I second that motion. Buy your bike locally, live with it for at least a few months (to give you time to make the inevitable adjustments that you and it will need), and then bring or ship the bicycle to its destination.

The design philosophy of touring bicycles varies from country to country. The touring bikes I saw in Germany and Switzerland were different than the ones that I see closer to home. In my part of the world (Toronto), I would say that about 50% of touring bikes are "old school" (based on classic touring bike designs of the 1970s and 1980s, with drop bars), 30% are based on hybrids, and 20% based on mountain bikes. In Germany and Switzerland, I saw few (if any) old school touring bikes; almost all were modified mountain and hybrid designs, often outfitted with butterfly bars.

So if you have a particular touring bike style in mind, understand that it may not be a popular one in other parts of the world.