Hi, I’m Jiri, Czech language specialist for all things sport, bicycles, and computer games. I slow-travel around Europe in my camper van while working full-time as a freelancer, trying to spend ¾ of the year on the road. I already wrote about one of my summer days on the road, you can find the post here. In this winter edition, you’ll get a glimpse into one of my winter days at my base camp in České Budějovice, Czechia.

4:15 – Waking up to my alarm clock (I actually woke up for the first time around 2:52, already thinking it was time to get up) because I was invited to speak to translation students at Palacký University in Olomouc (UPOL) about what it takes to be a freelance translator and vanlifer. Since Olomouc is quite far from my hometown, I chose my favorite bike–train–walk combo to get there and back, even if that meant getting up very early. 8 hours in a train where you can work are much better than 6 hours spent only driving a car (not to mention the amount of unnecessary CO₂ emissions). Don’t you agree?

4:20 – Getting dressed, brushing my teeth, grabbing my backpack I prepared yesterday evening to speed the morning up, and leaving my base camp. That’s what I call my uncle’s flat in my hometown where I stay when I’m not on the road in my van. My uncle prefers living in the countryside in a house I half-own with his brother, who lives in another house in a different village. I know it sounds complicated, but we’re all happy with this arrangement.

4:25 – Crossing the street to a bike-sharing station with my favourite pink Rekola bikes, taking one called Vugala (yes, every single one of them has a name) and riding it to the train station through a misty early morning, criss-crossing the main streets just because I can, since the city is serenely empty with no cars around.

4:40 – Parking the bike at the train station, buying a hot beverage to complement my breakfast in my backpack, heading to the platform.

4:50 – Eating breakfast in an empty compartment (two pecan nut turnovers and an apple).

5:10 – Starting work. Checking LinkedIn, replying to emails, writing the first parts of this blog post.

6:50 – Changing trains in Prague, eating my second breakfast (the last pecan nut turnover), writing a LinkedIn post about my journey to UPOL and how my freelance business did this year (5% increase in revenue, yippee), you can check it here.

8:35 – Translating a tiny project of 55 words containing packaging copy for bike accessories and an online workshop description for bike retailers. Calling with Pavel, my UPOL contact from the English translation department. He checks whether my train is on time. We arranged a meeting in front of the university at 10:30.

9:15 – Replying to comments under my LinkedIn post.

9:20 – Getting off the train, heading straight to a pharmacy to buy something for my swollen finger from yesterday’s fall (seems like I’m good at avoiding injuries in the mountains or when climbing, but I still haven’t learned how to walk properly to a bus stop). I hope it’s nothing serious. I can still write, but some finger movements hurt a bit. Walking through Olomouc with my watch on to get an idea of how long it takes to walk from the train station to the university. I lose my way a bit because I can’t remember what the university building looks like, eventually finding the right entrance after a detour through a nice park and fortifications.

10:25 – While waiting for Pavel, I start replying to comments under my LinkedIn post (there are many), checking email, or just watching students going in and out. Nostalgia.

10:30 – Meeting, handshaking, contract signing, talking about my presentation. I get invited to lunch in the university canteen… more nostalgia, thinking about my own university years. We chat about translation and, surprisingly, music, since Pavel is also a guitar player.

11:30 – Delivering the lecture. Pavel jumps in a few times with relevant remarks. The students don’t look too bored at the end (some even stay longer to ask more questions), which is, according to Pavel, a huge success. I’m happy. 😊

14:05 – Doing a follow-up with Pavel, receiving a small gift (a UPOL-branded thermos), and then chatting in a café about all things translation, vanlife and teaching translation in the age of AI while drinking mint tea and eating cakes.

14:30 – Walking through Olomouc back to the train station, arriving just in time since I know exactly (thanks to my watch) how long it takes. Preparing my headphones and phone for our weekly meeting with the core team of Cyclinguists, a collective of freelance language experts dedicated to cycling I co-founded.

15:00 – Joining the meeting at the train station; I even manage to buy a snack while I’m at it. I continue speaking on the platform and on the train. Unfortunately, the connection isn’t great on a moving train. We update each other on the jobs and accounts we manage for Cyclinguists (we’re currently working on our Code of Ethics and we also provide technical training for freelance linguists who want to specialize in bikes, hit me up if interested).

16:00 – The internet connection is so bad there’s no point in following the last minutes of the meeting, so I start replying to comments under my LinkedIn post again.

16:30 – Continuing with this blog post, checking emails. It seems I was successfully onboarded by an agency for an AI translation editing workflow after doing their (paid) trainings and some (paid) onboarding projects. The workflow for this client mainly covers help articles for mobile games. The juicy part here is that I used to work for this client at the start of my translation career, but through a different agency that stopped sending me work because I became too expensive for them. The conditions are a bit better at this new agency, so in my opinion it’s a win for me and a win for them as well.

16:55 – Translating an email about a sale period for bike service packages. Checking new LinkedIn connection requests and commenting under a few posts. Working on this blog post.

17:40 – Getting off the train, trying to find restrooms at Prague’s train station, checking LinkedIn while waiting for the train that will take me home.

18:20 – Boarding the train, eating some snacks, updating Cyclinguists’ Terms and Conditions based on feedback from our new client, preparing them for signature to kick off our cooperation ASAP. We’ll be post-editing product descriptions for cycling-related accessories and translating email campaigns into German, with me acting as the main client contact and project manager when necessary.

19:20 – Writing this blog post.

20:00 – Getting off the train and heading to the bike-sharing station, taking a pink shared bike again (this time it’s called Bosse) and riding it home through the misty city once more. Back home, quickly swapping my backpack for my guitar, hopping into my car and driving to the Christmas party of my ex-band to spend some time with my musical friends and their fans, playing and singing together.

20:20 – Arriving a bit tired after the long day, but after a short break, some schnitzels and tartare, complemented by Kofola (my favourite Czech fizzy drink, similar to Coca-Cola), I feel ready to party. Even though my finger is a bit swollen, I still manage to play the guitar decently.

1:50 – Arriving home with a few Christmas presents and a box full of Christmas sweets from the party. Surprisingly, I’m still full of energy (this usually happens to me after a good jam session) and not really sleepy yet, so I just tidy up a bit at my base camp, brush my teeth, and take a shower.

2:30 – In bed. Good night. It was a long day, but totally worth it.

P. S. I went to the doctor with my finger three days later. Turns out it’s actually fractured. Not ideal for writing… let alone playing the guitar. Well, life happens, at least four weeks without my dear guitar and taking it easy at my keyboard (maybe I’ll go back to experimenting with dictation software). Also, more time to think about how to learn walking properly…