAM activities, and country materials | Strong educational design | More box than letter; higher cost; geared toward ages 6–11 |
| Backpack the World | Older kids or homeschool depth | $35.95/month or $28.41/month if prepaid annually | Newsletter, guide letter, map, language, currency, craft, recipe, and virtual tours | Rigorous design for ages 9–15 | Expensive; may feel less magical or personal for younger kids |
| Miss Maya Travels | Kids who want to learn about U.S. destinations | $13.99–$19.99/month depending on letter or explorers bundle | Letter from Miss Maya, postcard keepsake, craft or activity, family-friendly recipe, stickers, and mini passport booklet with first delivery | Lots included in each mailing | Letters are about different U.S. cities, not international destinations; only ships within the U.S.; article notes difficulty finding photos of the actual mailing |
| Explore By Mail | Families looking for something educational; kids interested in geography | $120 for 6 months or $240/year | Letters, recipe, simple activity, and videos highlighting cultural events and places | More cultural focus than some kids’ travel mail clubs | Expensive and may feel less magical for younger kids; appears limited to a 12-country, one-year subscription |
| Writings From the Wild | Kids who love animals | $7–$10/month for basic and premium letter packages or $77–$110/year | Basic package includes a letter about an animal from somewhere around the world, distribution map, collector card, and access to downloadable activity sheets | Different plans available for different budgets | Letters are about animals from around the world, not countries or travel experiences |
Is there a kids’ travel mail club you love that’s not on this list? Leave us a comment! We and our readers would love to hear about it and potentially add it to our comparison :)