Olympia Traveller

Olympia Traveller (1969)

By the late 1960s Olympia had perfected the typewriter. While other manufacturers seemed to have lowered their standards, Olympia boldly introduced a line of distinctive typewriters called The Traveller. The style certainly speaks to the age of 2001: A Space Odyssey. While one could never imagine a typewriter floating in space, it has the mechanicals beyond its years and ahead of everybody else. It has everything you could ever need in a typewriter. It’s a writing machine. The keys seem to defy gravity and feel super light to the touch. You can hit supersonic speed and feel confident that your typewriter can keep up. Even the weakest of fingers can operate this typewriter, that it feels like child’s play. But don’t let the color fool you, this is a serious machine.

Olympia was also way ahead of its time with the different color combinations for the Traveller. Whatever suited your eye. Orange, Green, Pink, or just plain white. It feels like a laptop with its low profile. Its snug little case lets you can stow it away easily. And it being an Olympia, you’ve got a sturdy companion for the journey. Even if you already have a reliable desktop typewriter, the Traveller is the perfect second typewriter. Toss it in the boot, the overhead or the back of the camper, and off you go. Heading to the woods for a writers’ retreat?  Take the Traveller. Or, if you’re a minimalist, just tuck it under your desk and take it out when the mood strikes.

A worthy competitor in this space is the veritable Hermes Rocket. While the Rocket boasts the ultimate in portability with its snap-on shell, it doesn’t have as solid a feel as the Traveller. The Olivetti Leterra 32 is another close competitor. But again, it has a flightiness to it that is not quite up to snuff when going head-to-head with German engineering. Ask any typewriter repairman and they’ll most likely tell you Olympia typewriters are among the most reliable.

And with the Traveller, don’t let the small size fool you, this can handle any project you throw at it. You could also roll back the clock a few years and go with an Olympia SF Deluxe, which has a similar feel, but with the Traveller you’re getting the latest model. And when you find one used, since it’s relatively newer than most typewriters, the platen and rollers will most likely still have that rubbery feel.