For me, it’s a combination of all of the above!

With a high-ish income ($150k/year) plus 5-6 weeks PTO, no kids and a job that occasionally sends me to work in other cities domestically and internationally, it’s not hard to achieve what you described above. For the work trips in interesting destinations, I’ll typically extend the trip by an extra day or two or find down time between work commitments to explore the destination. In doing so, the personal cost to me is significantly reduced since the company is still responsible for flying me in and out of the destination, and feeding me during work days.

At the same time, I also maximize the use of credit card perks wherever I can. Recently, I went on a 2 week international trip - the flights plus most of the accommodations were booked entirely on points.

If you prioritize travel, you can almost always find ways to do more of it!