A message that catches up with them across the world
On departure day everyone promises to stay in touch. Six months later, nobody does. Write now, for that moment.
The right moment to write to someone who's left is when nobody else is writing to them. Capsüls go out every day at around 8am UTC: in Toronto, the message is waiting when they wake up, in Tokyo it arrives in the late afternoon. Below, how to time it around the rhythm of a move abroad, and three messages to borrow.
Departure day
Write at the airport. Delivered three months later, when the buzz wears off.
Homesickness
Schedule a message for month six. That's when it gets hard.
Before the big trip
Write yourself a letter before you leave. Read it when you're back.
Coming home
A message waiting for them the day they land.
When should the message arrive?
Between the third and sixth month, when the buzz wears off. In the first few weeks, everyone writes, comments on the photos, asks for news.
Then the messages thin out. That's normal.
That's when a note written on departure day lands: it shows someone saw the dip coming. Coming home is the other useful date. It rarely goes the way people expect, and a message waiting at home helps with the landing.
What if you don't know when they're coming back?
Aim for a date in between, not the return date. A sealed capsül can't be rescheduled: if the return gets pushed back, the message will still arrive on the planned day, perhaps halfway up a mountain.
Without buying anything, you can go up to 180 days ahead, which covers an exchange semester. A year on a working holiday visa needs the first pack, which covers twelve months.
For the really long distances, there's the Voyager Golden Record, still on its way. And this article explains why people care so much about writing to those who are far away.
What do you say to someone who's gone?
News from home, mostly. They're already getting plenty of encouragement. Three examples, of very different lengths.
Kieran, It's been three months. You've probably stopped sending photos of snow. Your bedroom is now where Mum dries the washing. Dad put your bike on eBay. I took it down when he wasn't looking. If you're feeling low, I think that's normal. Not that I'd know, I've never been further than Tenerife. Ring Mum on Sunday. She's pretending she isn't waiting. Megan
Last month. You promised you'd talk to the woman at the market instead of just pointing. You've got four weeks.
Jack, I'm writing the night before you go, while you try to fit six months of life into a 40-litre rucksack. You ended up leaving the second jumper behind. I bet you've regretted it. I don't know where you are. Peru, if you've stuck to the plan, which I doubt. Your mum checks the weather in every country you pass through. She won't tell you that. Dad
Common questions
What should you write to a friend who's moving abroad?
News from home rather than encouragement: what's happening on their old street, who's been asking after them. Timed for the third or sixth month, that sort of message lands just as the calls are thinning out. It tells them life is going on without them, and that people notice.
What time does a capsül arrive if you live abroad?
Capsül's emails go out once a day, at around 8am UTC. In New York it's still night; in Bangkok, it's mid-afternoon. The message simply waits in the inbox. The day before, a first email announces it, at the same time of day.
Should you aim for the day they come home?
Yes, if the date is certain. A sealed capsül won't move: if the return is put back, the message still goes out on the planned day. If the return is uncertain, write an end-of-stay message instead, worded so it still works a week either side of the real date.
Does Capsül work from any country?
Yes, as long as the recipient gets their emails. The message arrives with a link that opens in a browser, with no app to install and no account needed to read it. Just one precaution: use an address they actually check out there, not their old work one.