A History of the Parcel: Day 3

It’s time to take a look at the 1970’s in our latest instalment of the history of the parcel. Whilst many more countries began to issue their fist ever set of stamps, there were some major changes in postal structure for many countries across the globe throughout this decade, including the USA and Canada.

Between 1971 and 1979, many countries issued their first stamps including Benin, Angola, Bangladesh, Belize, Tuvalu and the Gilbert Islands which became Kiribati in 1979 and consequently issued new stamps.

The United States passed the Postal Reorganisation Act in the 1970’s, subsequently privatising the postal service.Seven years later, the USA made express mail permanent, after they had trialed the new form of mail since 1970. In 1978, the USA started to copyright postage stamps and other philatelic items.

In 1971, the privatised United States Postal Service began operating courtesy of the Postal Reorganisation Act. In the same year, Canada introduced six-character post codes for the first time. Three years later, the US stopped using the highway post offices. Railroad post offices also came to an end in 1977.

If you need to send a parcel internationally to countries such as the United States or Canada, RAND Logistics can provide you with the international parcels service that you require.

 

 

 

A History of the Parcel: Day 2

Our history week continues today with specific focus on the 1960’s. We take a look at some of the groundbreaking events that occurred during this particular decade and highlight the significant changes that came in to effect worldwide.

1961 saw Cameroon issue it’s first stamps as an independent country, whilst the UK trust territory of Cameroon had issued its own stamps just a year before. Many other countries including Bhutan, Burundi, Kenya, Abu Dhabi, Ajman and the Independent Republic of Malta all had stamps introduced for the first time in the 60’s.

1963 welcomed the introduction of the ZIP code in the US, something that became essential for mail delivery and you will certainly need a ZIP code if you wish to send a parcel to the United States in the modern era as well.

In 1966, the United States decided to put an end to its postal saving system. Two years later they also introduced priority mail, which was a form of mail that became an integral part of the United States first class mail service.

If you need to send a parcel internationally, you should consider the excellent services that RAND Logistics can offer. Be sure to check back in the mean time for tomorrow’s instalment regarding the history of the parcel.

Spooky Places in the Philippines

You may be relieved to hear that we’ve reached the end of our blood-curdling week of spooky places around the world, and today we’re finishing off with a quick look at the Philippines. We like to give our posts an international flavour, so why not give your own post the international treatment and send your next international parcel with RAND for the best rates?

It may be the stuff of nightmares for some, but if you like your cities spooky, Baguio City is said to be haunted throughout. Cemeteries, hotels, the military academy and many other places throughout the city are said to be haunted, primarily by those who died as a result of the 1990 earthquake which brought many buildings to the ground, crushing those inside to death.

If you’ve always wanted to dance with the dead, it might be worth heading to Quezon City to the site of the old Ozone Disco which caught on fire in 1996. Nobody was able to get out, and the people inside unfortunately burnt to death. People living in the surrounding houses have alleged that they have heard faint disco music when none has been playing or come across dancing ghosts in the area.

Spooky Places in Portugal

Portugal isn’t a country that most of us would link with creepy characters and spine-chilling stories, but it has its own fair share of haunted places. If you have friends and family living in Portugal, it might be a good idea to send them a package filled with survival gear to fight off all the ghosts and ghouls lurking in the shadows…

Firstly, a bit of a royal haunting. The Beau-Séjour Palace, whose gardens are open to the public, is supposedly haunted by the Baron of Glória who was around in the 1800s. It has been said that the sound of bells ringing can sometimes be heard by visitors to the site, while employees based in the palace have experienced windows opening and being slammed shut and objects moving around and vanishing.

The next time you go to Portugal, be sure not to stay in room 108 of the Bela Vista Hotel in Portimao. The previous owner was said to have died in this room, and her ghost is thought to be the cause of the unexplained banging and wailing heard by guests in neighbouring rooms at night, suggesting her spirit may live on in her beloved hotel.

Famous Birthdays on 15th November

We have now reached the end of our week of famous birthdays, and today we will be looking at those big names in history who would have or will be celebrating their big days today on 15th November.

If you’re looking for historical figures, you’ll be spoilt for choice. On 15th November 1708, William Pitt thr Elder, the Whig British Prime Minister, was born, along with the Norwegian Prime Minister Christopher Hornsrud some years later in 1859. WWII Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was born in 1891 on the same day as W Averall Harriman, the American ambassador to the USSR.

Or, if you’re more interested in the arts, there have been some talented, creative critters celebrating their birthdays on this day over the years. Model, fashion designer and make up artist Jeffree Star will be celebrating today, along with French actresses Laura Smet, who will be turning 30, and Virginie Ledoyen, and French film director Francois Ozon.

Hopefully this week has reminded you to buy birthday presents for your friends and family overseas so that you have plenty of time to get them sent with RAND!

Famous Birthdays on 13th November

We’ve now reached the halfway point of our week of famous birthdays, and we hope that this is inspiring you to think about sending gifts to your friends and family who live overseas in the near future. We all love receiving birthday gifts, and with RAND you can expect fantastic rates on global parcel delivery and an extremely high level of service which will be much appreciated by the grateful recipient on their big day.

Firstly, Israeli rapper and producer Subliminal celebrates his 44th birthday today, and seemingly this is a very musical day for birthdays as we also send our best wishes to American jazz drummer Ari Hoenig, who hits the big 4-0 today, along with rockers Shom-Rock and T-Haxx, both of whom will be turning 41.

The acting world also sees some big names celebrating birthdays today, including Whoopi Goldberg who was born on 13th November 1955 and Indian actress Juhi Chawla. Or, if you prefer to think of yourself as sharing a birthday with a royal, King Edward III of England was born on 1312, or for an important name in Chinese history, this was also the birthday of Emperor Jiaqing.

Rememeber to use RAND’s parcel checker for the best rates for international parcel delivery!

Famous Birthdays on 12th November

Welcome to the second day of RAND’s birthday blog, dedicated to celebrating famous birthdays on this day as a tribute to all the birthday gifts sent around the world every day. Every day this week we will be posting about the biggest names in the fame world to be born on this day in history, whether that was 1,000 years ago or just last year.

Today we’re starting off with American R&B musician Omarion, who was born in 1984, meaning he’ll be 29 today. Some of the other big North American names to be celebrating birthdays today include film heartthrob Ryan Gosling, who hails from Canada, and actress Anne Hathaway from America. For competitive rates on parcels to Canada and parcels to the US, be sure to use RAND’s quote finder.

If you prefer science to the glittering world of Hollywood, perhaps you’ll be more impress by the UK’s very own John W Rayleigh who discovered argon and was born all the way back in 1841. Another British name you might recognise is Mariella Frostrup, who will be 51 today. Mariella was born in Norway, so if you have relatives overseas, remember to note down their birthdays so you can send them a gift.

Famous Birthdays on 11th November

Many of the parcels being couriered around the world every single day will be birthday gifts, which is why this week we our dedicating our blog to famous birthdays of people all around the world. If you have a friend or relative overseas who is celebrating a birthday soon, why not think about sending them a parcel with RAND?

Film fans with 11th November birthdays will be delighted to know that they share their birthday with the wonderful American actor Leonardo di Caprio. If you’re thinking of sending him a gift, you’d better get in quick before he gets inundated with presents! Another American star of the screen celebrating her birthday on this day is Calista Flockhart, so be sure to use our parcel quote finder to get a quote on all your birthday gifts to the US!

If we go way back in history, we find an emperor and an empress of the Roman empire born on 11th November in 995 and 1050: Gisela of Swabia and Henry IV of Kaiserpfalz. Or, if you prefer your historical figures a little more royal, how about King Sancho I of Portugal in 1154? If you’re sending a gift to Portugal, make sure it’s with RAND for the best rates!

Christmas Gift Inspiration: DAY #5

We are rounding off our week of gift ideas with what to get the person who has everything. We all have that one friend or relative who has been fortunate enough to find themselves in a position where they can buy everything they want. However, many of us still feel obliged to buy them something for Christmas. So, what do you do?

Theatre

Our tip is to go for an experience rather than a tangible object. While they could buy their own crockery set or scarf, they may not have thought to book tickets to an event you know they would love. Look for events in their city and buy them a couple of tickets to a concert or play they would enjoy, or check out an experience day website to select a rally driving experience, horse riding or a spa or anything else that looks fun.

If you can’t afford the entire experience, how about a gift voucher towards a meal at their favourite restaurant, a hotel gift voucher or a gift certificate towards travel, whether this goes towards plane tickets or train tickets if they enjoy weekends away.

A personalised gift may also go down well if you know their taste well, but opt for something classic such as a nice pen or something in leather.

If you are sending your gifts abroad, be sure to check the price of delivery with RAND’s parcel checker in advance.

Christmas Gift Inspiration: DAY #4

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… well, they’re probably not your true love, as today we’re thinking about your office Secret Santa. There is usually a strict spending limit on these, so we’ve split this post into sections for the most common budgets for this game.

£1: £1 might not seem like a lot of money, but the great thing is that you can get really creative. Get your craft head on and scour the house for odds and ends to make something Christmas-themed. Or, if you’re not the most creative person, head to the local pound shop. Here you will find chocolate, mini toiletry sets and novelty gifts.

£5: Here you get a little more leeway. You could get a small box of good quality chocolate, a half price bottle of wine, some nice stationery or even a little gift set for this price. Or how about a couple of miniatures of their favourite spirit?

£10: The higher the spending limit for Secret Santa for people you don’t know well, the trickier it gets to buy something good. With the extra leeway, you need to come up with something great. For this price limit, we say play it safe and go for a bottle of nice wine or a little food selection. Anything too personal is a minefield, and a novelty gift will make them feel cheated out of a good gift at this price.

Remember to use RAND’s parcel quote tool before you send your gifts this Christmas!