FREE RIDE

Back in the saddle.

In her debut memoir, adventurer biker Schoenmaker, creator of the popular YouTube channel Itchy Boots, shares details of her original transcontinental motorcycle journey from India to the Netherlands. In 2018, after a relationship ended, Schoenmaker sold her house, quit her job as a geologist, and booked a one-way ticket to India with the goal of becoming a travel blogger. However, after experiencing little success, Schoenmaker decided she needed a new plan. Missing the Ducati she sold prior to her trip, she purchased a new bike—this time a Royal Enfield Himalayan, which she christened “Basanti” after the heroine from the 1975 classic Indian film Sholay. With her newfound freedom, Itchy Boots was born. As Schoenmaker contends, “Now I was trying to make traveling my job. But even more than that, I wanted to create and tell visual stories about people and places that not everyone knew.” While Schoenmaker does include some details regarding the landscape and culture of the locations she traversed, her memoir focuses primarily on the ongoing difficulties she experienced with her motorcycle, which may be disappointing for readers who are familiar with her more culturally focused and visually appealing YouTube videos. What her book does offer is a glimpse into the generous nature of strangers who came to her assistance throughout her travels, particularly in those regions that many consider unsafe. As Schoenmaker reflects during the journey, “I’d lost count of the number of people who had helped me without question, refusing my offers of payment, and was overcome by a sense of shame. When was the last time I had given a stranger that much help and love without expecting anything in return?”

Heartwarming inspiration for readers seeking adventure.