I had a coworker at BigCo who would disappear for a month every summer. I wasn't paying attention to other PTO days through the year so I assumed that extra PTO for work anniversaries added up faster than I thought.
Turns out they were just taking a leave of absence, every year, to travel, and just eating the pay cut.
Perhaps very few make that year after year, but that's a totally achievable total compensation anywhere in the top half of the individual-contributor range if they get two good evals in one year. I work at one of those companies, and I'm sure I talk every day with people who have hit that level at least once.
Turns out they were just taking a leave of absence, every year, to travel, and just eating the pay cut.