How To Get Amazon Delivered To Wherever You're Traveling

Being a digital nomad and living off-grid, I find myself traveling around the United States more often than being back home in Tennessee. As a result, I rarely have access to a physical address for packages. However, when ordering from Amazon, the company has created workarounds to help me get much-needed camping essentials and everyday items I can't find in the local mountain towns.

There are a few different ways that this can be achieved, and honestly, it all depends on what you are ordering and what type of hub is available in any given location. Amazon has what are called Amazon Lockers as well as Amazon Counters, both of which achieve the same goal while giving you different experiences. Lockers are self-served and counters require human interaction.

The good news is that either service you use is free. However, some small towns don't offer an Amazon Locker or Counter, but there may be a ship and deliver business that can offer you the same service by signing and holding your packages for you. However, these businesses don't work directly with Amazon and tend to charge a fee to help their business grow. Either way, no matter what kind of traveler you are, you still have access to necessary Amazon orders, and it's much easier to set up than you may think.

When shopping on Amazon, add items to your shopping cart as you normally would and then proceed to checkout. From there, you'll select the "Change" option for the shipping address. Underneath the addresses you have saved for delivery, you should see a "Your pickup locations" section with a highlighted "Find a pickup location near you" option.

Once you click that, a new window will appear allowing you to enter an address, zip code, or landmark to help you locate the nearest pickup location. When you click inside the box, you will also have the option to allow Amazon to search for Lockers and Counters based on your current location.

When you input the information, you'll see an array of options appear from Amazon Lockers and Counters to even UPS Access Points if any are available in your location. However, you may also see options that are temporarily unavailable due to being full, especially if there is only one Amazon Locker in a bigger city like Flagstaff, Arizona. If that happens, you can wait to see if a locker slot opens or select a different facility.

Packages to Amazon Lockers and Counters are shipped just like any other item that would appear on your doorstep. However, when it has reached its pickup destination, you'll receive an email letting you know it's time to retrieve it.

For Amazon Lockers, your email will have a barcode and a pickup code. You'll also have the address to the pickup location as well as the last day your package will be available before being returned. If you do not pick up your package by that date, the item will be returned to Amazon for a full refund. When you get to the Lockers, you'll see a screen in the middle. In my experience, I've only had to use the barcode or the pickup code to get my package. There have been times that the barcode scanner wasn't working, so I typed in the six-digit on the screen instead, and it worked the same without any issues. Once you do one or the other, a door will swing open and your package will be inside. Make sure to close it before walking away with your item.

For Amazon Counters, the process is similar. However, instead of only interacting with a computer, you'll be able to talk to a person and present them with your code. When you get your email, you'll be able to generate a pickup code that will be valid for 15 minutes, so don't get the pickup code until you are near the counter. Typically, you will be given more than three days to pick it up too. My last Amazon Counter pickup was at Whole Foods in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and I was given 15 days.

Keep in mind that not all counters are at well-known places like Whole Foods. In Utah, I had a pickup at a rundown gas station, and the package came to me a bit mishandled. With that being said, it's important to make sure you select Lockers and Counters in areas that you feel comfortable going into.

During my travels, there have been several small towns that do not have the option for an Amazon Locker or Counter — inputting the town in the pickup location won't bring up a UPS Access Point option. However, there can be workarounds depending on the town you are visiting or passing through.

For example, I spend quite a bit of time in Salida and Buena Vista, Colorado, during the summer and fall months, and there isn't an Amazon pickup within 70 miles. Because the towns are such popular areas, though, shipping businesses have found success by giving people the option to have their packages delivered to their stores. I have frequently used The Shipping Depot @ Salida, especially when I'm set to write review articles like for this cheap 200W power station from Amazon and need the products shipped to me quickly.

However, these types of shipping places may charge a fee for signing and holding your packages. At The Shipping Depot, I usually pay $3 per package. Other places like Mail Boxes in Buena Vista have charged me $3 a day to hold a package. It's important to understand that not all small towns will offer this service. To know if the town you're traveling through does, I'd recommend researching the town and the words "package receiving." If you can't find anything, going back into Amazon and looking at the nearest larger town may give you luck with an Amazon Locker or Counter.

Amazon has several features to help with online shopping, and its Lockers and Counters are a big help when it comes to traveling. However, there are some restrictions you need to be aware of before you decide to start buying items on Amazon to be shipped to you. For Amazon Lockers, the shipping weight has to be less than 10 pounds and smaller than 16 x 12 x 14 inches to be able to fit inside the largest locker compartment. Additionally, the value has to be less than $5,000.

For Amazon Counters, you can't purchase anything over 33 pounds and or something larger than 36 x 24 x 24 inches — be aware that some counters may have stricter limits. The item also has to be available to ship within 24 hours. Additionally, along with Lockers, all items have to be sold or fulfilled by Amazon.com. This means you cannot purchase something that is shipped by a third-party business working through Amazon.

Though these restrictions can be a nuisance, in my time using these Amazon services, I've never run into problems. Most things I've purchased have been through Amazon. Even regarding size, I was able to purchase a new pop-up bathroom tent, which was quite large, and have it delivered to an Amazon Counter with no problems. In all, it can be a handy service for travelers.