I travel and take a lot of photos. I was in the same boat as you evolving from a functional point and shoot to something more "powerful". I considered many factors in buying a new camera, including size/weight, features, price/value, but most importantly, where does my love for photography fall on the scale of "the law of diminishing returns". In other words, my day job finances my hobbies, not the other way around. Therefore, I want a camera that matches my seriousness as a photographer. I love it, but my life and livelihood do not depend on it. Hauling around the latest full-frame DSLR with an assortment of lenses and a 20lb tripod does not make any sense to me.

So I settled for the Sony NEX7 with 2 prime lenses and 1 zoom lens.

To each their own, but don't let camera envy get in the way of getting the right camera for you.