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.

Bear Watching at the Sloth Bear Resort Near Hampi!

I deviated from my goMowgli tour a little bit and took some extra time to check out the popular Sloth Bear Resort in the Daraji Sloth Bear Sanctuary as it's one of the best things to do in Hampi. The Jungle Lodges are Government run and are dotted all over Karnataka. I’ve also done a

Aihole and Pattadakal | 100’s of barely visited temples

Before the Chalukya ruled Badami and made all those cave rock carvings, Aihole was the location of the Empire with the capital in Pattadakal. I visited Aihole and Pattadakal these places with goMowgli on a three-day tour from Hampi. Update: As of 2018, GoMowgli is no longer in operation. If you want a tour to Aihole

Why You’ve Got to See the Badami Cave Temples

There was once an empire called the Chalukya’s. Yes, I also didn’t know that. But I was about to find out a hell of a lot about them! Just a 3 hour drive from Hampi, it’s another awesome spot for temples and hiking, yet none of the tourists come here. Oh wait, I did see

Luxury Guide to London

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! 37

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.

Weekend of Bliss at the Alila Diwa Goa

When it comes to the 5 star hotel “experience” Alila Diwa Goa knocks it out of the park. This is my favorite luxury hotel in South Goa. My biggest question over the last weekend I spent there was "where should I have my next drink?" Don't forget to pick up my Insider Guide to Goa and my

Do Something Different in Goa | See “Playground”

For those of us that live in Goa and do the same things again and again, it's nice to change it up even if only for an hour. I was invited to see Playground and jumped on the chance as I'd just been complaining to Ben that I was bored of the same old thing.

Guide to Hampi | Second Time in Hampi

Back to Hampi! The old Vijayanagar empire was the first stop on the Hampi loop of the goMowgli tour. We start in Hampi and then onward to cave temples at Badami, and the temples of Aihole and Pattadakal for a 3-day tour. Important: Make sure to read my 8 Things to do in Hampi post because