Although I started touring in the 70's, the longest ones were a little over 100 miles. I went on a couple of week-long tours, but in both cases I was riding for a day or two, staying put for several days, and riding for a day to get back home.

My first big tour was in 1992 - down the west coast from Seattle to Santa Cruz. My biggest mistakes were carrying too much weight and not having my rear wheel tensioned and trued by a pro before I left. I had a lot of spoke problems, starting around the California border. I eventually aborted the trip a week early (I had intended to make it to San Luis Obispo) and took a Greyhound home.

My biggest misconception was that I would lose weight and travel inexpensively. Besides all the money spent having broken spokes replaced, I was also shocked at the amount I spent on food (and the amount of food I ate!) I ended up 8 pounds heavier at the end! I don't think I was fatter - I think it was muscle - but I didn't lose my little belly paunch like I had hoped. Of course, even though I spent a lot on food (and spokes), it was still a whole lot cheaper than if I'd been car camping for four weeks.