the difference is with Astral Travel you are fully concious and aware. You know you are in astral form and from there can do many things.
I also have dreams that turn real but only when girlfriends and my ex wife cheated on me. I was seeing a girl last summer who I told about this happening and a few months later she went away to the Marlboro ranch and guess what? I had dreams of her cheating on me while she was there. I told her about it the next day when she called from there. well I didnt see her again. she must have freaked out and thought she could never cheat on me without me knowing and so therefore that ended that.