NordVPN: First Impressions, Review, and Why Do I Need A VPN

NordVPN: My First Impressions and Some Thoughts

I was never too worried about protecting myself with a VPN. A VPN is an encrypted connection tunnel between your devices and the internet that secures your internet connection. However, there is a lot of debate around whether you really need VPN protection or not.

The reason I purchased a VPN, NordVPN to be exact, for the first time is because when I am traveling and trying to log in to my bank accounts they usually block me, thinking I am a scammer trying to log in from a foreign country.

I have a month-long trip coming up in the Philippines and wanted to be worry-free doing my banking online, so I decided to go with NordVPN. I haD NordVPN and Surfshark in mind and decided to go with NordVPN after finding a good deal online.

NordVPN and Surfshark are two big players on the market, although they are the same company, but each operates under a separate entity. NordVPN operates under Panama and Surfshark operates under the Netherlands jurisdiction. Both of they say they have a “zero-log” policy.

I found NordVPN to be user-friendly and intuitive. After using it for ten minutes, I became familiar with the NordVPN Windows app and had no issues changing my location and trying out different settings. Their Android App is also very easy to use.

As I learn more about NordVPN, I will be putting together tips and tricks videos and all these videos can be found here in this Playlist: VPN 101: Tips, Tricks & the Basics

A 5-Star Airline, EVA Air, Does Not Have 24-Hour Customer Service Support

EVA Air’s 24-Hour Customer Service Phone Number Doesn’t Exist

When you think of a 5-Star Airline, the first thing to come to your mind is excellent customer service support and you need a phone number to do that. I tried calling EVA Air for 2 days to reach a live person and failed, and so did my travel agent. This is because it looks like a 24-hour phone number doesn’t exist for EVA Air.

If you try calling EVA Air on their website, it asks you to pick your location and directs you to a local number where no one picks up the phone and it goes to voice mail. I tried calling number after number given to me by my travel agent or found on the EVA Air website. Some of them are: 416-598-8808, 281-209-0022, 800-695-1188, and many others. None of them worked.

One number (801-636-9417) seemed to be claiming to be EVA Air, but when you ask them to provide any sort of information, they hang up. I have a feeling that some of the numbers are scamming people, knowing that customers are looking to reach EVA Air and they can’t because there is no such customer service offered.

What I don’t understand is what are customers supposed to do when they are traveling EVA Air and get stuck in the middle of the trip or emergencies arise and need to contact EVA Air right away? It is possible EVA Air has a 24-hour support line, but they are hiding it and will only reveal it when people are stuck at the airport.

I have a video on this here: https://youtu.be/TfvmDmkROSo

If you happen to know EVA Air’s 24-Hour Customer Service number that works, please leave a comment on that video to help other fellow travellers.

What Is a Smart Business Card (Smart Digital Business Card)

How to Use a Smart Digital Business Card

Smart business cards are the business cards of the future and making a lot of buzz these days. I will give you some highlights about smart business card in this article.

A smart business card is a plastic (they can be metal also) business card, which looks like a regular business card. But it has a scannable QR code to provide contact information or you can even tap it on your NFC-enabled phone to transfer the contact info as a V file.

A smart business card also comes with an app which lets you scan a QR code without the need of a physical smart card. You can update your scannable information any time on the app or on a desktop. This is big difference when compared to a paper business card, as once you print a paper business card it cannot be changed anymore.

Another advantage a smart business card provides is that it never runs out. So once you have one, people can scan or tap forever and you don’t have to worry about running out of cards.

Two big disadvantages of a smart business card are that people may be reluctant to tap and download a vcf file, which is your contact card, thinking it maybe some kind of scam. Also, you have to rush people to scan the QR code, which may not be viable sometimes.

On the other hand, you can hand over a paper business card without rushing and I think you would have a better chance of a follow-up when someone has a physical business card and they wont be thinking of any sort of scam or some sort of unauthorized access to their phone by installing a vcf file.

While both a paper business card with a QR code and a smart digital business card with a QR code and NFC tapping option have advantages and disadvantages, I think paper business cards will still survive a long time.

You can watch this video here for more: What Is A Smart Business Card

How to Choose the Best Airline Seat: Window vs. Aisle

Pros and Cons: Aisle Versus Window Seat on An Airplane

When it comes to choosing the window or aisle seat, I don’t think there is a clear winner as it all depends on various factors. Today, I will talk about some advantages and disadvantages of both and will provide how and when I chose either the window or aisle seat.

Window Seat

Advantages

Here are some of the advantages of a window seat:

- Less disruptive
- Great views
- Control of window cover
- Better sleeping surface
- You have people sitting on only one side

Disadvantages

- Stuck in the same place
- Every time you need to go to the washroom or take a stroll, you need to ask other seatmates
- Unhealthy for longer flights as you can’t get up and walk and stretch as you wish

Aisle Seat

Advantages

Here are some of the advantages of an aisle seat:

- Freedom to get up, stretch, use the washroom and walk anytime you want
- Faster to exit when the plane lands
- Easier to reach your overhead compartment luggage during the flight

Disadvantages

- You will be disrupted every time the other passengers move
- Disrupted by people walking in the aisle
- No views

My personal preference depends on what type of flight I’m on. If I am taking a flight less than 3 to 5 hours, I prefer a window seat. But if my flight is longer, I would go for an aisle seat. I like to get up and walk every hour on long flights and want the freedom to use the washroom whenever I want.

To pick your best flight seat, figure out what factors are important to you and then go from there.

How to Choose Between Backpack vs Suitcase Carry-on

Carry-on Backpack Vs Suitcase | Which One is Better for Travelling

This is a well-debated issue among travelers and the answer mostly relies on personal preference and your travel situations like destinations, complexity of itinerary, and various other factors. I will go over some simple pros and cons in this article to establish my own views.

Carry-on Backpack Suitcase

Advantages

- You can roll it and not carry weight on your back or shoulder.

- Better protection for fragile or sensitive items.

- Option to check-in as luggage if you need to.

- Better for storing awkwardly-shaped items.

Disadvantages

- Difficult to carry on for rough terrain, up and down stairs.

- Bending on your side to hold the handle and roll it can give you pain later on.

- Difficult to shove in the flight overhead bin if it’s almost full.

- Difficult to move around and maneuver at the airport and tight spaces.

- You have to literally open your suitcase to take out electronics, liquids, etc. at the airport security.

- No external pockets or side pockets to keep items you need during your trip.

- If you are late and need to run to catch a flight, the suitcase will be a big problem.

Carry-on Backpack or Convertible Backpack

Advantages

- Comfortable to wear and move around.

- Suitable for rough terrain, up and down stairs, basically anywhere.

- A big plus point is your hands are always free – which is a big advantage.

 - There are external pockets and side pockets to keep items you need during your trip.

- You don’t have to open your backpack to take out electronics, liquids, etc. at the airport security as there are external compartments for these.

- You can shove it in anywhere in the overhead bin, as backpacks are flexible and not hard.

Disadvantages

- If too heavy, backpacks can be difficult to carry and give you backpain.

- Oddly shaped items can poke out and cause trouble.

- Not possible to check-in if you have fragile and sensitive items.

Conclusions

My personal choice is a convertible backpack, but sometimes I use a suitcase if I have a simple trip, such as going to only one resort. However, if you are a content creator, you need to be hands free to video or take pictures and for that reason I use a backpack most of the time.

Whether you use a backpack or a suitcase all depends on your unique travel scenarios and personal preferences. Once you travel a few times with either of these, you will figure out whether a backpack or suitcase fits your travel needs.