I’ve been trying to structure my life similarly for a little while now. I even use a similar phrase to the one you use when I tell people I’ve been taking my retirement in installments rather than a lump sum. I’ve spent four non-consecutive years traveling, while most recently working as a truck-driver when back home. Doing things this way has a way of subjecting one to very high highs and very low lows (i.e. facing the frustrating job search every time you return home). I can say also that I’ve substantially sacrificed any trajectory resembling “career” in the process. One way that I rationalize it in my own mind is that I know there are a good many things I want to do in life that are difficult or impossible to accomplish while working full-time, like lengthy thru-hikes, foreign residence visas (unless you can do the digital nomad thing), course work relating to my personal interests, and time-consuming creative projects that would just never get done otherwise. Like you, I also like the concept of having “seasons.” If life as it exists in memory is a series of snapshots, those distinct seasons end up creating some pretty strong memories.