+1. My first unsupported tour was across the U.S. and then some. One reason why went with a small group trip run by Adventure Cycling Association was that I was a city boy. The sum total of my camping experience consisted of setting up my tent in my mom's living room, nearly knocking over a lamp in the process. And I had no idea what a portable camp stove looked like, much less how to prepare dinner for 13 people. The tour leader was nice enough to put me last on the cooking rotation list. For the first 6 days I watched the others so I could learn. Even then I burnt the crap out my right index finger when I accidentally touched a hot part of one of the stoves that had fallen over in the grass. Another time someone stopped me from pitching my tent in a certain spot my pointing out the water runoff channels. Never would have thought of it.