The builder doesn't need to be in the same town as you. All of the good builders, e.g., Carl Strong, Dave Kirk, Dave Kish, Independent Fabrication, Curtlo, Shamrock, Bilinky to name a few, can work with you over the phone. And some--like Waterford--have local dealers where you'd work with a fitter in getting sized. Do what Catrin did and find a local Gunnar/waterford dealer. For the money, Gunnar is a fantastic way to go and you have access to Waterford's design team for help.
As you can see, I have a strong bias for steel. For a cross country trip, it would be my choice, especially if I wanted to also use it for touring. It's a really versatile material.