When I first saw this device, one thought crossed my mind: This might be perfect for me… but what if it isn’t?
When I sit down to write, I’m often ambushed by Slack pings, a dozen browser tabs, “let me just change the playlist real quick,” or a random BBC article. Instead of writing paragraphs, I’m training my finger muscles. That’s exactly when the Freewrite Traveler got into my head. It says, “just write.” And it means it. You literally can’t do anything else on it. No YouTube, no email, no alt + tab escape routes. And somehow… that’s kind of beautiful.
How It Feels
At first glance, the Traveler looks sleek. But when you hold it, it’s more “kinda sleek.” Like one of those retro-modern kitchen gadgets—charming from afar, but a bit plasticky up close. Shiny surface, fingerprint magnet, keyboard that feels a bit toy-like in places. You can’t help but think, “This could’ve been a bit more refined.” But then you flip it open, and the screen lights up. That e-ink screen. The one that doesn’t scream at your eyes.
If you want to write outside during the day—at a café, a park bench, wherever—that screen is pure gold. But at night? You’ll need a reading light. The screen has no backlight.
The Writing Experience
Here’s the deal: This thing is made for writing. And that’s it. Which, believe it or not, works. On my laptop, I write three sentences and open four tabs. On the Traveler, I suddenly find myself pouring out a thousand words.
But… (there’s always a but.)
There’s a noticeable lag. You type, and the letters show up maybe half a second later. If you’re used to watching your words appear in real time, this can drive you a little nuts at first. You do get used to it, but your first reaction will probably be “Is this broken?”
And editing? Just forget about it. Arrow keys work through WASD combos, no CTRL, no copy-paste. If you want to delete a sentence, you backspace the whole thing. One letter at a time. This thing is not here for second-guessing. It’s a first-draft machine, not a tinkering tool. It dares you to just write.
Battery Life & Connectivity
Battery life? Amazing. I went a few days without charging and it never flinched. It uses USB-C like a civilized modern gadget.
Your drafts sync to the cloud through Freewrite’s own Postbox service. You can also link it to Google Docs or Dropbox, but it takes a bit of setup. If you’re not feeling the sync vibes, you can plug it into your computer via USB and pull the files. The whole design basically says: write here, edit somewhere else. Simple as that.
The Price Question
Now here comes the real question: Is it worth the money?
Honestly, I can’t answer that for you. If writing is a job, a craft, a daily ritual for you—and if you’d do anything to stay focused—then yes. This device does help. But if you’re writing ten minutes a day or once a month, then yeah… it’s gonna collect dust and whisper “you paid $500 for me” every time you look at it.
So: If you already have the will to write, this tool gives you the space to do it. But if you don’t, this won’t conjure it for you.
Using the Freewrite Traveler, I realized something: you’re not buying a device—you’re buying a mindset. “Just write. Quietly. No internet. Just you and the words on a calm, blank screen.”
If that idea excites you, and you want a ritual around your writing, this will make you happy. But if writing is something you squeeze in between errands, there’s no need to romanticize it. Notepad works just fine.
