A Day in the Life of a Bikepacker: Slow Travel on Two Wheels

6 AM | Sunrise

Sunrise is your main alarm clock, though you have a backup set on your phone just in case. The tent starts to get warm, and you fight it out in your sleeping bag to get a few extra minutes of sleep. Then you step outside and see the park or campground you pitched in last night light up with sunlight. The small town around you is quiet, but the locals are already up before you. They still won’t serve you a coffee yet, though.

7 AM | Packing & The Hunger Dash

You find the nearest convenience store, fingers crossed it is less than 10 km away. Your appetite while bikepacking goes through the roof, and you might just eat your partner if you don’t get an onigiri and an iced coffee within thirty minutes. You start packing up the camping gear. What used to take an hour now takes twenty minutes. You get on the bike with everything loaded and start pedaling. Slow at first, your muscles need to wake up and you haven’t fueled them yet. The closer you get to the food, the more your body speeds up.

8 AM | Konbini Sanctuary

And then, there it is in all its glory: the konbini.

AC, check. Coffee, not great, but check. Food, check, check, check.

While you eat and sneak a charge for your phone, you go through the day's route. Hills, road surfaces, food stops, views. Your body is in the groove already, and the fatigue slips away to be replaced by excitement and ease. You buy snacks for the road, trying to keep your diet balanced between carbs for energy, protein for muscle recovery, fiber for gut health, and veggies for vitamins. But then again, you really love those honey butter chips.

9 AM | The Prime Miles

The riding is incredible. Green views, mountains, or seaside, it is everchanging yet slow and calm. The tempo of the day and the manner of travel make it ideal to meet locals and have a chat. Some offer you food, and you always say yes. You are on a road and sometimes it gets busy, but other times you won’t see a car for miles. Nature is right at your doorstep.

1 PM | Long Lunches

The midday break is dedicated to a cheap and delicious meal and always takes longer than it should. A grandma that doesn’t speak english and will not make an effort for you to understand anything she says points at some line on the menu and you agree to whatever it is she will serve you. It’s delicious, and you want to put her on the back of your bike and ride into the sunset together. Or something like that.

6 PM | Onsens, Feasts, & Bedtime

You always say you’ll read a book on the trip, but you never do. By the time you reach the shower or onsen at the end of the ride, you are tired and still starving. You go somewhere for dinner and order enough food for a family, even though there are only two of you.

You keep going another kilometer or two, and set up camp quickly. The town you are in is already sleepy, and the locals don’t mind that you’re there. Sometimes they even recommend the best spot to pitch your tent. A late night snack, a cuddle, and lights out in the sleeping bag. It was the perfect day.