You'll have to pick your poison on the hub issue. If spending bigger bucks on a hub that has a better track record or something a little cheaper and a decent track record are your choices. Consider what you'll be able to repair locally if you do run into a problem. Would you be able to get a freehub for any of the makes in your touring areas? What other repair parts are/are not available in those areas?
The Touring section might have some discussions on what you are looking for. The
Tandem section had a discussion on hubs a little while back on hub qualities.