Half way between living in Europe and conventionally visiting it

The positive aspect of your plan is that your wife and you could try it out in phases. Start with 1-2 months in Europe and the following year extend your time to three months, etc. You might even consider making your US home on the East Coast and going back & forth twice a year. You might consider being in Europe during both shoulder seasons (probably cheaper/ less crowded) and end in someplace warm, like Spain, before being back in the US during winter.

Interesting idea.

You may struggle to find places that offer much in the way of rental “deals” between early June and late September, although there are some great deals to be had in coastal places such as Spain and Portugal between early November and the end of March.

My own house insurance only permits me to be away for a maximum of 90 nights.

I haven’t tried home exchange, but if using a reputable agency, this could work for at least part of the time, although you would have to have a house in an area that would appeal to visitors. Many swaps seem to be for 2-3 weeks.

This is my retirement plan! Maybe not 4 or 5 months, more like 3. Like your wife, my husband is slightly more reluctant about the idea. But, I’ve got time to work on him!😜
In the mean time, we try to get there as much as we can.

You could probably do this for up to a year, but beyond that it may become problematic as it may be seen as trying to move to Europe without "jumping" through all the hoops. Before committing to this, I would recommend you seriously look the the rules concerning entrance to each of the countries you wish to visit.

That's what I've been doing for the last four years. Traveling full time.

When I need a break, I take advantage of long stay rates at extended stay hotels.

I have to return to the USA every three months to refill my prescriptions. I can't get more than that.

No home. Just a 5 x 5 storage unit.

Look at HomeFreeAdventures.com or the book Home Sweet Anywhere for inspiration/ideas.

EDIT: Not that you need inspiration, but your wife might!

You can absolutely make this work if you are careful and keep paying your US taxes. 😁. The downside would be never having a base, a “home,” and no attachments, i.e., friends. That can be a plus for awhile, I suppose, but also may be tiring.

I do know people who own property in Italy and go there twice a year for 89 days without any problem.

I lived in Germany for four years and loved it, but I was a DoD civilian employee and had the benefit of free housing (housing allowance) and use of the Post Exchange and Commissary.

We had the best of both worlds.

If you lived on the economy (that was for Americans that didn't qualify for those benefits) you paid almost double for your groceries and perhaps more for clothes, etc. Housing is expensive as well as the utility bills. On the economy, there were no gas coupons for cheap gas. You get the picture.

Of course, there are cheaper places to live in Europe than Germany. Portugal and Spain would be my choice.
However, if you don't know the language and have to acquire housing, just signing a lease in Spanish or Portugese would call for assistance. Most Europeans that rent apartments stay in them for many years and in Germany, kitchens are not even included. You had to buy your own kitchen appliances and cabinets before you move in the apartment. Perhaps that is not the case in Spain or Portugal?

Living in a foreign country is a great educational experience, but it has its own irritants. In Germany, when it snows or you have ice on your sidewalk, you are responsible for clearing the public sidewalk. Purchasing a vehicle you will encounter the government bureaucracy and if you think it is like going to the DMV in the US, forget it. I remember my first trip to Spain 35 years ago. It took me an hour to cash travelers checks. In the USA or Germany, it was more like 5 or 10 minutes.

Also, once you establish a home, it is easy take in the country, but if you want to see countries far from your country, like going from Spain to Germany or the UK, rail travel is a bit expensive. Yes, there are cheap air tickets available, but checking luggage may be extra.

We travel a lot, and not just to Europe, we love Asia, South America and Australia/NZ. We have plans for a safari in Africa. If you are in Europe, getting to those places will cost you as well.

Living in the USA and travel still gives us a great life. When we are home, we can visit family and enjoy our community, then travel at a relatively low cost.
Our average RT flights to Europe have run about $1200 pp. Compared to what we spend when we get there, that is a fraction of what we spend.

Your plan is completely workable and within the rules as far as you have written it.

I have lived overseas many times in some usual and unusual places I have lived in Paris and Switzerland, Cambodia and Egypt and a few others. I can tell you from experience that is always rewarding, sometimes frustrating and at other times much easier in many ways than living in the USA.

You soon learn that every country does some things really well...better in most cases than we do the same things at home. And in others they fall down a bit.

Where I think your plan needs some assistance is this: Pick out the countries you are most interested in and take a trip there for the full time of your allowed visa. If you think this might be a good place for you then come back and rent a house. DO not use a vacation rental service or even a realtor. They will always steer you to overpriced places. Hire a translator if needed for specific negotiations.
Scan the local papers and post ups for houses for rent. Talk to other expats. Network. You will be surprised how many you can find. You will likely get a place to live that is close in cost to what the locals would pay.

I would definitely NOT buy anything until you have spent at least a year in a place. Now despite all of the talk here about she gen...each country has different rules to get a long term or resident visa. Go to their embassy website and see what info there is. It may take a good deal of searching but you will come up with the rules. Some are very strict and require lots of verifiable income and others are much more lenient.

My personal bias would be to stay away from places that are overrun with expats already like the coast of Spain and Portugal. I would look for the “emerging” popular places like Bulgaria, Montenegro, Slovenia etc..

If you do eventually buy property and plan to live full time most countries have a “buy In” resident visa program if you spend a certain amount on property and have some decent verifiable income.

There are tons of magazines out there most published in Great Britain and lots of websites that tell you a lot about doing exactly what you propose...

Good idea and good luck if you go for it.

Another site you might enjoy is bbqboy.net, from a couple who have been "living" in Europe for a while. They spent quite awhile traveling around and then focused on finding a place they wanted to stay long-term. Spoiler alert: they chose Split, Croatia.

As a technique to at least spend more time in Europe, divert some of your retirement savings and purchase a home/apartment. When I did this 10 years ago a nice place in an area that would generate short term rental income was about $50k. That particular city has gotten a lot more expensive, but there are plenty of untapped inexpensive options. I'm searching a few now. Using it yourself as a base will save you thousands in hotel rooms or short term rentals; and renting it part time you can still generate enough income to pay for a few international plane tickets. Then there are some tax advantages worth a few bucks. But look for a place that is well connected with discount airlines.

And your retirement money? Cash out when you are ready and the appreciation might be as good as the stock market, or at least bonds. With two properties, one in Schengen and one out you can avoid the visa issue, although i don't think it hard to get a long stay visa if you aren't going to work.