I can only speak for our London stay but the chores of daily life took up very little time. At home we had a three storey house with a front and back yard that needed tending. In London we had a one bedroom apartment and didn't have to deal with any household problems. If any little thing went wrong, we called our apartment owner who took care of it. I honestly can't remember any even medium-sized problems.
We got to explore London in detail and while we were there had a lovely visit to the Cotswolds, one trip to Lisbon, one trip to Hamburg and two to Paris. We were planning to go to Barcelona but our time in London was getting short and I didn't want to spend what was left of it anywhere else.
We've been back to London several times since then and every time there are new things to explore and old favourites to re-visit. If I could, I'd say yes to a four-month stay there in a heartbeat!
I know it's not for everyone and if I could only do long-stay or touristing, I might opt for touristing but as it was, we got to do some of both during that time, plus we still take touristing vacations elsewhere.

I just wanted to add, to be fair, that this stay was not a financial hardship for us. My SO was on sabbatical so he was receiving most of his pay (80%, I think) and I had saved up lots of vacation time and only had to take about 8 weeks of unpaid time.
But also, to be fair to my SO, while he was being paid for that sabbatical, he was working (research, writing, presenting papers at conferences, supervising a grad student, etc.) many hours a week.

annhig and goddesstogo, of course you are both right and I would be perfectly happy to stay for months in a place which allowed me to explore new places on a regular basis (either within the town or as day trips). I could imagine doing that in one of many large towns or cities. My husband has in mind a long stay in a village though, and that I'm less confident of. I would just want to be able to see and do things that I can't at home. It's a question of being busy and engaged, whether that's a region or a single town. And nowadays I tend to plan for 4 nights to a week in each place that I visit so I'm not moving on as much as I might once have done. I know I'll never see every place that I'd like to, nor return to all the places that I've loved in the past. An extended holiday is such a privilege and I know we're lucky to even be contemplating such a thing - although at the moment, in my bleak moments, I wonder how long it will be before we can travel anywhere (we are, again, currently under a 5km travel limit). However, that doesn't stop me dreaming and scheming!

Much of our slow-ish travel was during the dreadful winter months of the USA's Midwest. So if we ran out of things to do, we were more than happy just to go outdoors and not have snow, ice, slush & wind. The snowbird thing, although we'd rarely spend much time in a coastal area. Likewise getting away from the heat & humidity for a month or so in the summer.

I wouldn't want to do a long term stay in a village more than an hour from a hub airport.

When my sibling and their spouse bought their house in the (boring as hell) French countryside, one of the rules was that it had to be within an hour of an international airport.

When I was able to travel internationally for a month, I would do a series of out and back trips to the main city, traveling with a lighter bag and retaining some stuff at the home base (either a friend's house or a lodging that I've used over the years and trusted for security).

One of the reasons I liked cruising was that the stuff stayed in the room with all services taken care of, while the floating hotel/petri dish moved to a new place every day or so. OTOH I am not a fan of long stretches at sea, ideally no more than 2 to 3 in a row.

I really, really don't need to visit yet another cute little village in Europe. More places to see means new countries (not beaches, either) and cultures not another garden or church. YMMV.

I guess I am "reverse snowbird" mostly a baby when it comes to humidity in August. Which by Midwest standards is minor here in Southern California (forecast 61 percent and 84 degrees). I am headed for the air conditioned supermarket and beach today for an escape. I used to go to a 3pm movie but won't do it during COVID. Backup plan for those of us with no home A/C is to find a hotel somewhere.

"I wouldn't want to do a long term stay in a village more than an hour from a hub airport."

Well, I pretty much agree with this. I'm a city girl through and through. I don't mind a week or so in a small town if we can visit other towns nearby. We had a small cottage for a week on the west coast of Ireland and that was fun because we were halfway between two very charming towns. But for the most part, I like to be in a city, even if that 'city' is a town.
I have friends who absolutely adore the villa they've stayed in several times, just outside Florence, and it does look lovely and gets wonderful reviews. But if I'm going to Florence, I'm going to stay in Florence. I want to step out my door and be THERE, not have to get in the car and drive there.

"When I was able to travel internationally for a month, I would do a series of out and back trips to the main city, traveling with a lighter bag and retaining some stuff at the home base "

This pretty much describes the London stay although because it was a longer stay, the times in between traveling were longer which gave us more time to explore London.

"More places to see means new countries (not beaches, either) and cultures not another garden or church. YMMV"

What's YMMV? And this is where we differ, not about the churches or gardens (and god knows, I don't need another castle ruin!) but I thing that to truly be involved in the culture, longer stays are better than visits.

YMMV=Your Mileage May Vary.
Mlgb, I was thinking about you specifically (as a Long Beach denizen) and realized that you and perhaps a couple others here already enjoy nice year-round climate in their home area. Nebraska only had 3 seasons, winter, summer, and get ready for winter.

<<Well, I pretty much agree with this. I'm a city girl through and through. I don't mind a week or so in a small town if we can visit other towns nearby. We had a small cottage for a week on the west coast of Ireland and that was fun because we were halfway between two very charming towns. But for the most part, I like to be in a city, even if that 'city' is a town.
I have friends who absolutely adore the villa they've stayed in several times, just outside Florence, and it does look lovely and gets wonderful reviews. But if I'm going to Florence, I'm going to stay in Florence. I want to step out my door and be THERE, not have to get in the car and drive there.>>

I agree goddesstogo. Though of course one of the problems of being in a big city can be getting to the station to take excursions. During my first stay in Bologna [2 weeks at a language school which gave me afternoons and weekends for exploring] I spent at least as long waiting for and on the bus getting to the station as I did actually getting to Bologna on the train when I stayed in a town about 30 mins by train from the city. For excursions to other places like Modena and Ferrara that proved in some way easier than starting off from Bologna as I had only a 10 min walk down to the station, the trains were every 30 mins, and the local train deposited me at Bologna Centrale ready to catch the next train. By contrast the Bologna buses were awful - late and regularly held up by traffic so you never knew how long it would take to get to the station. On my second stay there I was a bit wiser and stayed closer to the station so I could easily walk back and forth, and know what time I'd be getting there!

"On my second stay there I was a bit wiser and stayed closer to the station so I could easily walk back and forth, and know what time I'd be getting there!"
That's the benefit of a return visit anywhere, I think. You're more familiar with the lay of the land, so to speak, and can make your choices more wisely.
I absolutely loved Bologna -- it's now my favourite city in Italy!

Yes baldone, there is less incentive to 'snowbird' when you already live with good year round climate and easy access to beaches, mountains and deserts! And a foodie paradise as well.

I am SOOO glad that my many times rescheduled trip to Mexico City and Puebla happened "before". There were a few earthquakes and then some alternative trips that bumped things but I made it!

<<"On my second stay there I was a bit wiser and stayed closer to the station so I could easily walk back and forth, and know what time I'd be getting there!"
That's the benefit of a return visit anywhere, I think. You're more familiar with the lay of the land, so to speak, and can make your choices more wisely.
I absolutely loved Bologna -- it's now my favourite city in Italy!>>

Goddesstogo - not sure I'd go quite that far [my heart will always belong to Venice] but I certainly enjoyed being there a lot and I'd happily spend more time there - still loads more to see even after three weeks there.

I love university cities. There's always such a vitality to them and lots going on. Plus even if you tire of Bologna (ha! fat chance of that happening, for me anyway), there are so many lovely towns within day trip distance.
I can certainly see the romance and beauty of Venice but to me it seemed like a sort of magical fairy-tale place, not a place where I could actually live. Well, I am after all a Virgo -- a definite earth sign, and never too comfortable around lot of water!

<<I love university cities. There's always such a vitality to them and lots going on. Plus even if you tire of Bologna (ha! fat chance of that happening, for me anyway), there are so many lovely towns within day trip distance.
I can certainly see the romance and beauty of Venice but to me it seemed like a sort of magical fairy-tale place, not a place where I could actually live. Well, I am after all a Virgo -- a definite earth sign, and never too comfortable around lot of water! >>

Goddesstogo - I fell in love with Venice when I first went there on a "school cruise" aged 17, and I never stopped. More recently I got to know a fodorite who moved there about 10 years ago now, and I find that the more time I spend there the more liveable it seems. Seeing how my friends have made a life for themselves there makes it seem extremely possible. By contrast, I can't see myself living in Bologna, great place though it is. And Venice is a university city itself of course.

Oh I could most definitely live in Venice. Or on the lake in Switzerland. I mean if there was a way, I would be extremely comfortable either of those places. They really hit my heart.

OK, this works. I'll live in Bologna, you guys live in Venice and we can have GTGs!

<<OK, this works. I'll live in Bologna, you guys live in Venice and we can have GTGs!>>

works for me!

One way of financing a long stay is a home exchange, though I have to say the longest I've ever done is several three-week stints in Amsterdam, and back-to-back months with partners in Toronto and Vancouver. It needs some preparatory thought and plenty of communication with prospective partners (and three loads of laundry when you get back - what you left, what your guests used, and what you used while away!). But you get some inside gen from your hosts on local shopping, eating and things to do that locals do. And no hotel bills. (And for the anxious: I've never had a problem with exchange partners in twenty or so years of doing this).

I imagine the websites/directories will have suffered a lot during YouKnowWhat (certainly the one I've used most seems to have disappeared), but I see these are still going:

https://www.sabbaticalhomes.com/

https://www.guardianhomeexchange.co.uk/

Hi Patrick,
Oh, I wish we'd met when you were in Toronto although I do believe we met at a GTG in London, right?
I met a former US fodorite when she and her husband did a home exchange in Toronto many years ago and she and I have kept in touch since then. She didn't live in my house but in another house in my neighbourhood. She and her husband did many exchanges.
Our visit to London wasn't a home exchange but we did use sabbaticalhomes.com to get our apartment in London.

Some time ago there was a fodorite home exchange scheme going. I don't know what happened to it.

By many peoples standards our travel is slow, very slow. Mmost of our trips are (or rather were) for a minimum of six months so we have the time to take it slowly. It is certainly not for everyone. Like many things in life, it is a question of getting the balance right. On a long trip I have a self imposed minimum of three nights in any one place (more often it is 4 or 5 nights). We often spend the last month in one location. Partly to get over travel fatigue, partly so we can shop and cook in the “local” style of wherever we happen to be using the local produce. We will also often break a long trip in the middle with a couple of weeks stay in a single location - alway nice etc take a break from restaurants and hotels and have our own space and facilities

Not sure that I agree with dreamon’s assertion in the original post that "You're not there long enough to make friends or meaningful connections”. We certainly have made friends and keep in contact with many in many different parts of the world - one of the joys of travel and part of the reason we return to places more than once.

One advantage of staying a while in a place is that you can get under the skin of a place and see things, eat in places and do stuff that would be very difficult to do within a stay of a few days. (Which may be why I like BA more than others seem to ). When staying longer, day or overnight trips become more viable and easier without the need to carry lots of bags around (although we do travel very light even on long trips).

That said, I am never averse to to a very packed long weekend as long as it is based from a nice hotel to where I can return at teh end of each day!