Hi Pennyrod, Let me throw in another consideration. No camera, however advanced, does any good if it is not with you when you come across a situation worth taking a picture. While you will definitely carry your DSLR plus lenses and accessories to a party you plan to attend, will you carry all of that all the time during your travels, and change lenses as appropriate?
If not, maybe think in terms of an advanced "point and shoot".
[In a link given below the professional photographer Ken Rcokwell, remembering his child's birth, says: "Life waits for no camera. When this happened I had no idea what was going on. I just kept shooting without worrying about anything." He had a DSLR, but he is a pro and this was an anticipated moment.
]
The best ps camera is Panasonic FZ-50 (=Leica V-Lux1), with one caveat: it lacks true wide-angle (28 or wider) which is useful in many travel situations. To cover those, the best choice is FZ-18 which is smaller, has true superzoom lens (28-504), and most of the desired manual controls. Both are good one-piece cameras but they are not pocketable.
For a pocketable solution, as you'd expect, some compromise is needed. Panasonic LX2 (=Leica D-Lux3) gives great creative control with limited zoom range (28-112); the TZ-5 is all auto but has greater zoom (28-280) and its older version TZ-3 is available at heavily discounted price.
Of course, there is no law against owning both a DSLR system, and a pocket ps.
For cameras offered under both Panasonic and Leica brands, I'd choose Panasonic which is not only cheaper but also less likely to attract thieves.
If you still want a DSLR - At least one respected pro regards Nikon D-40 as "the answer to most people's camera questions":
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/recommended-cameras.htm
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40.htm
His all-said-and-done summary:
"Get the Nikon D200 if you don't mind the weight.
Get a Nikon D40 for everything else.
Get the Canon 5D if you work on a tripod.
Forget the rest."
(
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/d200...d40-5d-xti.htm)
This agrees with
anrkitec's recommendation below.
Good luck.