itchy boots
 

hope your all watching itchy boots in morocco !!

Sorry to destroy your hope but no, not me :)

Nope, lots of rubbish about the country and illegal use of a drone

:D :rofl:

Sorry, no. Washing itchy parts of my anatomy instead. When not doing that, actually riding a bike in interesting parts of the world while listening to the Bee Gees and Kenny Rogers on my MP3 player. Quoting Marvin Lee Aday: "Two out of three ain't bad" :blushing:

If she is illegally flying a drone, I would watch the episode from inside a Moroccan womens' jail.

Welp, I for one am watching and enjoying.

The drone use did surprise me a bit - I suspect she got some kind of permission or something? It's entirely possible that she's already out of the country by the time the episodes go up, but I doubt she would knowingly risk problems with entering Morocco again later.

As for "rubbish about the country" - well, this is the internet, every time someone expresses any kind of opinion, there will be someone there to tell them it's rubbish. ?c?

I like her videos, I don't watch everything, but the border crossings are very interesting to me. She's doing my dream route (west africa) so I am exited to see if she can make it all the way down.

Interesting few comments from some well known people on the site .....

I think she is doing a great job ... and it is what it is .... great !
Shame some people find negatives in what she has done .
We have all broken rules in maroc ... going to fast,, wrong way down streets,
etc .
So to sum up She is doing a great 10/10 job !:scooter::scooter::scooter::scooter::scooter:

kk

I'm curious to know what she's said that's not right ... I'll bet nobody talks more rubbish about Morocco than my Moroccan coworkers though, lol

She claimed she rode the highest road in Morocco, Tizi N Ouana, some 600m lower than the actual highest and also lower than 2 other passes nearby. IMHO if you want to give info to the viewers do some basic checks on accuracy first

It wasn’t reported here but 10 days ago tourists were arrested in a Tangier after being reported for using a drone without the legal permit. Mauritania has similar restrictions.

It’s not about finding the negatives, it’s the reality that irresponsible behaviour by a few have far reaching implications for other travellers further down the line. For example, drone restrictions, the €250 scam at the Senegal Border, huge deposit requirements for Ethiopia etc).

I have nothing against her personally but after watching a couple of episodes soon realised I have better things to do and stated my reasons for not watching

I'm happy to read trip reports and watch videos by first timers—it awakens memories in me of what it was like the first time. Chris Kermis has a lot of videos around the world, many in Morocco, and whilst I have occasionally politely corrected inaccuracies in the comments, I do still enjoy them.



This is Chris's video of the three day 'sardine minibus' tour to Erg Chebbi.

lots of nit picking, it must be very hard to exhaustively research a country if you are on a tour that may cross 10 or more countries, of course an expat who lives there or a local will always find errors, but they are not important in the big picture.
I'm still finding new roads and fun places in a country that I've travelled in for 39 years.
The girl is smart, polite, inspirational and doesn't click bait too much, and its FREE

its not the definative guide , but its pretty near to what most of us expect from our travels , and as you point out she is smart and well travelled !

I like Itchy Boots. She does occasionally get a bit boring as in this section of North West Africa but I’m sure she’ll have a lot of good vids as she continues south.
On the road I have heard a lot of misogynistic belittling or other travellers ‘vaguely knowing of her’ but not watching any videos whilst they are clearly trying to emulate her. Having watched their channels, it’s clear, that they are failing miserably :-)

Not me! Although I have never been to Morocco but give it time, I did cycle the wrong way down a dual carriageway in Mumbai yesterday which is probably safer than going in the right direction, at least you can see what is about to just miss you when facing it.

Back on subject from what I have seen she does a good job but I prefer to hear live talks about people's travels.

No, not me either. No reason, just not inspired to follow her travels when I have my own agenda.

The drone flying is a valid criticism if she doesn't have a permit ... in general it does feel like a few people are very quick to criticise her (not just here, in general). Nobodies perfect but I don't remember seeing these sorts of comments over, say, Lyndon Poskitt's videos

In this new post truth world, who's to say what's the right or wrong way down the binary Mumbai dual carriageway anyway? :innocent:

The OP asks a binary question and when the answer is 0 rather than the hoped for 1, then it's a "shame some people find negatives in what she has done". :D

I propose the motion to this house, that from now on, no "nit" shall ever be picked again! :helpsmilie:

I must admit I considered taking a drone to Morocco last year and trying to 'sneak' it in but didn't in the end. Of course I'm not trying to make an 'on the road' style living so it's easy for me to take some sort of moral high ground but laws are laws and if you decide to go your own way you have to be prepared for the consequences. I'm pretty sure though that most of us here will have 'bent' the odd regulation here and there over the years for pragmatic reasons. Of course if she did have a permit how many of her critics would stand up and apologise?

Quite how much of that criticism is just envy in a fur coat is hard to say as I haven't seen any of her videos, but I'd be surprised if there isn't an element of sour grapes in at least some of them that somebody has managed to put together a lifestyle that many would aspire to but don't have the capacity or the qualities to pull off themselves. If you can, do, as the saying goes but the second half seems to have morphed these days into, instead of teach, carp.

Who are all the "critics" (with an s at the end)? Are some people's replies hidden from me in this thread? Just because someone takes the time to reply to a thread that asks a yes/no question and says "no" doesn't make them a critic. Tastes vary and having the desire to watch some random YouTube channel isn't for everyone. Some are busy doing other things.

Like commenting on online forums? :innocent:

No, not here, we're all even handed and charitable. It's more what you read on YouTube and Facebook (my main sources of world news :rolleyes2:). I might not follow IB but I've been aware of her and what she's been doing for years - overlanding on bikes is a pretty small world when all is said and done - and there's plenty who 'find fault' for whatever reason with her travels.

From a personal perspective I don't watch her exploits (or anybody else's come to that) for the same reason I don't tune in to Adventure Rider Radio or some of the other fixtures in the firmament; it all takes more time and commitment than I'm willing to put in and as I think bikes take up a larger share of my life than they ought to already there's no room for any more. Having said that I've no issue with constructive criticism in any walk of life, but negative criticism of the type she often attracts (or did in the past anyway) is just unsavoury. Whether it bothers her or not I've no idea but I don't think you can attract the number number of followers she has without some of them reacting negatively.

Am currently in Vietnam, riding a bike. It's 6 hours ahead of the UK, hence the timing of my posts. Between the daylight riding and the nighttime eating, drinking and sleeping and in the morning before the riding, there's a brief window of opportunity to read and write on the HUBB. Or not :thumbup1:


Ahh, get you. :thumbup1: Don't watch any bike travel related stuff on YouTube (so IB has passed me by almost completely. I estimate she had been travelling and broadcasting for 18 or so months before I'd even heard of her). Also gave up on most bike travel content on Facebook (too much drivel and spammers, err I mean attempts at "marketing", except HU Facebook, long ago, so any IB discussion never appeared in my field of vision. Looks like I haven't missed much ...

The only bike related content on YouTube I watch is road racing like the TT or rally raid like the Dakar.

I visited British bike friends in Portugal about a year ago and the lady of the house insisted on getting her IB fix, so we watched 3 episodes in succession (she was in Central America). I thought Noraly was actually quite a pleasant human being and her episodes were surprisingly "normal", especially in comparison to the utter Long Way diatribe, or other self publicists' "contributions", supposed by their sycophantic fan boys on Instagram/Facebook. I had similar experiences to Noraly when I rode there more than 2 decades ago, so (pleasant?) memories were bought back...

Have never heard an episode of ARR. Ever. Judging by the individuals involved, it struck me as an attempt by them to keep their names front and centre so they can continue to flog their wares. But I'm not their target audience, so it's a win/win all round. With the exception of GJ, none of the rest share their "expertise" here on the HUBB...

An aside: Every attempt at individuals trying to promote their own (probably sh1te, but I wouldn't really know as I never see it) YouTube video on HU FB leads to an unfollow/ block by me. I've a big appreciation for good still photography and interesting, personal writing though. And if it isn't to my taste, it's so easy to scroll on by in a nanosecond. To judge whether a video is poor (as it will invariably be, when I did try watching them) takes minutes/ multiples thereof; time I'll never get back that could have been spent planning trips, doing trips, earning money to pay for trips, chatting with locals/friends and drinking cerveza.

At the end of then day, Itchy Boots has probably done more travelling than most people on here !And she has made her adventures without too much drama .............so well done to her !!!!

I dip my toe in occasionally. She is doing what may of us wish we were doing - travelling the world, in her way. If she hasn’t got a permit for the drone, well she may get caught or she may not. The fact that she is making a living from thi is fine with me, we all have to raise the cash one way or another, she is respectful of the locals wherever she goes and she imparts quite a bit of information about things like the geology of how particular areas came to be formed the way that they are.

I have huge amount of respect for what that young woman has achieved. Her riding skills have hugely improved since she started. She is not damaging nature. She's an awesome role model for all riders, not just females. I've even bought some of her merchandise.

Have to seen the last two episodes ?.....
:scooter::scooter::scooter::scooter::scooter::scoo ter::scooter:

I happened to watch that particular episode last night. She said "I believe" in reference to the highest road at the very beginning of the episode. at 12:50 into the episode she says "Welcome to the highest road in Morocco, I Think". She even doubts herself so I don't see how any of it would be "rubbish". As for the drone, innocent until proven guilty. Maybe she has a permit, maybe not. But I challenge anyone here to tell us with a straight face that they have never ever broken any rules in another country or their own. Not condoning rule breaking but just pointing out the inconsistent way in which we apply judgement.

Like her and her videos or not but I think she's doing a good job and I enjoy watching her. I question where the anger towards her is really coming from.

No anger or anything like that from me. If she’s managed to find a niche that keeps her supported on the road then more power to her elbow as far as I’m concerned. It may just be that one man’s sober observation is another man’s spittle flecked rant but that’s language usage for you. There does tend to be a bit of that in areas where you can do the activity either for the love of it or for a living. During my 30+ yrs as a professional photographer I was often told I should be using that bit of equipment or that bit of software/ type of film by well meaning enthusiasts. Sometimes it even made sense but mostly it didn’t. IB seems to be doing ok (as far as I can see anyway) and all I would say to any critics is let’s see your travel blogs. If they’re better you’ll be out there with her.

) and all I would say to any critics is let’s see your travel blogs. If they’re better you’ll be out there with her.[/QUOTE]

Agree with your comments ......... Why do people find faults with Miss itchy Boots ?
Its a story of her travels.... and not a 100% accurate documentry !
K

Any social media related to overlanding is, ultimately, just another form of travellers throughout the ages writing their own story and publishing it. It's just that there are a lot more stories now, which are a lot more accessible to us all than there has been in the past.

For me, the balance lies between whether the story becomes more about the traveller or more about the places/stories about where they have travelled. In my experience, there does seem to be a tendancy towards the former more often than not, which is a shame and I can't help but feel that social media encourages that I think because it lends itself to visually-impactful content as a way of driving engagement.

For me, as someone who writes longer-form content and photographs a bit now (but had a brief and unsuccesful flirtation with social media in earlier travels) I've found the focus on where I've travelled has led to a far more rewarding and genuine experience. But, each to their own.

Against that benchmark, I think Itchy Boots does a pretty good job - I think her content is a lot more genuine and interesting then others' out there.

Thanks,

Ed

I have to commend Itchy Boots, simply for the fact that while in a challenging situation, in addition to figuring it out, she sets up her recording gear and records it. Anyone who has been in similar dilemmas knows that the last thing on your mind is to set up a camera or go-pro to record it. She does it over and over again - travel adventures, interactions with locals... I suspect each episode involved editing down several hours of video. Of course, for her, it's her job and income. For me it's an adventure motorcycle trip.

That is precisely why I like watching her. She comes across as modest (as far as bloggers/youtubers go). I find many other content providers to be way too much about "hey look at me!". I don't get that vibe from her. I also love the fact that she's somewhat mechanically "uninclined" yet still goes and does it anyway.

That's a very good point. I really liked how she dealt with the part in a recent video where her bike would not start after a fall - especially the response in the next video... "Yes it's easy for you guys sitting at home to say it was obviously the gear position sensor or kickstand sensor, but you're not actually in the middle of the desert and worn out after riding in the sand under the hot sun!" I think that's a very underappreciated part of the travel experience. And hey, she solved the problem.

Years ago I couldn't get my bike to start. I checked everything. I stripped the carb down as that sometimes played up. When I switched the kill switch to run it started a whole lot easier. :blushing:

I have been watching it,and it was interesting to see Mauretania and how difficult it is to putter around there due to limited places to get fuel ect.I honestly believe she has bigger nads than anyone I know.

Paulo

Another one to check out is For the Love of Wheels, Henriette comes across as a bit more genuine imho

Thanks for the info. Will definitely be watching her as well.

I’m happy with fake - as long as it’s good fake :rofl:

I loved the first series. It was raw, honest and felt real.

Much like ‘Million Dollar Moron” India vlog.

After that it was commercial YouTube meh and sensational thumbnails.

But hey, she’s done more than have lol


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I have similar feeling about travel writers, their first book is usually the best as both their travelling and writing gets more polished in subsequent editions.

That’s it I think.


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Yep, whether it's writing, blogging or vlogging the first series is invariably the best. It's generally more raw and you can often pick up a sense of wonderment as the person does all this for the first time. After that it tends towards commercialisation or self promotion - "All the local bikers came to welcome me as I rode into town" or "Don't you envy my fabulous lifestyle" - and I can't be doing with that. There are very few people who can manage to do something remarkable and original more than once.

Several posts have been put into moderation.

@badou likes Itchy Boot's videos and thought to share. More than a dozen other members chipped in saying they enjoy the videos.

And for sure, not everyone agrees on the value of weblogs and videoblogs, but this is one of those situations where if members don't have anything useful to say, it's probably best to pass on by, and enjoy the other threads on HUBB.

Good point Tim.

Would be awful if the website ended up like the god awful Facebook site.

:)


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Are people on here really the target audience?

I know I aren't. Other people's holiday videos are rarely of interest. There is no "OMG, they crossed a border into abroad and must now surely die/ be thrown into the black hole of Calcutta/be made to drink beer with fruit in it" factor.

On other forums where two weeks in Brittany or a Welsh road with gates causes NASA levels of preparation, she is popular. On that basis I'd say she's doing it well.

If you should be pleased at inventing a soap opera for 60 year old men who ride to drink coffee with like minded fellows, I hope she doesn't care who watches and enjoys the money it generates without it ruining her trip.

Andy

Very droll :rofl:

If there is a target audience I might be in it, I'm not able to travel to remote places / for long periods and how she goes about her travels is how I'd like to think I would too if given the opportunity, so I like to dip in and enjoy it vicariously :)

Thanks to our moderator Tim Cullis for doing a good job taking some posts off here in this thread. To fall to such a low level to call persons who have said something positive about IB for «fanboys» is beyond mature behaviour…..

I think IB is great! Especially her filming and video editing skills are fantastic when you know she is completely alone filming and editing. And she has made 3 episodes of 20-30 minutes pr week for years! Thats a fantastic achivement!

I also like the fact that she rides more off the beaten track than 95 % of other travellers and I have met and seen. I also like the fact that she interact quite a bit with the locals and even seek out ethnical minorities and get to hear their stories and share them with her viewers. Not many travellers do that.

Also she got a profession (geology) that is at times very useful and she explains many an odd things from a geologist point of view. I find that very interesting and not many travellers has such a background….


I also think she is quite modest and unsolicited and not the type thats like «look at me how cool and adventorous I am» as quite a few other travellers seem to be at times…

Yes IB has gone a bit commercial. But then again she does what she does for a living now and have done so for years already. And as we all know travel with a motorbike around the globe is quite costly nowadays…and I actually envy her a bit that she can make money of the things she does. I think many travellers would like to do the same….

Live and let live

Just had a Facebook group to join suggestion appear in my timeline: IB's "Fan Club"

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1233...957/?ref=share

According to the stat in the intro it has 34 thousand members. She's doing something right. The gender/age stats of the membership was unavailable. I'm guessing I likely also fit into the fan club's demographic :innocent:


Post script on 23.07.23. Despite telling my Facebook app that I didn't want to join IB's fanclub, the suggestion to join the club is back again tonight. That teaches me to delete my app cookies today! :clap: The "Itchy Booters", these are people inspired by her, has now reached 38k. That's 4 thousand more in just 6 weeks. Sensational :innocent:

I think I'm off to join the Far Side!

Ha ha... I was turned onto this thread by a friend who knows of my "IB" (irritable bowel??) encounters. I caught hell / was expected to "answer for" the IB a few years ago when she knowingly and illegally flew her drone in Torres del Paine National Park.

I certainly wouldn't be surprised to hear she's doing it again.

Itchy boots again
 

Check out poor old itchy boots stuck in the mud !
(this blog may not be suitable for some people ! ):oops2::oops2:

Yup, we've all been there :rofl:

Not only was she stuck in the mud but now her bike is on the back of a pickup truck after her clutch plates burnt out and she was towed by rope 140kms to the border with Cote D'Ivoire. :eek3:

If you're stuck in mud to the point where you destroy your clutch trying to get out that's serious mud!

Maybe I should watch the last couple of episodes, I've not been on youtube for ages.

Does anyone know if Noraly is posting in more or less real time? or has all of this happened some time ago? I never see or hear any references to dates or time of the year.

always get a time at start of her video !!:clap:

She is always a few weeks behind - I suspect partly down to the editing process but also for her own security.

Imagine the time spent editing.


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She usually posts 6-8 weeks late….

I think your post was good and I am an Itchy Boots fan.

Most of us are probably jealous of Itchy Boots on some level.

Anytime you post about yourself online, you knowingly/ unknowingly open yourself up to ridicule.

One thing that annoys me about Itchy Boots videos is she claims to be "alone" the whole time. I am pretty confident that this is not always the case, but I think she pretends it is that way to get more views and support.

You can always find fault if you look for it hard enough. I can't imagine it being all that "fun" having to document all of your interactions on an international motorcycle trip. I'm sure she has a lot of security concerns just with the dollar value of her camera equipment alone. Her trip probably isn't as "fun" as it looks. She's probably only posting the exciting parts.

Do you have any evidence of this, or are you just hating on her?

I think that would be hard to do.

You must make sure everything you use is always on the bike, nothing popping into shot that's been in the support van for days. No sudden use of a massive tripod or reflector for better shots. No extra glass on the hotel table.

Anyone you meet on the road must be somehow stopped from posting on social media with the same producer in the back ground.

You must be careful to edit out any refference to the support. No one passing you stuff from off screen.

A drug mule and their minder might do it, but they are staying off social media.
A production like Long Way Whatever can do it by editing with the continuity supervisor taking notes.
A pod cast of this type though? Managing it when studio based TV gets a runner or assistant in shot often enough?

Still, let's see if there is anything by way of additional information. It's certainly a bit of a wild claim to make without anything extra.

Andy

That's awfully strong, effectively calling her a serial liar.

Some of her quotes: I'm a Dutch woman traveling alone...
Riding a motorbike on your own in Ladakh as a female solo traveler...
I've ridden 150.000 kilometers solo around the world and still counting!...
I've lived, worked and traveled solo in more than 80 countries by now...
A solo traveler on a mission to travel the world by motorcycle...
traveling alone also pushes you to face every struggle by yourself...



She consistently describes herself as a solo traveller, so why should you be so confident she is lying?

Evidence she was not traveling alone?

No hard evidence, and again, I really do not care either way.

I became skeptical when I saw her Darien Gap episode where she was in Turbo, and the boat part where she was going to Panama.

I made that trip myself. Turbo is not a city where you can leave your bike unguarded for any period of time. Someone was there watching her bike, making sure nothing was stolen.

I could be wrong, but I don't think she covered the boat part to Panama very much, because she didn't want to show the other bikes and travelers on the boat.

Bah humbug!


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I don't care, therefore I'm going to write a complete explanation?

She left her bike at that underground car park so it was safe whilst making arrangements. Also she met up with someone (Juan) in Turbo who did the actual arranging - so whilst she was not alone as a traveller she was - unless you include the people that pump her gas, lift her bike on and off boats etc in which she had a load of people with her, personally I don't include them.

She has not been alone the whole way - she met up with Charly Sinewan for a bit and then whilst she was mending after a crash she was with Ed March. If she was with someone, then she wouldn't have needed their help.

This is all people looking down their noses at someone that is out there, doing it. For me, I find it interesting, I am not an avid watcher but it is interesting - and seeing how she copes with the events that life throws at her is reassuring (particularly border crossings).

Sigh... many posts are now unapproved. "The thread has been nothing but chauvinism, sour grapes, envy and arguments. Not HUBB's finest hour."


Also discussions of k'nap potential aren't a great idea for obvious reasons. It may be a low risk discussion here on the HUBB, but a google search will find all sorts of things here.


Let it be folks.

Noraly filmed and posted on YT a couple of nigerian cops who asked her for money, although in a relatively non demanding way (my personal view) But absolutely not what a copper should do towards a foreign traveller anywhere who had done nothing wrong or against the law.

Luckily the nigerian court system got an interest of this and didnt let those dishonest cops getaway with it. They are not cops anymore and probably never will be again and its seems they got to spend some time behind bars too….

https://youtu.be/ASrCKnoViMI?si=faWVWSj77Yndd_0U

I'm happy they got caught but the cynical me thinks that the only reason this was dealt with and televised is because they were caught on camera. When someone blatantly demands money and not even during an actual infraction, then it's deeply systemic.

Watching her videos of Nigeria in quite a few of her interactions one can see a familiar tactic that many women learned when they were young; keep smiling and be jovial ... because it's all a joke, until it isn't.

That was the feeling I got when she spoke with the police who asked for money - if you say "oh, you're so silly, haha, yeah that's a good joke!" then they can stay in the "shroedinger's douchebag" zone of saying it's all a joke and play it off when they don't get their way. The moment you start to freak out or take it as a serious threat, they'll escalate.

I haven't watched this video, but your description of this "tactic" sounds precisely what I've always done, too. For women it's more important, since there is (sadly) survival value in it which comes into play a lot in normal life.

I've also had experiences where I crossed the line into being too jovial--the response being "So you think this is a joke, son...."--and others where I pushed too hard or let my impatience show, provoking a dangerous escalation.

FWIW, I don't think anyone travels by bike much in West Africa without having similar experiences periodically. Same in Latin America, parts of Asia, places like Ukraine. And to be fair I've seen it on rare occasions in the USA as well. What she did is not unusual, but from the sound of it she's highly skilled at it.

Does it matter ?
 

Does it really matter if "itchy" has some back up at times ?
She may or may not !
But she makes fantastic viewing !
K
( not suitable for all ! )