Not that I’d ever lie to a border agent, but:
Visiting relative/friend who just had a c-section to help out while she recovers. Ditto any other requires-six-weeks-to-fully-recover surgeries. Probably works for any debilitating illness in general.
You’ve overthought that, visiting friends/family is a perfectly good reason to visit a country for months, without the long explanation. As long as the friend/family member can back it up when border force ring them.
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I don’t think I’ve ever visited someone for two months. Not even two weeks. It could be cultural, though, and distance related. My cousin, who lives in US, visits her son in Australia every other year and stays six weeks.
Working on a book or dissertation? Taking mental health time away from home? Tracing their ancestral or cultural roots? Taking a course of the non-academic kind (which doesn’t require a visa, like taking cooking or language lessons)? Trying to spend time with a romantic interest (though that might trigger concerns that you’ll overstay or try to marry them for residency)? Trying to decide whether to migrate there? Trying to figure out whether to apply for a work transfer if their employer has a location there? Doing RV’ing across the country? Fulfilling a dream of living there, though they can’t actually move there? Getting medical care — some people get cosmetic or dental procedures done in some countries, because it’s cheaper than back home (called “medical tourism”)? Taking a sabbatical?
I’m sure there are plenty of other reasons — those are off the top of my head. And personally when I was a kid, our parents would take us or send us to our homeland for months during summertime. My mom didn’t work, so she could stay for a stretch without worry. Plenty of people in our immigrant circle went abroad for months at a time, especially retirees or women who didn’t work.
Note: You might have to prove you can afford to support yourself without working in the country if you don’t have the right to work there.
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Would they ring them? 
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On a series on border crossings that shows a bunch of countries (I’ve watched it on social media), yes, border agents do sometimes call the local contact to see whether they corroborate what the traveler told them. They do it when they suspect your travel is not legit. Often that involves suspicions that you’ll try to work there. In such cases, they often look through your electronics for incriminating messages and emails, too.
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I don’t know about Europe, but on the Oz border force TV program they do (the program we have the UK — no idea what you call it).
We vanish every few months to Spain for 6 wks - 2/3 months, but our son lives there.
@Val,
Hmmm. I’m not an attorney. I have watched some video tapes on youtube posted by US attorneys about entering the US, and taking care of a sick relative might not be the easiy in you think. In the US at least, they are looking to keep out anyone who might overstay their visa, so a story like this – which probably isn’t tourism to begin with – might not be very productive and would certainly require some validation. All of the advice I have seen involves the idea that one should never try to be “creative.”
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Taking a language course.
I actually did that over a couple months, so it’s pretty viable excuse I think.
What about slow travel - taking time to experience an area like a local. Or maybe language immersion?
From the border crossing-series I have seen, the officers would call all the time to check what you say actually is true.
But if they take you into control it would be either
- you’re picked random by the system for control, or
- they pick up on something about you. They have a trained eye, and I’m sure they can single out more just for that gut feeling.
A bad conscience can be really telling, so overthinking doesn’t do you any favors.
I travel for tourism. Where are you staying? At «hotel». Can be verified. You only have bookings for «nights». Yes, I’ll figure out how long I’ll stay. I’ll visit «church» and «attraction». For me culture is everyday life, people, language, food..
Later I’m considering going to.. Do you have funds for your stay - this is important. Yes, I have funds and insurance. Do you have a return ticket? Yes (or no, I like to be flexible.)
And ofc don’t cross borders with something illegal - be it fruit or drugs or whatever. 
From the border control-series the officers are nice enough, but you must back up what you say. So don’t say you’re a tourist without knowing anything on what there is to see or do, like many on the show cannot.
If you’re really worried maybe not do sits of that kind. Many sitters are legally allowed to do sits many great places and one can decide to only do those and still do great.
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It puts you off travelling tbh
I can see that happening for some folks. It’s more of a hassle for full-time nomads who sit abroad and lack the right to work.
Personally, I’ve cut back on sitting this year and it has nothing to do with borders. I’ll be doing more non-sit travel, as well as nesting. Happily, remodeling at our new-to-us house has finally finished.
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