Outposts of the World

Some postcards journey from places few have seen—remote stations, isolated islands, or the farthest reaches of the world. These cards are more than souvenirs; they are traces of human presence at the edges of geography, glimpses of life where most maps fade into blankness.

Photo of sunset looking out over Mt Erebus from Castle rock.

Postmarked May 05, 2025, with the message “Greetings from antartica! The sun set here on april 24 and rises again in the middle of a snowstorm but today will be warm at -5 F. Can you believe there are active volcanoes here? Mt. Erebus is always smoking and even erupts tiny amounts of gold! Best wishes, N”

Sent by a fellow Redditor stationed at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. This postcard is likely the one that has traveled the farthest — from one of the most extraordinary and remote places on Earth. The sender had offered to mail a limited number of postcards to anyone interested, and I was fortunate enough to secure a spot. In return, I sent him a postcard from Maryland, USA, creating a small but meaningful exchange — two postcards crossing continents and oceans, connecting two strangers at opposite ends of the world.