What to write on a postcard: 70 example lines for every kind of trip

There is something about a blank postcard that makes grown adults write “Weather nice. Food nice. Back Tuesday.” Then they sign it, post it and feel faintly ashamed for the rest of the holiday.

You can do better, and it isn’t hard. Below is a three-part formula that works every time, followed by 70 example lines grouped by who you’re writing to and where you are. Use them as they are, swap in your own details, or let them shake loose something better. They work on paper, in a message, or at the end of a postcard you can play.

A simple formula that always works

Every good postcard has the same three parts:

1. A place detail. One thing about where you are that a brochure wouldn’t mention. Not “the beach is beautiful” but “the beach has a sign telling you not to feed the seagulls, and the seagulls have clearly read it and don’t care”.
2. One small moment. Something that happened to you. Dad getting stuck in a deckchair. The best ice cream of your life. Getting lost on the way back from the loo.
3. Them. A line that makes it about the reader. “You’d have loved it.” “This is exactly your kind of pub.” “Your turn next year.”

Put together, that’s a postcard: “Greetings from Padstow. The harbour gulls are the size of Labradors. One took Tom’s pasty clean out of his hand and he hasn’t recovered. You’d have laughed for a week.”

Pro tip: Write the place detail first, while you’re looking at it. The moment and the line about them come easily once the first sentence is down.

Classic wish-you-were-here lines

The traditional postcard, done properly. Swap in your own place and details.

1. “Wish you were here. The view is wasted on us.”
2. “Sitting outside with a cup of tea, watching the boats and thinking of you.”
3. “Greetings from York, where we’ve walked the walls twice and eaten our body weight in cake.”
4. “The sea is freezing, the chips are perfect and the only thing missing is you.”
5. “We found a little café you would adore. I’ve saved you the table by the window.”
6. “Weather mixed, spirits high, sandwiches slightly sandy.”
7. “Having a lovely time, but it would be lovelier with you moaning about the walk.”
8. “Took the long way round today. Every corner looked like somewhere you’d want to paint.”

Funny postcard messages

For friends, siblings and anyone who would be suspicious of a sincere one.

9. “Visited a cathedral. Very big. Very old. Gift shop: five stars.”
10. “Weather update: yes.”
11. “Day three. The seagulls know my name. I don’t know theirs. This feels unfair.”
12. “Dear Father, I regret to report that the pier was longer than advertised. I remain, your loyal daughter.”
13. “Sent from Blackpool, where I have won a cuddly toy I didn’t want and lost a fiver I did.”
14. “Climbed a mountain. Well, a hill. Well, some stairs. It was steep, OK?”
15. “Having a wonderful time. Please don’t tell work how wonderful.”
16. “Searched Loch Ness all afternoon. Saw no monster. Did see Dad in his swimming shorts, which was worse.”

For grandparents and for kids

For grandparents

Grandparents love specifics, names and a nod to the past. Keep the writing large and the news concrete. Our guide to keeping in touch with grandparents has more ideas beyond the postcard.

17. “Dear Nan, the kids found a crab and named it after you. It was very elegant.”
18. “Went to the beach you used to take Mum to. The ice cream kiosk is still there.”
19. “Had fish and chips on the front. Tell Grandad they needed more vinegar. He’ll be thrilled to be right.”
20. “The little ones talk about you every day. Mostly about your biscuit tin.”
21. “Saw a garden centre and thought of you. Did not go in. Felt your disappointment from here.”
22. “Ate a scone in your honour. Jam first, as instructed.”
23. “Back on Sunday. Will ring you on Monday with all the gossip.”

For kids

Short sentences, a bit of silliness and something they can picture.

24. “I saw a dog wearing a raincoat. He looked very serious about it.”
25. “There is a shop here that only sells sweets. I was very brave and only bought some.”
26. “Guess what? A seagull stole a whole sandwich. The whole thing!”
27. “I climbed a really big hill. At the top it was so windy my hat went on its own holiday.”
28. “The sea was so cold my toes turned into ice lollies.”
29. “I’m bringing you back a shell. It might have a tiny crab in it. Be ready.”
30. “Can’t wait to see you. Practise your best hug.”

For the people closest to you

For a partner

Soppy is allowed here. So is mild teasing.

31. “Everything here is beautiful and none of it is as good as you.”
32. “I keep turning round to tell you things and you’re not there.”
33. “Found our next holiday. Packing your bag for you as we speak.”
34. “Walked past a couple arguing about a map and missed you terribly.”
35. “The bed’s too big and the tea’s too weak. Come home soon. I mean, I’ll come home soon.”
36. “Saw a sunset that looked like the one from our first trip. Still not as good, because you weren’t eating my chips.”
37. “Counting down the sleeps. Currently three. Currently far too many.”

For the friend who couldn’t come

The trickiest postcard: you want them to feel included, not rubbed in it.

38. “Raised a glass to you tonight. Then another one. You’d have been proud.”
39. “Your empty seat at dinner was so quiet. We had to do your jokes for you. Badly.”
40. “Gemma tried to do your karaoke song. Please come next time so this never happens again.”
41. “It’s not the same without you. It’s slightly tidier, but it’s not the same.”
42. “Saved you the worst photo of everyone. You’ll love it.”
43. “Next year, you’re coming even if we have to post you.”

From a work trip, a new home or uni

From a work trip

Less “wish you were here”, more “please rescue me from the conference buffet”.

44. “Greetings from a hotel room that looks exactly like every other hotel room. Missing you and our kettle.”
45. “Three days of meetings in Belfast. Escaped long enough to see the city. Totally worth it.”
46. “The conference coffee should be reported to someone. Home Friday.”
47. “Saw the sights. Well, the sight. It was the train station.”
48. “Work done, bag packed, quietly smuggling home some local shortbread for you.”

From a new home

For someone who has just moved, a postcard says “this is my life now” without a long phone call. If you’re writing the other way, from home to someone far away, see our guide to sending a postcard from home to someone abroad.

49. “Greetings from the new flat. Boxes: 34. Mugs found: 1.”
50. “The neighbours are lovely and the neighbour’s cat has adopted me. I didn’t get a vote.”
51. “Found the best bakery, the nearest park and the quickest way to the shop. I’m basically local.”
52. “View from my window: a tree, a bus stop and a man who walks his tortoise. I love it here.”
53. “There’s a spare room now. That’s not a hint. It’s a very big hint.”

From uni

Parents want proof of life. Grandparents want proof of vegetables.

54. “Greetings from St Andrews. Fresh air, old buildings, very cold sea. I’m fine. I’m eating.”
55. “Found the library. Mostly for the heating.”
56. “I’ve learned to cook three things. Two are pasta.”
57. “Made friends, joined a club, lost a key. Normal week.”
58. “Walked up so many hills this week that my legs have filed a complaint.”
59. “Miss your cooking, your washing machine and, of course, you. In that order. Joking. Mostly.”

Sign-offs

The last line is the one people remember. A few to choose from:

60. “Wish you were here.”
61. “See you soon, and I mean soon.”
62. “Love from all of us (the dog sends a lick).”
63. “Yours, sunburnt but happy.”
64. “Missing you more than the sun cream.”
65. “Back on Sunday, bearing fudge.”
66. “Lots of love, your favourite (don’t tell the others).”
67. “From the coast, with love.”
68. “Love, the one who still owes you a fiver.”
69. “Until next time, and there will be a next time.”
70. “Signed, sealed, sent from the sofa.”

What not to write

A few things that quietly ruin a postcard:

• The itinerary. “Monday we did the museum, Tuesday the castle, Wednesday…” Nobody wants a timetable. Pick one moment.
• The brag. “Infinity pool, 30 degrees, cocktails at noon” reads differently to someone at work in the rain. Make it about them, not your tan.
• The complaint. One funny grumble is charming. A full review of the delayed flight is not.
• Anything private. Paper postcards are read by everyone who handles them, and digital ones get shown around. If you wouldn’t want Gran reading it aloud, leave it out.
• Copy and paste. Sending the identical message to ten people is always spotted, usually by the person you most wanted to impress.
• “Sorry I haven’t written.” Don’t open with an apology. Just write.

Writing for a postcard you can play

If you’re sending a playable postcard rather than a photo, the writing changes a little. On become.games, Postcard is an occasion of its own, with its own Postcard look: vintage seaside-postcard art, pastel houses, bunting, generic far-off landmark silhouettes, chip-thieving seagulls and runaway suitcases to dodge, and stamps to collect. Our guide to sending a holiday postcard you can play covers the whole process, but the words go in like this:

1. Fill in “Where’s it from?” You get up to 24 characters, so “Llandudno” or “Nan’s kitchen” fits. Writing a postcard from Llandudno? The game is titled “Greetings from Llandudno”.
2. Read the pre-written jokes. The intro, the quips along the way and the game-over roasts come with a postcard and holiday flavour. Swap one or two for your in-jokes.
3. Write the message for the back. At the end, a vintage postcard flies in reading “Greetings from Llandudno” in big retro letters, with your message on the back, a stamp and your signature.

That postcard at the end is where your words land, so:

• Keep it to one or two short lines. It’s the punchline after the game, not a letter. The game has already set the scene and made them laugh.
• Don’t repeat the place. It’s already on the front in huge letters, so use the back for the moment or for them.
• Mention the real sights in your words. The landmarks in the game are generic cartoon ones, not the actual pier or castle, so if the castle matters, say so in the message.
• Save the in-jokes for the quips. The in-game lines are perfect for teasing (“Tom versus the pasty gull: round two”). The back of the postcard is for the warm bit.
• Read it on a phone. If it wraps onto lots of lines on a small screen, trim it.

Short messages that work well on the back:

• “Wish you were here. The seagulls didn’t.”
• “Saved you a seat on the bench.”
• “Next time, you’re coming. No excuses.”
• “You’d have loved it. Ring you Sunday.”

Lines 4, 32, 41 and 60 above all work too. For a postcard from the hills of the Brecon Beacons, try: “Climbed to the top. Thought of you all the way up.” The Postcard look suits most trips, but any look works with the occasion, so a snowy week might suit Winter and a festive break Christmas. The style is yours to choose too: a one-tap flappy flyer for the grandparents, or an endless runner along the seafront for the friend who plays everything on the bus. Making and publishing it is free, and it gets its own permanent link to share.

Your two-minute postcard routine

Next time you’re staring at a blank card or an empty message box:

1. Look up and pick one detail in front of you.
2. Write one small moment from today.
3. Add one line about them.
4. Choose a sign-off from the list above.
5. Read it back and cut anything that sounds like a newsletter.

That’s it. Two minutes, three sentences, and a postcard that sounds like you. For more ideas on what to send, not just what to say, try our digital postcard ideas, or browse our digital postcards pages for messages tailored to towns and cities across the UK.