Prior to buying this lens I had the very good 18-70mm as well as the 70-300mm. Problem was most times I went anywhere that wasn't specifically a "shoot", I'd only take the 18-70. Often times 70mm was just too short, and my 70-300 just wasn't getting used.
Enter the 18-200. A lens for almost every situation. No, its not perfect. It has some non-linear distortion at the wide end, but for most times its good enough. Its a relatively compact lens, the VR works outstandingly well, allowing handheld usage as low as 1/6sec.
This is the lens that goes on my camera when I don't know what to expect. Great for travelling, great for events. Highly recommended.