I like the idea of the monuments. I already have an idea of what I would photograph. Since I live in the same country as she, I would take a picture of a particular known building in the city skyline.

The $40 isn't a concern for me either, but might be out of range of the younger fans; We have a few that may not be of working age and may not have the money or could be working stiffs and still not have the money. Of course, they might be lucky enough to not have to send it as far and thus, would not spend much. Once we know where it will go, we'll be able to figure how much it would cost and may be able to split the cost somehow. Nonetheless, I'll be putting away a little extra in case anyone needs it.

Out of the few who have posted here, I have the address of only one person other than myself. If you want to sign, I'll need you to send your address to summercard09@gmail.com

As much as I like the idea, it's really not economical, plus you run the risk of it getting damaged or lost in the postal system, imagine how you would feel if that was the case after spending $40, especially as each time it is sent on the overall price for it increases ($40 one person, $20 the next, $30 the next etc) total cost for it would be hundreds of dollars from start to finish.

Hmm, now you got me scared
Do you guys usually have problems with your postal services?
It only takes one screwup to bring the whole thing down.
I rarely use mail in my country, but things never got lost or damaged, in my case, so far...

What if we do it a little bit differently?

Instead of having the card travelling around, we take our pictures and make a signature. Then one of us, composes the postcard with all the pictures or simply adds the pictures to the envelope and composes the signatures in the postcard, he/she then prints it in high quality and sends it. The cost of sending it and printing it would be split between us.

I think this is a good idea, considering that the hungarian mail service is a crap. I support this b-day idea as well and I don't want it to stuck at me.

Well like I said when Cristelle send me the picture from the contest the envelope was bent but still in one piece. Otherwise I don't have any problems with posts, have been sent mails from abroad (UK, Holland, Germany, etc) regularly and everything came quick and in perfect condition. But anyway that's why I recommended FedEx or DHL or whatever as if you pay for a private postage service they should treat the package better. Also not sure how expensive it would be but think it's a good idea to include insurance for the package. If something should happen with it (God forbid!) at least we should recover some of the money spent and maybe make a second attempt if there is still time.

Also the most expensive "trips" would be back and forth to the US. Once in Europe, the card won't travel such big distances as we are many and Europe's not that big Also depending on time of arrival several of us can sign the card at the T1 convention which would save us a lot of time and some money that can be donated to a "Summer BD fund" and help others mail it back and forth.

Even if the card is sent through the postal system, damage would be prevented by shipping it between a couple sheets of cardboard. They'd really have to get rough with it to do any damage.

The postal system can be considered reliable, although they're prone to screwing up and they're definitely not the fastest.

I understand that it's not too economical when you consider the total amount that would be spent, which was probably my main reason for originally considering the postal system over couriers (FDX, UPS, DHL). However, we would really be aiming for sentimental value. Summer spends most of her time doing what she loves and I think it would be a nice and memorable way to show our support for her dedication. She probably gets thousands of letters and cards, but how many of them will she remember?

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This sounds good. It definitely removes the possibility of a broken link in the postal chain as the photos and signatures can be scanned and emailed instead of snail-mailed. More time could be spent in the design and any possible revisions. The only thing I would say in opposition is that it reduces the "personalized" feel to it. This was the original intent, but I would rather see this completed successfully than to have it lost or destroyed en route.

We still need to work on a design, otherwise, everything else is moot.

So, how do we stand right now?
Postcard to go around the world? Or postcard composed by one of us?
We should get started ASAP

As it stands right now, we have two addresses and no card designs.

It's a pitty that people aren't getting into this.
I don't have much spare time, but i'll try to come up with some design.
I'll give you my adress later, in case the around the world card gets selected.