Four years ago my wife and I took 3 rest days on a 74 day 3650 mile self-supported trip. While we didn't push too hard , we had some pretty short days as well as some pretty long days. Two of the rest days were with family, and while it would have been nice to visit a little more; we got really antsy to get on the road. We had a couple thousand miles of good riding in the months prior to the trip. We don't susbscribe to the premise that you can ride into shape. Our recent trips have included more rest days. While they have been shorter they were more physically demanding. As I get older my recovery time takes a little longer

On a trip like Nacy's, I'd need a lot more days off the bike. Not only to recover physically, but to take in parts of the world I've never been to.