Letters From Afar

What's in the box: Each envelope holds an illustrated double-sided letter from the explorer, plus a field notes sheet of doodles and facts with a vintage-style map printed on the back.

Letters From Afar is a monthly mail subscription built around an ongoing story: a fictional explorer traveling the world and writing home. Each letter comes in a red and blue striped airmail envelope. Inside is an illustrated, double-sided letter and a sheet of field notes with doodles and fun facts. On the back of the field notes is a custom vintage-style map. Topics cover cultures, food, wildlife, landmarks, ruins and festivals, so each issue works as a light geography and culture lesson rather than a craft kit or a box of collectibles. The company says it has been running for about eight years and mails to every US state and more than 40 countries. You can choose a monthly, six month or annual plan, and the first letter starts at $8. A portion of sales goes to Pencils of Promise, a charity that builds schools. The appeal is simple and screen free: something real to open, read aloud and pin up. The limits are just as clear. You get paper, not objects, so anyone expecting a box of goodies will find it slim. The site also does not say what age group the writing is aimed at. Because it is a continuing story, it rewards sticking with it for several months rather than buying once.