I've been looking at expedition/touring bikes recently. One thing that doesn't make sense to me is that there are a lot of expedition bikes that have aluminum frames.

I understand that most tourists who buy these won't be in the second and third world where it's difficult to get aluminum repaired, but many of these expedition bikes, that are meant for world travel, have aluminum frames. Two that come to mind are the REI Safar and the Koga-Miyata WorldTraveler.

Is it better to have a steel frame on a bike meant for travel into the second and third world, or is it just me?