Well an absolute bargain came my way. I ended up with a Tamron AF18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical IF Macro for $250 in perfect nick with a Hoya UV filter in place! So pretty happy with that. Yes the AF is slower than the Siggy, but the VC is awesome. Rock steady at the full 270. First impressions after a couple of quick piccys is it's nice and sharp and will do the desired travel job very well.
Cheers,
Epoc