First decision to make is do you want to take pictures? Or Photographs?
There are many out there taking pictures and this is primarily the audience for "point & shooters"
For those who want to do fine quality photographs, a venture into a digital SLR may be the call. These wonderful folks are accoustomed to traveling with a selection of lenses, extra lighting equipment, and a sturdy tripod.
(Been there - done that. The van was often loaded with cases of camera gear, nikon bodies, lenses, a Hassleblad, a 4X5 view camera and on and on)
I've pretty much relpaced all that excess baggage with a Nikon Coolpix P-100 (It's now been replaced by a more advanced setup) But the issue is this. I a delightfully surprised at the many capabilities of a camera like this. It can do far more than the average person needs for simple picture taking.