About me

Hi, I’m Rachel. Welcome!

Rachel’s Ruminations

Rachel’s Ruminations is a long-established travel blog (first article: 2007!) focused on independent travel with an emphasis on historical sites/sights, as well as reviews of hotels, resorts, cruises, tours, etc. All the articles on Rachel’s Ruminations are human-written, mostly by me, unless otherwise specified. If I write a sponsored review, I always disclose that fact, but try my best not to let it affect my review.

World Heritage Travel

My newer website, World Heritage Travel (founded in 2021), is about just what it says: travel to UNESCO sites. I don’t write all of the posts, though; more than 200 bloggers have helped so far. As far as I can tell, all of these articles are human-written as well, and I edit and add to the articles I receive to make them as clear and useful to readers as possible. If you’re interested in contributing, contact me!

My goals for the World Heritage Travel website are a) to have an article about every single UNESCO site in the world (I’m almost halfway there.) and b) that this site becomes the Wikipedia of UNESCO-site travel!

My email is rachel (at) rachelsruminations (dot) com.

About me

I live in Groningen, in the northeast of the Netherlands. I’m Dutch, but grew up in Connecticut in the US, so English is my first language. My husband, Albert, is also Dutch. We have two kids, though neither one is a kid anymore. After a long career as a teacher and teacher-trainer, I have “retired” early to focus on building these two websites and on travel. I love the combination of writing and traveling. Now that Albert has retired, we’re traveling together more, and on longer trips.

Random facts about me:

  • My kids say my superpower is my sense of smell.
  • I cannot stand to touch wool.
  • I refuse to go camping ever again (except maybe glamping).
  • I love chocolate.
  • I’m scared of flying but I still do it.
  • I’ve been in 81 countries so far and seen 283 UNESCO sites (some of them partially, if they have multiple locations).

So that’s me in a nutshell. I hope you enjoy what I post here; feel free to leave comments!

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Copyright notice: Except for occasional guest posts as indicated, all text on this website is copyright Rachel Heller. The photos are copyright Rachel Heller unless otherwise indicated. Please contact me at rachel (at) rachelsruminations (dot) com to request permission to use any photos or text, specifying which one you are interested in and for what purpose.

DO NOT email me if you’re asking me to publish a guest post or an inserted link for any commercial entity. I do NOT sell do-follow link placements, no matter how much money you offer. And I ALWAYS disclose sponsorships!

My travel recommendations

Planning travel

  • Skyscanner is where I always start my flight searches.
  • Booking.com is the company I use most for finding accommodations. If you prefer, Expedia offers more or less the same.
  • Discover Cars offers an easy way to compare prices from all of the major car-rental companies in one place.
  • Use Viator or GetYourGuide to find walking tours, day tours, airport pickups, city cards, tickets and whatever else you need at your destination.
  • GetTransfer is the place to book your airport-to-hotel transfers (and vice-versa). It’s so reassuring to have this all set up and paid for ahead of time, rather than having to make decisions after a long, tiring flight!
  • Buy a GoCity Pass when you’re planning to do a lot of sightseeing on a city trip. It can save you a lot on admissions to museums and other attractions in big cities like New York and Amsterdam.
  • Ferryhopper is a convenient way to book ferries ahead of time. They cover ferry bookings in 33 different countries at last count.
  • I’ve become an affiliate for VisitorsCoverage travel insurance, mostly because you should ALWAYS have travel insurance when you travel! You may be young and healthy and never get sick, but the fact is, sh*t happens, and it’s worse if you don’t have insurance!
  • Get an e-sim! It’s really awkward to have to rely on WIFI when you travel overseas. An e-sim is a great alternative to paying high roaming fees for your home provider. Both GigSky and Holafly have worked well for me, so it’s worth comparing them. Holafly offers unlimited data, but if you won’t use that much, GigSky might be more cost-effective. For both companies, I’ve sometimes needed help from their customer service to get the e-sim working, but both companies have great customer service, so it wasn’t a big deal. Download either of their apps and activate it when you need it.
    • GigSky: use code RACHEL10 to get a 10% discount.
    • Holafly: use code RUMINATIONSRA for a 5% discount on a travel esim or, if you travel a lot, 10% off a Holafly plan.
  • Another option is a portable wifi modem by WifiCandy. It supports up to 8 devices and you just carry it along in your pocket or bag! If you’re traveling with a family or group, it might end up cheaper to use than an e-sim. Use the code RACHELSRUMINATIONS for a 10% discount.
  • I’m a fan of SCOTTeVEST’s jackets and vests because when I wear one, I don’t have to carry a handbag. I feel like all my stuff is safer when I travel because it’s in inside pockets close to my body.