Penpaling is where you meet people either online or in person and send letters to each other because you live very far apart (usually in different countries). This can be an educational experience and an excellent way to meet friends. Still, it also can take a wrong turn if you’re not careful.
Having a “pen pal” lets you learn about different cultures and get an up-close perspective on life in a foreign country or state. You and your pen pal can exchange stories about what school is like, your hobbies, common foods where you live, and just about anything you want! Doing this, especially as a young person, can build empathy, mindfulness, and even more geography knowledge.
However, there’s a significant danger that comes with this. Many people who penpal are young and can quickly accept giving out their address without thinking. Someone may lie and claim to be in a different area than you to gain your trust and home location, potentially asking someone to meet up with them unsafely.
A great way to avoid that is using a penpal website or a PO box. PO boxes allow people to send mail to an area near or in your city but not to your house. To be fair, they are pricey, so a cheaper alternative is the website “penpal.me” which doesn’t share your address with your pen pals and ships out your cards for you. You can build a profile and put on filters (age range, country, hobbies) to find a perfect pal for you.
