I’m in a similar position but perhaps a few steps ahead. But still needing to regularly lookup things like “how do I do <basic thing like move a folder> in linux?”. The other reply mentions tailscale which I agree is the best for your use case, super simple set up, secure and free, you just need to run one command on the machine or VM and it guides you through the rest. There is an option to allow access to your local network as well (haven’t used it, but have seen it in options). Then it is just like connecting to a vpn from elsewhere to get access.
The other alternative option you might want to explore is a cloudflare tunnel (I used the cloudflared docker container). You’ll need to buy a public domain and then that can redirect to a service you want (e.g. you could access jellyfin from ‘jellyfin.yourname.com’), I set up two-factor authentication which then only allows certain e-mails to get a code to login. This means you don’t need to connect to a VPN and can access from any machine and browser. I’ve used this for things like silverbullet and planka.
You’re right to be wary of unlimited. It’s primarily a way for employers to avoid having to pay out accrued vacation time when staff leave. And create the competitive environment you mentioned over taking few days vs a lot. It seems great at first glance but I’d prefer a set number of days, no ambiguity that way.