When to use a VPN and when not to, that is the question?

So here I am, sitting in my hotel room in Lisbon. I am on the hotel’s WiFi network. I do not have a VPN fired up. In fact most of the time I do not use a VPN. When I do it is Mullvad. I did use Nord VPN but the longer contracts, it is possible to pay for Mullvad on a monthly basis, did not play well with my ambivalence towards using a VPN.

Why do I use a VPN? A good question with no clear answer. Maybe I have just read a bunch of articles that make reference to security and VPNs, and my just in case consciousness is pricked.

I’d be curious to learn if, when and why you use a VPN? If you use one, is it active all of the time or only under certain circumstances?