Definitely look into lower gearing. Put some smaller rings up front and a bigger casssette on the back max out your dérailleur ranges.
Put the biggest tires on the bike that you can. Use a touring tire with a bit of grip incase you need to go on tracks.
Consider your saddle. I'd find it hard to ride day after day on a skinny carbon fiber saddle, many tourists love Brooks.
You'll have to come up with a way to carry your gear that doesn't need rack minted egelets. So concentrate on saddle, seat post or pclamp mounted racks. Or go entirely rackless like the bike packers, although Im not convinced the bikepacking approach is best suited to traditional touring as it makes getting at your stuff tricky.