I know for a fact this is possible --or at least was --because I had a coworker/mentor who did this several times in his career. Every few years he would take off work, and stay unemployed until his savings ran low. In my view there were several factors that made this work for him:

1. He was exceptionally good at what he did.
2. He had no dependents, lived modestly, and didn't spend much. Nor was he planning on a lifestyle change in the future (no plans for marriage, or kids).
3. He stayed on the cutting edge of the field, even when he wasn't working.
4. He had an in-demand skill set, in a good job market.
5. He was willing to travel or change location for work.
6. As a front-end/UI/UX specialist, he was able to sell himself on the strength of his portfolio, not just his resume.
7. He was ready, willing and able to wait for the right opportunities to come along.

In my opinion, pre-pandemic, any competent IT professional could have done the same, subject to the above. But under current conditions, who knows what the economic state of the world will be by the time your sabbatical ends.

I know for a fact this is possible --or at least was --because I had a coworker/mentor who did this several times in his career. Every few years he would take off work, and stay unemployed until his savings ran low. In my view there were several factors that made this work for him:

1. He was exceptionally good at what he did.
2. He had no dependents, lived modestly, and didn't spend much. Nor was he planning on a lifestyle change in the future (no plans for marriage, or kids).
3. He stayed on the cutting edge of the field, even when he wasn't working.
4. He had an in-demand skill set, in a good job market.
5. He was willing to travel or change location for work.
6. As a front-end/UI/UX specialist, he was able to sell himself on the strength of his portfolio, not just his resume. (In other words, he was able to show off samples of his work that proved his expertise.)
7. He was ready, willing and able to wait for the right opportunities to come along.

In my opinion, pre-pandemic, any competent IT professional could have done the same, subject to the above. But under current conditions, who knows what the economic state of the world will be by the time your sabbatical ends.