For me, travel is fuel for my imaginative spirit. It allows me to escape the repetition of daily life and disconnect. It also recharges me, helps to generate ideas for my writing, pushes me beyond my comfort zone, and allows me to learn and engage with the world beyond my immediate boundaries. Generally somewhere along the way, I learn different and often better ways of doing things. I usually come back less stressed and a much better employee than when I left (see below for more information on that). Overall, it just makes me a better person.

But, perhaps Mark Twain said it best: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness … broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one's lifetime."

However, as I mentioned in a previous column, "Capitalizing on Millennials' Financial Planning Needs," I've recently embarked on a journey of financial stability and freedom. I have a detailed and strict monthly budget that I follow, which makes taking a vacation a challenge. So, I did what any 34-year-old millennial would do – I got creative.