I am retired so I have the flexibility to do long trips. But my longest vacations for outdoor activities before retirement were a week long. If I needed a day per week for rest and recovery, that rest day could be the day before I go back to work, or maybe the first day at work. Some people are fortunate and can take longer vacations, but I think the norm is not to be that lucky.

Looking at this another way, you are making a comparison against athletes that perform in a non-sustainable way. Bike touring is a lower wattage activity, but it is an endurance activity. It is generally done at a pace that does not require rest days. But, there are many reasons to include rest days, for laundry, re-supply, equipment maintenance, inclement weather, and mental health. Some people schedule rest days in advance. I don't, instead I take a day off or perhaps a short day as needed. Or, perhaps as desired for sightseeing. It is an activity that should be enjoyable, otherwise why do it? I do not call those days rest days, I am not really resting on those days but they are days with less exertion.

Trips that involve air travel, I want a few contingency days near the end of the trip to make sure I did not miss my flight, so did some sightseeing late in a trip.

At this time I am trying to get in shape after winter. Most bike rides before April were less than 22 miles. Every spring it is a chore to re-train my body for endurance activities that last for several hours. It is not so much the muscle tissue that needs to be ready, it is my bum on the saddle and my internal organs that have to keep supplying fuel to my muscles after the initial glycogen stores are exhausted. Only longer days in the saddle work for that.
.

• April 6 - rode 53.5 miles.
• April 10 - rode 67.4 miles.
• April 15 (two days ago) - rode 90.1 miles.

The three above rides were about 20 miles of pavement, remaining distance on gravel rail trail. Rode my heavy touring bike, which has 57mm wide tires, some of the trail is still soft and muddy from recent spring thaw. But being mostly rail trail, not much hill climbing.

I am not ready to do long consecutive days, but I think I should be in good shape in early June when my planned bike tour starts.

I would like to do a 200k brevet on April 27, I think I am ready for that, but want to do another long ride before then on more hilly and paved terrain on my rando bike to make sure I am ready.