About Rachel Jones

Rachel Jones left a career in nursing and lived on the beaches of Goa, India for the five years. Now she lives in Mexico where she gives advice on the 40+ countries she’s visited in the last 10 years. She’s the author of two India travel e-books: Guide to India and Insider’s Guide to Goa. Her blog, Hippie in Heels, like its name, is a contradiction combining off-beat adventurous places with glamorous and bespoke travel. Hippie in Heels has been featured in ELLE, Marie Claire, Grazia, and Cosmopolitan magazines. She’s a writer for Bravo TV.

123- Foot Murudeshwar Shiva Statue, India

Babu pointed out the window and said “Look, Shiva!” I looked over and saw the Murudeshwar Shiva statue, the most massive Shiva I’ve seen in my life. It’s the second tallest statue of Lord Shiva in the world (the biggest being in Nepal), and is located on the edge of the Arabian Sea. We didn’t

The Start of an Amazing Assamese Adventure!

I've recently gotten back from a trip to NE India with the company Holiday Scout and have so much amazing stuff to share with you guys. It was an 11 day trip and in some time, I'll be sharing a review about the company but first I'm going to share a few posts about the

Luxury Guide to Vienna

Welcome to Backpacker's Boutique. Every Sunday, this spot will feature a new travel blogger. Some weeks it will be a really fun interview about packing, fashion, and fitness so you can snoop inside their bags & lives a little bit and other weeks it'll be a detailed luxury guide to a city the featured blogger/expat knows very well. E-mail me if

This is India! 81

Welcome back to This is India! I always have funny/weird stories about India to share with friends or family when I talk to them. This is just meant to be an honest portrayal about my life in India through short anecdotes. I also share here what I’ve been up to online outside Hippie in Heels.

How to Backpack NorthEast India (FAQ, Answered.)

I recently spent some time in Northeast India in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam with Holiday Scout. It's a misunderstood tribal area of India, and when I first came here 3 years ago, was barely mentioned in Lonely Planet; it was not recommended to visit because of safety reasons. But now Northeast tourism is growing and NorthEast

Backpackers Boutique: Packing Tips from World This Weekend

Welcome to Backpacker's Boutique. Every Sunday, this spot will feature a new travel blogger. Some weeks it will be a really fun interview about packing, fashion, and fitness so you can snoop inside their bags & lives a little bit and other weeks it'll be a detailed luxury guide to a city the featured blogger/expat knows very well. If you'd like

This is India! 80

Welcome back to This is India! I always have funny/weird stories about India to share with friends or family when I talk to them. This is just meant to be an honest portrayal about my life in India through short anecdotes. I also share here what I’ve been up to online outside Hippie in Heels.

Ask Me Anything: How to tell your parents you want to travel

I sometimes share e-mails under the tag "ask me anything". I get a lot of very similar e-mails which means there are a lot of people out there thinking the same questions. Why not address them to everyone? You can search more like these by clicking that link above. "My friends want to go on a year