EP #168 - NOW PLAYING Feb. 19, 2025: Jonny Beardmore’s Epic 🚶🏻‍♂️ 32,000-Mile Postcard ✉️ Delivery Mission
Feb. 19, 2025

Jonny Beardmore’s Epic 32,000-Mile Postcard Delivery Mission

Jonny Beardmore’s Epic 32,000-Mile Postcard Delivery Mission

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Imagine traveling 32,000 miles just to deliver 50 postcards! Meet Jonny Beardmore, a modern-day adventurer inspired by a 200-year-old tradition.  

1.      The Galápagos Islands: Post Office [Whalesite Org]

2.     Galápagos Postman Challenge [Wikipedia]

3.     INTERVIEW: The Galapagos Postman Jonny Beardmore [Bailey & Johnny Podcast]


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⏱️ 11 min read             

Imagine traveling 32,000 miles just to deliver 50 postcards! Meet Jonny Beardmore, a modern-day adventurer inspired by a 200-year-old tradition. He’s had many incredible journeys, with his next stop: Iceland. 

Welcome to That's Life, I Swear.  This podcast is about life's happenings in this world that conjure up such words as intriguing, frightening, life-changing, inspiring, and more. I'm Rick Barron your host. 

That said, here's the rest of this story  

Meet Jonny Beardmore, an outgoing type of guy, where his home is in London, England. Jonny has taken an unconventional approach to expanding his social circle. Allow me to explain.

Starting in 2024, he set out on a global adventure spanning all seven continents, armed with nothing more than a carry-on bag and 50 postcards, that he would deliver in person. 

His mission? To personally deliver each card to its intended recipient over the course of 12 months. Jonny started this amazing expedition on March 1, 2024.

During his journey he has had a lot of fun traveling to various parts of the world, one being in Belize, where he was tasked with handing over a love letter from Denise to Steve. In an ironic twist, the couple had parted ways before Beardmore's arrival.

Despite the breakup, Beardmore recalls, "We ended up having a fantastic time together," referring to the afternoon and evening he spent with the former couple, who've managed to maintain a good friendship.

So, how exactly did Jonny Beardmore, who works as a consultant by the way, come up with this wild idea? 

The inspiration from a centuries-old tradition in the Galápagos Islands. Dating back 200 years, sailors on extended voyages would deposit letters in a makeshift "post office" - essentially a wooden barrel - hoping that passing ships might collect and deliver them to their loved ones. 


Jonny Beardmore on his many adventures delivering postcards. Courtesy of Jonny Beardmore's Instagram account

The Post Office Bay, as it’s called, is located on Charles Island, in the Galápagos Archipelago. This “post office,” is nothing more than a barrel nailed to a post, was doing an active business as far back at as 1794, when the Congress of the United States passed the first laws for the management of the postal service, and even though times have changed with unbelievable rapidity and its services are no longer necessary, would you believe it is still functioning.

Today, this practice has evolved into a whimsical custom, with visitors leaving postcards and wondering if they'll ever reach their destinations.

Beardmore has embraced the role of a modern-day messenger, though his journey is far from easy. He’s faced numerous obstacles: 

·       gated communities with high security 

·       cryptic addresses like "Six miles north" of a post office

·       language barriers 

·       suspicious locals 

·       barbed wire fences 

·       even aggressive dogs, but of course

Yet, he persevered, returning multiple times if necessary to complete a delivery.

His global journey has already covered an impressive 32,000 miles, with about 20 postcards successfully delivered across the Americas. Beardmore's itinerary now points towards Iceland, followed by stops in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He aims to conclude his year-long odyssey back in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2025.

Taking on this monumental task of delivering these postcards, Jonny had a deeper purpose.

His journey around the world is to honor the memory of Beardmore's father, Eric, who succumbed to Motor Neuron Disease (a category that includes ALS) in 2022. The condition often robs individuals of their ability to walk and talk, leading to profound isolation.

Jonny stated, and I quote:  "My goal is to highlight the everyday abilities that many of us take for granted, but which are gradually lost to those with this disease." End quote. In addition to raising awareness, he's also collecting donations to fund further research into the condition.

Beardmore's mission extends beyond mere deliveries; it's about fostering human connections and bridging distances between loved ones. He fondly recalls an evening spent on a Tennessee porch with newfound friends as one of his journey's highlights. Another memorable moment was when he united a mother in Mexico with a heartfelt message from her globetrotting son in Finland, expressing gratitude for her lifelong support.

At 51, this New Zealand-born adventurer approaches his self-funded expedition with meticulous planning. He maintains a detailed spreadsheet tracking his travel distances across various modes of transport - planes, trains, buses, and boats - and leverages frequent-flier points to manage costs. His journey, dubbed the Galápagos Postman Challenge, is visually documented on an interactive map created by a friend and shared on Instagram.

Throughout his travels, Beardmore has successfully hand-delivered all but one postcard. The lone exception occurred in Mendoza, Argentina; where a formidable canine guard and barbed wire fortifications forced him to resort to a mail slot delivery. This minor setback, however, hasn't dampened his enthusiasm for the project or its potential to reconnect people across vast distances.

Let me give you another example of Jonny’s trips. On a June evening in Nashville, Lauren Moon was enjoying time with friends at a local brewery when an unexpected situation unfolded. Her husband received a puzzling text from their neighbor, mentioning a New Zealander who had arrived looking for them, intent on delivering a postcard.

"I was completely baffled," Lauren recounts. Initially skeptical, the couple suspected it might be a signature-gathering campaign or a sales pitch, so they decided to extend their outing. However, their neighbor persisted, sending another message urging them to return home as the mysterious visitor showed no signs of leaving.

Upon arriving at their residence, they were greeted by an unusual scene: Beardmore was waiting, accompanied by a local television reporter. Lauren remembers her bewildered reaction: "My first thought was, 'Have we won some sort of contest?' Meanwhile, my husband was concerned, wondering, 'Are we in some kind of trouble?'"

The mystery was soon resolved when Beardmore presented them with a postcard. It had been placed in the Galápagos mailbox months earlier by Lauren's parents, Joe and Cindy. The card featured an image of a blue-footed booby, a bird they thought would captivate their grandson, Milo's, imagination.

The unexpected delivery sparked a spontaneous gathering at the Moon residence, with Beardmore and the helpful neighbors joining in. Lauren notes that this encounter fulfilled Beardmore's goal of fostering connections, as they bonded with neighbors, they had previously known only in passing. Beardmore's journey then took him to Atlanta, where he met Lauren's parents. Joe Moon admits, "To be honest, we'd almost forgotten about the postcard. We never really expected it to be delivered."

Meanwhile, in Belize, another story unfolded. Denise Del Monte, who had visited the Galápagos Islands earlier that year, had left a heartfelt message for her then-boyfriend, Steve Lane. She recollects penning the words, "No matter what happens, I will always love you."

Months later, Beardmore arrived in Belize, inquiring about "Tie-Dyed Steve," Lane's local nickname due to his vibrant wardrobe. Upon meeting, Lane informed Beardmore of his and Del Monte's breakup, but suggested a lunch meeting the following day, as they remained on friendly terms.

Reflecting on this bittersweet delivery, Beardmore shared on Instagram: "While it may not be the fairy-tale ending, we'd hoped for, the postcard has rekindled their communication - a victory in my book."

Despite the unexpected turn of events, Del Monte stands by her written words. "The sentiment isn't entirely inaccurate," she muses, expressing no regrets about her message.

Some of the postcards Beardmore delivered contain unspoken sentiments, finally finding expression. One such story involves Alex Marquez from Mexico City, who spent a quarter of a year in the Galápagos Islands on a conservation volunteer program. When her mother suffered a hip fracture, Marquez considered cutting her trip short. However, her mother, supported by other family members, encouraged her to continue her work.

"She kept insisting, 'Don't return early. This is your lifelong aspiration. You're engaged in work you're passionate about and believe in,'" Marquez recounts. Moved by her mother's selflessness, Marquez decided to pen a postcard, expressing gratitude she had never verbalized before. "I wrote about how thankful I was that she had persuaded me to stay and continue pursuing my dream," she explains. Depositing the card in the barrel mailbox, Marquez described it as an "act of faith" in its eventual delivery.

Months later, that faith was rewarded when Beardmore appeared at their apartment building, accompanied by a friend acting as an interpreter. Upon receiving the long-awaited postcard, Marquez and her mother welcomed the travelers into their home. They shared mescal and offered a local delicacy - dried crickets. What followed was a two-hour conversation, bridging cultures and celebrating the power of unspoken appreciation finally finding its voice.

What can we learn from this story? What's the takeaway?

For Jonny his goal was to highlight the everyday abilities that many of us take for granted, but which are gradually lost to those may come down with a disease; thus, cutting one’s life short.

I think he not only did this journey to honor the memory of his father, but to tell us that you should never have regrets for what you were afraid to attempt, but then told yourself you can’t.

Jonny’s story says, yes, you can. 

To those visitors who continue to drop their postcards to barrel nailed to a post on Charles Island, in the Galápagos Archipelago; and wondering if they'll ever reach their destinations? Well, maybe they may meet Jonny Beardmore, one day.

Well, there you go, my friends; that's life, I swear

For further information regarding the material covered in this episode, I invite you to visit my website, which you can find on Apple Podcasts/iTunes for show notes and the episode transcript.

As always, I thank you for the privilege of you listening and your interest. 

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