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Now, if you don't use a vpn, people can trace where you're trying to access if they can see the logs of the first and third node.
If you're vpn don't keep logs and have no backdoor for the government then your anonymity is enforced by no one being able to track you if you route your traffic this way.

It is also possible to chain vpns or have it so that you use a vpn to connect to a vps to process your requests through tor..

Using tor itself means you may face connectivity problems. I did a speedtest of tor a while ago and got 12mpbs which is a bit like a speed between 3 and 4G mobile networks so if you don't have to be completely anonymous for some tasks you may get away with just a vpn but note that law enforcement are able to track patterns in people and it isn't hard to do so be careful what you think you're safe doing without tor if you want to be completely anonymous.