I've owned quite a few bents. I initially got into them for comfort reasons and figured I'd want to tour on them, but I solved my comfort issues on my upright bikes and prefer them for touring.
Having said that if I suddenly had ergonomic issues I couldn't solve on an upright I'd tour on a bent without hesitation.
The biggest problem with bents is there are so many types and they are all so different from one another. You can tour on just about any bent other than the uber fast uber light racing machines. So you need to figure out how you like the different types of bents and how your body feels on them. This is complicated by the fact being new to bents your first test rides will be awkward and if you pick the bent that rides best after 10mins of test riding you'll find it isn't the bent you want to ride 3 months down the road when you are accustomed to them.
I'd test ride whatever bents you can find locally. Hopefully several times for as long as they'll let you. If your local bent selection isn't wide think about flying/driving to a big bent dealer like
the Hostel Shoppe where you can ride everything imaginable. They will also be able to discuss your particular ergonomic needs and what you want to use the bent for to help you narrow down the field as they have done so for many customers.
Once you've decided on a bent and bought one - give yourself 1000miles to figure it out properly and get your "bent legs". You'll find climbing initially is harder than your upright. After some acclimatization that will get easier - although I've never had a bent that climbed as well as an equivalent quality/weight upright bike.
A lot of people go through 2 or 3 bents before they find the one that clicks and they fall in love. Consider buying used at first as you can save $$$ and resell for most if not all of your purchase price if you don't love that model. The classifieds at
www.bentrideronline.com are good - I have bought sold several bents there with no issues.
I'd like to leave you with one thing - don't believe the bent evangelists who say bents are the best thing since sliced bread and don't believe the bent haters that say bents are toys that can't climb. The truth is bents are a really cool type of bike that are good for many riders - they have their pros and cons.