In what has come as a major shock to the travel and blogging community, Rachel Jones, better known as the ‘Hippie In Heels’ has passed away. The news was shared by her fiance and friends through a post on her Facebook page. Not much is known about the cause of death, nor where it happened. The news comes at a time when Rachel was planning for her wedding later this year. Earlier posts indicated that she had set out to celebrate her bachelorette in an undisclosed location. The post of her passing that was shared last night on the 12th of May can be seen below.
[UPDATE: 14 July, 2019] In a post titled ‘The Future of Hippie in Heels’, Rachel’s team made a statement clarifying the circumstances under which Rachel passed away. According to the post, “The medical examiner diagnosed Rachel’s cause of death as a heart disease known as chronic myocarditis, which resulted in a sudden heart attack. We now understand that her condition had been undiagnosed and therefore untreated, but likely developed from multiple infections and viruses over the years.” To read the rest of the post, click here.
Jones was a well known, and very well respected writer and blogger in India and the world. Her travel blog Hippie In Heels (www.hippie-inheels.com) became an important resource, specifically for foreigners looking to backpack across India or travel the country on a budget. The blog was based on Jones’ extensive travel experiences, especially in Goa, which she made her home almost a decade ago. During her time here, she published two guides that became extremely popular and were a critical success among first-time travellers to India. The ‘Goa Ebook’ and ‘India Ebook’ covered everything from Visa applications to airport picks and drops, to the best in budget hotels and even how to procure a SIM-card.
Jones’ posts on Goa and India have been featured in multiple leading international publications such as Elle, Grazia, Thomas Cook, and Lonely Planet. Apart from just her travels in India, Jones spent a lot of time travelling through Europe and Mexico. During her travels, she partnered with companies such as World Tourism Forum, Momondo, Bravo, and the Matador Network. She loved sharing her passion for travel and writing, often writing posts on how others could take up travel blogging, and sharing her own personal tips and tricks for getting started. On her passing, her Facebook page was (and still is) inundated with wishes from all over the world. Condolences from those that knew her, friends that loved, but most importantly, travellers who were helped and inspired by her.
Rachel Jones left a lucrative career in nursing in Ohio, to travel the world, and live on the beaches of Goa. Her life is truly an inspiration to all of us – especially young solo female travellers. Though she may have gone too soon, it’s safe to say that she lived her life doing what she loved. Her legacy will definitely live on for the world to read. Rest in peace Rachel. Below are a few of the condolences shared online.
Angie Orth: Rachel was one of the warmest, friendliest, most down-to-earth women in the whole travel blogging community, while also being one of the most successful. She was grounded and funny, gorgeous and generous. I feel so blessed to have known her, even for a short time
Rhiannon Hughes: So very sorry to hear. Rachel’s blog was such an inspiration for my first trip to India. Her posts were always so thought out and super useful. I wouldn’t have had as much confidence about the trip without all of her advice. In recent years I loved keeping up to date with her latest adventures. My heart goes out to you so much.
Maria Lugovskaja: Rachel’s blog was a huge help to me in planning my first trip to India in 2019 march. Really sad about those news. Even though I did not meet her, she inspired me and other people so much through her blog. She seemed to be such a nice, kind, beautiful person inside and out. My favourite blogger, Sending prayers to Rachel´s family and closest people.
Caitlin Cangialosi: I am so heartbroken to hear this. I was a huge fan of Rachel’s blog. I spent a year in India and remember when I first arrived feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to go about planning travel within the county. I stumbled across Hippie in Heels and it was the most helpful and inspiring resource – I ended up using it for every trip. It is so clear she inspired so many others to pursue their travel dreams. Thinking about all of her loved ones.
Hana Greenfield: Rachel’s blog got me through my first ever solo trip, travelling India for 5 months. I’m an extremely anxious person and this trip was huge for me. I could not have done that without her and it’s led to so many amazing changes in myself and my life and so many more adventures. Thank you, Rachel, for everything you’ve done for so many people and all my love and support to Ben and all of Rachel’s friends and family.
