Touring by bike is fantastic. To start you off, here's a ride I did one morning with Eric House. We call these rides "day-rides", even though in this case, the ride started at 3:00am! A bicycle commute (like this one with Grant) is also considered a day-ride.
Next-up, we have what are known as "overnights", though some last as long as 3 or 4 nights. Here's a description of one that I do every year. It's quite a good ride, and if you'll like to sign up for the coming one, send me e-mail!
Then there are what I call half-load tours, where you basically carry just clothing and ride from hostel to hostel, or motel to motel, and eat out at restaurants. It's not cheap, but when you have more money than time, it's worth the while. My trip to Scotland this year was just such a trip.
Then there are the fully loaded tours, where you carry camping gear, stove, pots, sleeping bag, and what not, which keeps yourself and your bike alive while you carry everything from place to place. It sounds arduous, but it's not, unless you're inexperienced, which I was on my first trip, which took me from Washington to British Columbia, and out into the islands. Even then, it was such a good trip that I had to do another. My second trip took me down the Oregon Coast, which is gorgeous when done by bike. This year, I rode the California coast.
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