May I suggest that you consider fitting Butterfly/Trekking bars instead of drop bars to get some more hand positions. The conversion is a straight forward process of changing the bars. All levers and shifters will fit straight on.
here's what they look like fitted,
The Tourney 3 x 8 drivetrain you have is OK but only just above the bare minimum. You could go to quite an effort to find and fit some 8 speed brifters that also handle v brakes and you would still just have a Tourney drivetrain. Butterfly bars are very good for touring and long rides.