Five steps to plan your bike trip:
This one comes first because it's what your flights depend on. Two options:
Same place both ways. The easy one: one flight in, one flight out, zero logistics to juggle, and any local rental works since you're bringing the bike back to where you got it.
Different start and end. Covers way more ground, but you'll need a rental company with pickup and drop-off in both places. Oh, and pack a foldable bag that fits inside your panniers — fold it small for the ride, then unfold it to carry your things once you hand the bike back at the other end.
Minimum of 30 km, max I'd say 100 km, depending on your fitness. You want it to sit a little past your comfort zone, not flatten you by day two. Good news: there's always a way to shorten things if the weather (or your legs) have other plans — a ferry, a train, a bus that skips the boring bit. Got more than three days? Build in one lazy day somewhere fun — a hike, a sauna, a class, a lake — and actually let your legs recover.
This is what decides your accommodation — camping (the free nature hotel) or booking hotels and B&Bs? And it decides your flight or train to wherever you're going, too. Sort this early so you don't fall in love with a route you can't afford.
No touring bike? Don't want to fly with one? Rent. I've always rented and it's worked great every time — and especially if you're new to this, it means you've got someone to call if the bike throws a tantrum halfway through.
Everything on the packing list, plus the one thing that isn't gear: a notebook. The whole point of an Oaati is to hear yourself think — the notebook's just there so you don't forget what you heard. See an example packing list →
That's the framework. Want to see it actually happen? Real ferries, real distances, real detours — here's how it played out in Lofoten.
See the Lofoten route →