Money for me is physical freedom, the most literal kind. I work, work, work, but I can jump on a plane and fly anywhere on a whim, and I do. Averaging ~1 new foreign country/month so far this year :-)
Have you seen this guy? http://www.chrisguillebeau.com/
He shares your interest in travel; you might find it interesting.
Freedom from what? Freedom to do what? I think that has to be defined first.
The freest people I have met are those who don't worry about what they can't control, work hard at what they can, and are content with the ups and downs of life. Money seems, to me, to be uncorrelated-- at least above a minimum threshold.