Pen Pals are an amazing way to meet people from around the world whom you may not have contact with otherwise. "But how do I find Pen Pals without spending tons of money on pen pal matching services?" you might ask. I've been pen palling for years and thought I'd share some tips for finding the right pen pal for you.

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Before you do anything else, I strongly suggest you invest in a post office box. I say this because you'll essentially be giving your address out to strangers. Granted, you might become amazing friends with your pen pals but since you don't really know the people you'll be in contact with at first, it might be best to err on the side of safety. PO boxes very in price depending on the size of the box and where you live. Get the cheapest/smallest box available. If you end up getting more mail than will fit in your box, the post office workers will hold your mail behind the counter.
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Step 2

After you have your PO Box set up, you can start your pen pal search at one of the many Livejournal communities and other pen pal communities on the internet. There are many free sites for pen pals on the internet; many require you sign up for an account first. See the links below for some ideas.
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Step 3

Once you have some pen pals, you may find that you're interested in meeting even more pen pals. A way to do this would be to get involved with friendship books, or FBs. FBs are small booklets that are passed from one person to another. Each person "signs" the FB by entering their name, address and possibly some interests. The idea is that each person who signs the FB is looking for more pen pals and that the FB will reach people who maybe don't have access to a computer and/or the communities you are part of. Ask the pen pals you already found if they are interested in this.