But I think most of them were just on random blogs I stumbled across a couple of times, which I didn't follow and I didn't read up about their situation.

If it's a matter of defining "travel" or being willing to tap it in case of a real emergency then that makes perfect sense to me

Here are my reasons (in no particular order).

1) I can always use my vacation fund as an emergency fund in case something comes up. I won't be taking a vacation until the end of the year at the earliest, which should give me more time to build up my emergency fund (although my vacation fund would probably still have more).

2) It's nice to have a light at the end of the tunnel to motivate you. Unfortunately, it takes a while to turn your finances around, even after you've started making the right choices.

Each month, I've been paying down lots of (interest free) debt – probably $1000 a month. I'm working hard on my improving my finances so I can enjoy life more. Taking trips is something I greatly enjoy (and the wife even more so than me, if that's possible).

Having something to look forward to is a great motivating factor, especially when that initial rush wears off, and you're left thinking about how long it's going to be before you can actually reap the benefits of your hard work.

3) I've been increasing the amount of my emergency fund deposit by 10% each paycheck (twice a month), while my vacation deposits stay the same or decrease. Probably within two or three months, I'll be putting more in my emergency fund anyway.

4) I know it's not the ideal or perfect thing to do, but I'm trying to do make changes that are sustainable, while allowing myself to do the things I truly enjoy.

I could be wrong, but I think it was Ramit Sethi that suggests cutting spending mercilessly in areas you don't care about, but keep spending on the things that truly are.

I've been really cutting back on my spending, and have even starting saving for future expenses with an accrural-style budget.

If I'm meeting the rest of my goals, and am not paying any interest on my credit card debt, then I don't see why I can't take responsible vacations (meaning I pay in cash, and nothing is sacrificed for me to pay for it).

Say, for example, I have to travel to attend my sister’s wedding. I can’t not go, and I can’t tell her “no, wait, don’t get married until my emergency fund is completely funded!” So, I’m putting aside money every month in a “travel fund” for these expenses so that I won’t rack up debt or dip into my emergency fund to make ends meet that month.

In reality, it’s all money/savings and I think most people would have few qualms about dipping into if a real emergency demanded it — it’s just a way of mentally earmarking certain pots for different purposes.