I'll jump right in first and recommend a Bike Friday as a touring bike, especially since you're going across the pond. You can fold it and pack it into a rolling suitcase and check it like normal luggage. No extra fees! And they're fabulous bikes too. My husband and I both got one last year specifically for touring.

You can read my review of my Pocket Crusoe here:
Emily's Pocket Crusoe Review and if you're interested, you can read about our tour in upstate NY (or just check out the pictures to see how nicely the bikes carried the full panniers) here.

Bike Fridays are custom made so the womens/mens distinction is not important; it will be made for your measurements. For lots of information and discussion on womens' bikes, do a search for WSD in this forum; the pros and cons of these bikes have been discussed many times before.

Also, check out this articles on girlbike.com:
Ten Tips for Buying a New Bike

Good luck!

Emily