slow travel · overland · bikepacking
Country-by-country guides for drivers and bikepackers: real paperwork, real road rules, real routes. Built on official sources, organized for visitors. US first, Japan next, more countries rolling out.
Pick a country
We go country-by-country with primary-source citations for every regulatory claim. If we haven't verified it, we don't print it.
Signs (MUTCD), speed limits, Interstates, what to do when stopped, rentals, insurance, tolls, importing your vehicle.
1,200+ michi-no-eki, Nakasendo post-towns, Hokkaido touring, Shikoku 88, shaken / JAF / green-plate rentals that actually make sense.
Fast expressway network, EV charging density, rental via KT, the rules that differ from Japan.
Provincial differences, winter-tire laws, the TCH, cross-border from the US (who/what you can bring).
🇺🇸 United States · Deep-dive
The US has 50 states, 50 sets of rules, no federal driver's license, and an insurance system that catches every visitor off guard. Every page below cites the official authority — NHTSA, FHWA's MUTCD, state DMVs, NAIC.
Every sign on every public US road is defined by the federal MUTCD. Shapes, colors, exceptions.
Why US speeds are always MPH, how to read them, how states differ, and a live conversion table.
How the Interstate numbering works, why I-5 is coastal and I-95 is east, and what "expressway" legally means.
The exact steps international drivers should take when you see blue-and-red lights in your rearview.
Right side of the road, seatbelts, phones, DUI, school buses — the rules that apply in all 50 states.
Right-on-red, max speeds, insurance minimums, helmet laws — what changes across state lines.
International Driving Permits, which states accept what, how long you can drive on a foreign license.
Age minimums, credit-card requirements, CDW/LDW, one-way rentals, the FTC disclosure rules.
State minimums, rental coverage, your own policy abroad, travel-insurance overlap.
How tolls work in a rental, the transponder networks, what happens if you skip one.
Why Drive This World
Every regulatory claim cites a .gov URL (federal or state) or NAIC. Unsourced = unverified, not guessed.
Community comments are stamped by visit date, not post date. You always see what's happening now.
Carnets, temporary-import rules, international licenses, tolls, shipping — the paperwork that kills trips.
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