Having a penpal was once a very popular hobby. You could send mail to anyone in the world and look forward to receiving a reply weeks later. However, with the Internet allowing us to communicate with anyone, anywhere, with just the click of a button, penpals have fallen out of fashion.

With the New Year upon us, maybe now would be a good time to give it a go? While chatting online is simpler and cheaper, it is somewhat impersonal when faced with a screen of black and white text. Writing by hand takes more effort, mistakes cannot be deleted with the quick tap of a key and each character has its own subtle differences. You can also include little gifts with a letter – coins, confectionery or other little tokens.

It is quite easy to find penpals nowadays too – the same thing killing off the pastime can also bring people together. There are various websites dedicated to matching penpals with one another, with the ability to choose based on country, interests or more. It also means that you can communicate in between letters to keep your penpal updated on when they can expect a new package or to let them know if you have been delayed in responding – although some may argue this spoils the concept a little!