That's great, I think you'll thoroughly enjoy it! I work at a camera store, and would be happy to give you my two cents!
Your main two choices are Nikon and Canon. The overall difference between the two is that Canon will do better video, and Nikon tends to shoot better in low light. Specs-wise they're fairly comparable, although Nikon does seem to be more competitively priced right now. As for simple, all of the intro-level SLRs will have full auto modes on them (point and shoot, just like you would with a compact camera), as well as preset scene modes, so you can tell the camera what type of photo you're taking, and it will pick the best scene for you.
For Nikon, the D3200 is a great intro SLR. It's fairly small and light (for a DSLR), and also has a guide mode for new DSLR users, that helps you through the settings. You can put it on easy operation that will help you pick which scene mode is best for you, or you can use it to help you out with manual functions, such as aperture priority. A lot of people find it's a very helpful feature when they're getting started! One step up from that camera would be the D5200, it will do a little better for you in low light, gives you a rotating, flip out screen, and a step up overall spec-wise. It doesn't have the guide mode, but it does have lots and lots of pre-set scene selections as well as your normal auto mode, so should still be nice and easy to use! Nikon's have a nice warranty in Canada as well, two years on the camera body and five years on all their lenses. Canon is one year on the body, and one year on the lenses.
For Canon, you'd probably be looking at either the Rebel T5i or the SL1. The T5i is their newest entry-level camera. It's comparable to the D5200 specs-wise, it does have a touch-screen though which the Nikons lack. Some people love, some hate it. There are physical buttons for everything so you don't ever have to use it, but it can help short-cut things. It also has a full auto mode, plus those pre-set scene selections. If you're not interested in video at all, the T3i is an older model and is very comparable to the T5i image quality wise, but the video isn't as good. Canon's phasing them out so they're getting hard to find, but if you can find a store that still has them that could save you some money. The SL1 is the smallest DSLR on the market right now. It's similar to the other Rebels, but is slightly stripped-down feature-wise and usability wise to keep its size small. For an intro level camera that's easy to travel with and carry around it's pretty decent though! If you're looking at getting seriously into photography over the next couple of years it may not be the best choice, but if you just want a slightly smaller SLR to get started on, it will work well for that!
Your best bet is to go to a camera store and try out the cameras, see what feels good in your hand, and what you like. You will find lots and lots of people who are die-hard Nikon fans and die-hard Canon fans, but it really comes down to which camera are you going to enjoy using more? If the camera just doesn't feel right to you, you probably won't use it as much! i would also recommend getting the camera if possible at least a week out from your trip, and taking some time to practice with it before you leave. You don't want to miss a picture because you weren't sure what button was where!
Sorry for the looooong reply, I tend to get rather over-excited when I talk about cameras, lol! If you have any other questions I would be happy to help, and I'm sure you'll get some great feedback from other people on here as well!
