Welcome, Jargo.

I'm not a heavy-duty tourer, but just as a point of advice, in the future, I would avoid asking what's the "best" of anything. Without knowing exactly what your touring plans are (distance, geography, camping vs. hotels, etc.) people are just going to bombard you with lists of their favorite bicycles.

There are people here who start with ultra light bikes and load them with almost nothing to do overnight "credit card" tours, people like myself who use old mountain bikes and carry some panniers on a rack, and people who buy touring-specific bikes that carry tents, stoves, and all types of camping gear. They're all going to want to chime in, so do yourself a favor and follow up your initial post with some more specifics about the type of touring you want to do.

Good luck! Touring (of ANY type) is absolutely the coolest.