Regarding bike, your first priority should be finding a bike that fits you. People tour all over the world riding all kinds of bikes, so any bike can be used for touring. But if what you're riding isn't comfortable for you, you'll not enjoy the tour. Or even not finish.
If you haven't ridden for a while, you could use some help from a good bike shop for fitting. They'll get you in the ballpark at least, you can make adjustments before the tour if/when you feel necessary. You'll have to do a bit of riding anyway, so you can use that to fine tune the ergonomics.
--J