Bunny's Travel Resources
Learn about Bunny's most important travel tools and techniques.
Bunny is a master travel planner, even if she says so herself. She is known to exhaustively research every single detail about her trips in advance - unless she decides to wing it, but these occasions are rare.
Bunny uses a few essential tools and favorite resources that she could not do without when planning her travels around the world. Check them out below.
Research
Lonely Planet Guidebooks
https://shop.lonelyplanet.com/pages/guide-books
Believe it or not, there was no internet when Bunny first started travelling! She had to rely on physical guidebooks. Lonely Planet quickly became her favorite brand. So even now, when everything and anything can be found online, Bunny still often starts travel planning by buying the relevant Lonely Planet guidebook. She checks the photos, suggested routes, practical details and general information before she starts her more detailed research online. Buying a Lonely Plat Guide at the start of her planning has become like a travel ritual for Bunny.
TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor is Bunny’s travel Bible. She almost never books anything, be it a hotel, a tour or an attraction, without first checking some of the reviews on TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor is the filter through which she screens everything.
Hotels
Bunny uses several hotel reservation sites, but Booking.com is her firm favorite. She likes the fact that Booking.com doesn’t automatically (and extremely annoyingly) change the language into German if she happens to check it at home in Austria (looking at you Expedia.com and Hotels.com!). In addition, Booking.com often has very generous cancellation policies which Bunny appreciates.
Top Tip
When booking a hotel, Bunny always also checks the prices on the hotel’s own website. Sometimes there are generous perks when booking directly. If the price on the hotel’s website matches the one on Booking.com and other booking sites, Bunny prefers direct booking. In her experience, hotels often treat direct bookings better than the ones made through “discount” sites.
Flights
Ebookers
Bunny has used ebookers for buying flights for years and finds it quite handy and simple to use. On ebookers, you don’t often have to add passport details when making the reservation. Bunny is an impatient little rabbit who hates these kinds of extra steps that are not needed or required.
Another thing Bunny likes about ebookers is that it lets you pay with PayPal. ebookers is also quite straightforward about extra charges, and doesn’t add a ton of hidden fees like, for example, opodo.com.
Oftentimes, Bunny will reserve flights directly on airlines’ own websites, particularly if she belongs to the airline’s frequent flyer club. Some airlines, such as Austrian Airlines, have a great online presence, others are OK (Lufthansa, Finnair), and some are to be avoided at all costs (American Airlines).
Travel Inspiration
Sunday Times Travel Magazine
Bunny quite enjoys reading travel magazines - quelle surprise. She subscribes to Sunday Times Travel Magazine and is always looking forward to the new issue. Over the years, she has noticed that the magazine is perhaps a bit repetitive (there are so many places in the world and yet they keep featuring the same locations year after year), but regardless it is always a great read. Bunny also keeps the back issues for future reference. You never know where her travels are going to take her next.
2020 Update: Sadly, Sunday Times Travel Magazine is no longer being published.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
https://www.mrandmrssmith.com/
Bunny is a member of the Mr. & Mrs. Smith travel club but rarely makes bookings through the club itself because she can often find better deals elsewhere. But Mr. & Mrs. Smith is excellent for inspiration. All their hotels have been hand-picked, are usually on the small side and are perfect for couples. Whenever travelling to new places, Bunny first checks Mr. & Mrs. Smith hotels for potential options and inspiration.
Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Bunny has been a member of SLH for years and quite enjoys this club. As an Indulgent member, she is guaranteed a free breakfast and a room upgrade, subject to availability. Some hotels follow the rules better than others but, in general, being a member of SLH usually guarantees a certain level of service. Lately, she has observed a downward trend in SLH’s terms of service and perks though. Hopefully this will not continue.
Yes, Instagram is great for inspiration! When Bunny plans to travel somewhere, she often searches the relevant tags on Instagram to see what to expect and which places and attractions look most interesting. Check out Bunny’s own Instagram feed for some inspiration.
Ground Transport
Uber
Bunny was a little late to the Uber party but is now a big fan. Not only are Uber rides usually cheaper than local taxis, but Bunny actually likes the quality control and transparency of instant ratings and interactive, real-time maps.
Flixbus
Bus is definitely not Bunny’s preferred mode of travel but sometimes it is necessary. She has found Flixbus quite good for all travel in Europe. The prices are cheap too!
Distance Calculator
https://distancecalculator.globefeed.com
Bunny found this distance calculator very helpful when doing research for her Ring Road itinerary in Iceland. Next, she will be testing it in Argentina.
Insurance
Insurance is boring but it’s important, especially when travelling. Bunny knows from personal experience (it’s a long story she may post about some day).
iCarhireinsurance.com
https://www.icarhireinsurance.com/
Even if you use a rental car only a couple of times a year, arranging separate annual insurance can save you lots of money. Bunny has used iCarhireinsurance.com for years. This gives her the peace of mind in knowing that she’ll be covered for any accident or liability and can safely turn down the expensive insurance offered by car hire companies.
Photography Gear
Bunny is a bit photo mad. Half of the fun in travelling for her is looking everywhere for those perfect photo opportunities. That’s why she rarely goes anywhere without her trusted companions at hand wherever she may be hopping.