HolaDear is a digital postcard app where you can send a photo, a message and a pin on the map to somebody you miss

I’m Jime, an Argentinian living in London, and I’ve spent most of the last 15 years living and travelling abroad.

HolaDear was recently accepted into the Web Summit Alpha Program which is a huge milestone — it's still very new and currently in beta.

Here's the story behind it:

When I first left Argentina in 2009, I used to send physical postcards home to my parents, grandparents and friends. Some took months to arrive, some never did, but the ones that made it are still kept safe somewhere in a drawer.

What I missed was the feeling behind it: choosing a postcard, writing something, and sending it to one person because you were thinking of them. That was what I wanted to bring back.

When my niece was born in 2020, and I started travelling again in 2021, I kept thinking how nice it would be to send her something special. A photo just for her. A message just for her. Something she could keep and look back on one day. So I started looking for an app that did something like this. I couldn’t find one.

Everything I found was either public, built around sharing with everyone, or focused on sending physical postcards. Yes, I could send photos to my sister, but it wasn’t the same.

Then, earlier this year, I thought: "I have this idea for an app. Why don’t I just go for it?"

That’s how HolaDear was born.

A few things that make HolaDear different:

• No app required for recipients: they receive their postcard through a private, PIN-protected link without needing to download anything.
• Family Link: kids get their own private mailbox, with a grown-up view for parents. There’s also an Adult View for people who aren’t tech-savvy.
• Map of memories: every postcard includes a pin showing where it was sent from, creating a collection of memories from around the world.
• Print your postcards: you can print each postcard, fold it in half into a little tent to put on your desk, or keep it somewhere special, like on your fridge.

👉 I’d love feedback from the Travel Massive community! Try it out at holadear.app

Who would you send your first postcard to?

Beautiful idea, Jimena! I really love the thought of bringing back the feeling of sending a postcard. There's something so special about creating a personal and authentic message for someone you care about.

We're building something similar in spirit with 2B LOCAL, a travel app that helps people discover authentic local recommendations from friends, locals, and people they know and trust instead of algorithm-driven suggestions. It's great to see more travel startups focusing on genuine human connections and authentic experiences.

Wishing you the best of luck at the Web Summit Alpha! 🙌 I'd love to stay in touch and see where your journey takes you. Let's connect! Best regards, Nicole from 2B LOCAL