The Paperless Nomad
Posted By Tynan
Elai asked yesterday about how we stay paperless.
As much as we’re promised the paperless office, the fact is that lots of people still send mail. Some insist on receiving things as faxes. That doesn’t mean that WE need to use paper, but it does mean that we need to figure out a way to get it virtualized.
The first step is to get a mail account at Earth Class Mail. These guys are one of a kind, and are totally amazing. I used them when I was living in my RV as well.
They accept your mail AND packages, and will allow you to decide what happens to it. The’ll scan it, shred it, recycle it, forward it to you (physically) or even archive it for you. Chances are that’s more actions than you actually take with your mail now. Their service is totally awesome.
We both use tablet PCs, so we can receive a form in the mail, write on it using the tablet PC, and then send it off without ever having printed it out.
How do we send it off?
One tip is to ask if they’ll accept an e-mailed PDF. Photoshop and the new version of Word (which is otherwise terrible, btw) can both output PDF file that you can e-mail.
Once in a while they won’t accept PDFs. This usually happens with bigger companies who have lots of red tape and rules (although you might be surprised).
If you need to fax something, I recommend FaxItNice and Fax1. I’ve used FaxItNice many times before, but today I gave Fax1 a whirl and liked it a lot. Both of them offer free faxes to try them out, so give them both a shot.
One really good tip for those of you who don’t have tablet PCs is to scan your license, credit card, and your signature. That’s pretty much all people ever require that can’t just be typed. In a pinch you can use a digital camera to “scan” a document. I’ve done that a few times.
Todd also wrote an excelsior post on how to get phone service everywhere, so I won’t get into all that.
The ONE issue I haven’t totally solved yet is how to get checks deposited while I’m gone. USAA.com offers a service for this, but I can’t become a member because I’m not in Army. Earth Class Mail will offer the service eventually… until then I’m having checks sent to my parents’ house and they’re bringing them to the bank for me.
That picture on top is a picture of me writing this article. One of the most important tools for me is a nice couch or bed that I can lie down on while I work.
 Stumble it! |
12 Comments, Comment or Ping
Alex Shalman
That’s awesome. I just ran across earth class mail yesterday, and thought it was a great idea. They have a very secure method of letting people open your mail. Soon you will even be able to watch recorded videos of the people opening your mail.
Things are becoming more and more simple.
Jan 30th, 2008
Magnus
Excelsior!!!
It’s true, parents make an excellent cheque-cashing service.
Jan 30th, 2008
dom
You should be able to mail checks to be deposited to the branch of the bank where you opened your account, give them a call. When I worked at a bank about 10 years ago we’d get several deposits by mail a day.
Jan 30th, 2008
elai
Bah, they don’t have canadian addresses
and I can’t find any canadian equivalent service. Yet another cool product/service that is USA only :(. (The only 2 things I envy about the USA, shopping and more cooler niche services like earth class mail & the iPhone) I kind of doubt canadian banks & such would mail to US addresses.
Feb 1st, 2008
Adam
http://www.efax.com gives you a free fax number as well. when you receive a fax it just comes into your email inbox. although, if you want to send faxes, you have to pay.
Feb 7th, 2008
DaveB
Regarding checks, a story in 2007-2-7 New York Times says that:
“Fiserv, the big transaction services company, has announced new software that will enable banks to let home users deposit checks by scanning them. It already has a similar service for small and medium businesses. USAA, the financial services company that serves the military, has offered deposits through scanners for two years, but the idea has not yet caught on.”
link: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/scanning-your-money-to-the-bank/?ref=technology
So, your one address scanning-mail service should be capable of doing the check receiving & scanning/depositing also.
Tynan & Todd - Thanks for your fearless reporting form the cutting edge of nomadic life! DaveB
Feb 10th, 2008
James Robey
I contacted CheckFree (which is behind the Fiserv scanned check depositing service). However, they told me that they do not currently offer the service and they are re-evaluating offering it. Bummer.
However, I did not know that I could have other people deposit checks for me, or send it directly to the bank. I will try that instead.
Mar 22nd, 2008
digitalnomad
What do you do about auto insurance? I have never been able to figure this one out, if you are on the road and do not have a regular job and no permanent address.
Respond by email if you can, bit I also will check back here for comments.
Thanks
Mar 26th, 2008
admin
We don’t have cars so we don’t need it. You can buy it when you rent a car, or you can live dangerously like us and waive it.
Tynan
Mar 27th, 2008
digitalnomad
I understand. What about when you had your RV? I don’t have a permanent residence.
Also, I was trying to find out how you guys make a living on the road, but cannot find any posts on the blog.
When you go to Hong Kong be sure to make a day trip to Macau.
Thanks
Mar 27th, 2008
Digitalnomad
Here are links for some similar services. I have not used the mail drop, but the fax services are free. OneBox.com is good, too.
International Mail Forwarding:
Panamail.net
Fax send:
FaxZero.com
FreeFax.com
Fax receive:
K7.net
jConnect.com
Mar 27th, 2008
Sprock
Hey Tynan,
I love your website and the level of authenticity with which you write. Thank you. Your sites and the recommendations on travel gear have been extraordinary.
I do however want to WARN people about EARTHCLASSMAIL. Upon reading your blog and doing some of my own research, I thought Earthclassmail sounded like a legit great alternative to having my mail sent to my friend or mom. So I signed up and went off to Fiji for 3 months.
One day when looking at my bank statement online, I realize that someone in Oregon had been charging groceries and gas to my credit card. I immediately contacted Earthclass and sure enough my credit card had been stolen from an employee and the card was not archived as I had instructed.
Needless to say, this was a major pain in the ass. And a double major pain in the ass handling it from overseas.
In another incident, they also lost over $700 in checks when the package I sent to my power of attorney was lost by their mail provider, DHL.
Being an entreprenuer, I am very careful not to trash someone else’s hard work and ideas. But, when a company is not of integrity and unlawful, I also feel it is my responsibility to let people know so they can make an informed choice.
My recommendation (and a strong hint without actually saying from the local authorities when I filed my police report) is to STAY AWAY FROM EARTHCLASSMAIL.
Please let your readers know.
Thanks, Tynan. I’m glad you are back and look forward to meeting and you the Art of Charm crew someday soon.
Sprock
Sep 12th, 2008
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