Free Ride cover art

Free Ride

Heartbreak, Courage, and the 20,000-Mile Motorcycle Journey that Changed My Life

Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for £0.00
£8.99/mo thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Offer ends 31 July 2025 at 23:59 GMT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Free Ride

By: Noraly Schoenmaker
Narrated by: Imani Jade Powers
Try for £0.00

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends 31 July 2025 23:59 GMT. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

By the YouTube sensation with more than two million followers, the inspiring account of a woman in her thirties who, in a moment of personal crisis, embarked on an epic, transcontinental motorcycle ride – and along the way found a new sense of purpose.

Noraly Schoenmaker was a thirty-something geologist living in the Netherlands when she learned that her live-in partner had been having a long-term affair. Suddenly without a place to stay, she decided to quit her job and jet off to India in search of a new beginning. Her plans were dashed when she fell quickly and helplessly in love: with a motorcycle. Behind the handlebars, she felt alive and free – nimble enough to trace the narrowest paths, powerful enough to travel the longest of roads.

She covered remote and utterly unfamiliar territory; broke down on impossibly steep mountains; and pushed too many miles along empty roads, farther and farther from civilization. Through her travels, she discovered the true beauty of the world - the kindness of its people, the simplicity of its open spaces, as well as her own inner strength.

In spirit of The Motorcycle Diaries and Wild, this is an inspiring story of self-discovery and renewal. Filled with unforgettable figures, hilarious disasters and powerful human connections, it shows you what happens when you open your heart and let the world in.

© 2025 Noraly Schoenmaker (P) 2025 DK Audio

Imani Jade Powers
is an actor, writer and singer who has narrated over 90 audiobooks. She has narrated romance, contemporary fiction, fantasy and YA. Including the likes of Ava Reid’s Lady Macbeth and Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s The Beautiful Ones. When she is not narrating she is acting specifically on Broadway in Harry Potter & The Cursed Child.

Noraly Schoenmaker is the creator of Itchy Boots, a YouTube channel with more than two million loyal subscribers. A motorcycling obsessive, her journeys have taken her the length of the American continent, from Argentina to Alaska; from the northernmost point of Europe to the southernmost point of Africa; and to some of the least travelled regions of the globe. Trained as a biologist and geologist, she is based in the Netherlands.

Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Asia Travel Writing & Commentary Women Funny Heartfelt Witty Inspiring Middle East Iran

Listeners also enjoyed...

Lone Rider cover art
The Wrong Way Round cover art
Jupiter's Travels cover art
Into Africa cover art
A Fast Bike to Byzantium cover art
To Look for America cover art
Going the Wrong Way cover art
Do It While You Still Can cover art
In Search of Greener Grass cover art
Dreaming of Jupiter cover art
Near Varna cover art
Eureka: Finding the Line Between Desire and Contentment, Then Riding It cover art
Distant Suns cover art
Unlost cover art
Through the Yellow Visor cover art
101 Motorcycle Adventures and Tours cover art
All stars
Most relevant  
As inspiring and well written and on par with any of the till now more famous motorcycle adventure books.

Inspiring

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

A great travalogue by Noraly - enjoyed her writing style, and looking forward to the next one!

One negative - did not like the audio narrative style - the ‘airy’ and somehow ‘dreamy’ narrator did not suit the content nor do it justice.

Great ADV motorcycle book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I have followed Itchy Boots on YouTube for a couple of years now and it was great to hear how it all began.
The vlogs are always really professional and entertaining.
This was a great listen on my own recent motorcycle trip around Europe.

I hope she writes some more books .

Great to hear how itchy boots began.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Such a great story of a journey told in a honest and humble way. Great

Lovely genuine lady

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This is a good audio book spoilt by an inappropriate American accented reading, it would have been better read by a Dutch person in English.

Great story bad reading

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Really nice easy to listen to book. Seen the YouTube episodes season 1 I think. It felt familiar as you can relate to what I have seen. I really can’t wait for the next book.

Enjoyable listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

brilliant can't wait till the next book, happy trails itchy boots well written I could almost vision been there myself

amazing story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

After watching her on YouTube for the last couple of years and now listen to her written story of how it all started
Would love to hear more of her stories in book or audio format

Inspiring

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

what a lady great book hope there's more to come.
felt like I rode every mile with you

what a audiobook Fantastic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I have for the most part enjoyed the book. Enjoyed the background stories and the fleshing out of Noraly's journey. Recognising in parts of the book that was shared on Youtube. A very brave lady, with an infectious smile. We're looking forward to the next installment.

My only little gripe both the book and Audible were both in American.

The Recounting of a brave lady's journey of discovery

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews