Update: 40 days into my bikepacking trip (Barcelona → Japan)

I’m in my tent in a Croatian forest, it’s pouring rain outside, I’ve got a beer, and I’ve got time to kill—so here’s a proper update after ~40 days on the road. Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycletouring/s/gjAKqolk4h

The first days were definitely the hardest physically. I was still adapting to the bike, the weight, and the daily rhythm. Everything felt heavier than expected. But day by day I’ve built a solid base, and now I can comfortably ride around 75 km and 500 m of elevation per day, even with a fully loaded ~40 kg setup.

So far I’m sitting at roughly 2,200 km and 14,000 m of elevation gain. I’ve only had one puncture (a nail went straight through my tire), which honestly feels like luck more than anything. I’m running Schwalbe Marathon Plus and I can only recommend them—completely bulletproof so far.

Almost every night has been wild camping, except for 4 nights with Warmshowers hosts and 1 night where a random person opened their home to me, which I’m still extremely grateful for.

Time has probably been one of the most interesting parts of this trip. Days don’t really feel like days anymore, and even hours can pass in a completely different way depending on what’s happening. I honestly can’t tell if it’s been days or weeks unless I really stop and think about it—time in motion feels like it’s moving way faster than normal life.

Days of heavy rain are still rough—everything gets cold, wet, and stays wet—but when the sun finally comes out, the level of happiness it gives you is almost ridiculous.

In general, you don’t really miss anything out here. You just adapt.

You also learn to find the positive side of everything on the road. Running out of water? You figure it out by talking to strangers. Breaking a rear rack bolt in the middle of a forest? You improvise with whatever you have to make it to the next town. I love that part of it—everything becomes a small problem-solving mission.

Hygiene has been very “on the road”: swimming in the sea, rivers, and the classic wet wipes routine. A hot shower after 10 days in the wild… no words to explain the happiness.

Entering the Balkans has been my first real cultural shift. Until now, everything felt like the “easy phase” of the trip—great for getting into rhythm, learning the system, and just enjoying the ride.

But I feel like that phase is ending now.

I’m currently in Croatia, close to the Hungarian border, and I feel like I’m starting the second chapter of this journey.