Im a student and I love to travel. That's why I volunteer to go to conferences around the nation. Most of the times, my department pays for them and I get the miles for free So I like that arrangement. Sometimes I just have to pay for registration fees, which are like $49. So that's another thing you can look at. This year, there was a conference in Denmark, but my department didn't have money to sponsor the entire trip. Had they offered to pay for the ticket itself, I would have jumped on it.
Example: we have a conference coming up in Washington DC in feb. Most likely we will fly if we get cheap tix. Otherwise we'll gang up in a car and drive. (From CMH). Then there is a conference in Orlando. We are definately flying there and the department has already said that they will pay for the conference. So dont' worry. I guess it's only normal to enjoy travelling. I think every student enjoys it. Some just like to "drive" and some like us likey "flying" and racking up frequent flyer miles...

Wait a second, you bought a house and saved for retirement while you were in grad school, making, what $20,000/year including additional teaching in the summer? Did you use years of student loans for a down payment? I know a few students who put their interest-free student loans into the stock market -- but you bought a friggin house on your own? quite remarkable.