Noraly ‘Itchy Boots’ Cancels US Book Tour Over Immigration Concerns
RTW traveler Noraly Schoenmaker feels risk at the border is too great to travel to US.
Fearless adventurer Noraly Schoenmaker, known as “Itchy Boots,” has captivated millions with her motorcycle journeys across the globe over the last seven years. The Dutch travel blogger’s solo adventures have taken her to many regions marked by conflict, poverty, and harsh weather conditions, including Yemen and Iran. Yet, the YouTube star has made a surprising announcement: she’s afraid to visit the United States.
Schoenmaker was set to tour the US this June for the launch of her new book, Free Ride, a vivid chronicle of her global adventures and a glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of life on the road. But she says recent developments in US immigration policies have prompted her to cancel the trip.
The decision stems from concerns over being detained and deported. Noraly, who has a valid 10-year visa, shared her disappointment on social media, explaining that the US immigration authorities are now scrutinizing social media activity for content that could be perceived as undermining US foreign policy. Given her recent travels in the Middle East, she states she is not willing to risk a potential decade-long ban on entering the US, which could also complicate visa applications for other countries.
In her announcement, Schoenmaker expressed her sadness at missing the opportunity to connect with her US fans. Despite the setback, she encouraged her followers to support her book, which she described as a labor of love. You can read Noraly’s statement below:
SAD NEWS – A little while back, I announced that I would be coming to the USA for the launch of my book “Free Ride” on the 3rd of June . A lot of planning already happened, venues contacted and fun stuff arranged – but now, I am so disappointed to tell you that I won’t be able to come to the USA . I have a valid, 10-year visa that I was planning to use, but the US immigration authorities are now reviewing social media activity for content deemed to undermine the US foreign policy. Visas are being stripped from people on a daily basis now and several europeans have been detained for weeks and then deported.
Given my recent travels and content in the Middle East and especially Yemen, I run the risk of having the same happening to me. I never thought I would say this, but it doesn’t feel safe to travel to the US right now. If you’ve followed me for a while, then you know, I don’t back down easily and don’t shy away from a little risk. But the risk of being detained and deported could mean a decade long ban on entering the US, and having “Deported from USA” in my passport could jeopardize visa applications for other countries too.
On top of that, so much work, effort and money goes into planning a booktour that having to cancel it one day prior because I’m detained at the border is just not an option.
I was looking forward to meeting so many of you in the US and I’m gutted it’s not going to happen now.
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Kudos to Noraly for carefully evaluating the current US administration’s policies. The reality is we live under a regime that has been shown to be punitive and vindictive, and dismissive of the basic human right to due process.
I look forward to reading her book.
Then leave the US….in fact , being an attorney , I will gladly offer my legal services, pro Bono, and file all the required paperwork for you to renounce your US citizenship. Furthermore I will offer to resettle you to Cuba , Yemen, Sudan , Palestine or Venezuela..
Don’t be a buffoon.
this is a great idea go for it Chris Johnson
Ah, another conservative getting his feelings hurt because someone has a different opinion. Luckily for all Americans, the first amendment protects everyone’s right to believe and say whatever they like. Even twits pretending to be attorneys.
When you can’t come up with something coherent resort to name calling.
I believe my statement was quite coherent. I’m sorry it was beyond your grasp. The name calling tactic I learned from Trump. He’s the king of name calling and a great role model to us all.
What policies??? The policy initiated by Obama on travel to and from Syria? She is a Dutch citizen, what scrutiny will be done for a Bloggers travels? NONE that is how much, she has kept her pod casts 100% neutral at all times…. Sounds to me like she has some Leftist giving her piss poor advice…
The stamps passport stamps from Iran and Yemen would be problematic.
Interesting that she was brave enough to still sell her book in the USA.
I don’t blame her one bit for this decision. Difficult times..
I hear you. My Klan pals are worried that the next time we call for genocide against a certain race (or religion) on a college campus, we also might get deported.
It truly is a hard time for Jew haters.
Insane she would think this way. Either it’s a propaganda stunt, or she has been getting some seriously bad information…. No, it’s a propaganda stunt. I wonder if it will affect my life more, or if it will affect her life more. No, I don’t really wonder that.
You are delusional. Millions are refusing to travel to the US having the same fears. I won’t go as the USA is morally corrupt.
Why do you support hate groups marching on college campuses?
Nobody has a reply for you Jay Bee which says a lot.
There are lots of legitimate travellers now getting detained due to visa BS (look it up)… it’s insane, but only because our new border/visitation gestapo are insane.
Enjoy the ride and stop with the TDS comments.
Duh… If she’s entering legally, she has nothing to worry about. Otherwise, she should go on a leftist news diet.
she has traveled to more riskier countries so believe me when i say she is right to worry, plus we have seen foreigners with legal documents being detained for days…i had plans to advance my education in the us but ended up choosing Germany..
Your naivete precedes you.
Sorry Kris, but plenty of people from outside the US are encounting issues with weird visa rules nowadays even when they’ve never had issues with their visas before. It’s random, but real. She’s high profile, but because she’s travelled to lots of places the US (in 2025) now suddenly considers a risk, it’s actually possible. 🙁
Noraly, come to Canada. We’re still a democracy.
You have no free speech
you are nothing
We take free speech for granted here in the US. Remember when you still had it. It can be taken away pretty quickly.
The United States has never been a democracy.
That is correct – The United States is a REPUBLIC; a DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC, but nevertheless a REPUBLIC first and foremost. That is why mob rule can’t oppress people with minority opinions.
Really? Ask the truckers how they felt during their protest.
What a sad example of the current political atmosphere. Noraly has visited countries where anyone could, and have been, detained for any reason. Yet the TDS brigade has convinced her she can’t visit the USA. Even when visiting countries where we know the government is questionable she is always more than gracious about the hospitality and character of the local people she meets. All of you that contribute to her thinking she can’t experience the same in the USA should be ashamed of yourselves!
What is the TDS brigade?
It is the mass of people on the low info Left who have irrational “Trump Derangement Syndrome”, or ‘TDS’. They tend to be politically illiterate.
Just one of many REAL stories… https://www.newsweek.com/germany-tourists-deported-hotel-maria-lepere-charlotte-pohl-hawaii-2062046
I wouldn’t have travelled to Germany either in the late 30s and early 40s. Commonsense. According to Rubio, you can be detained or deported if the administration thinks that you may *think* a future thought. That pretty much covers it I would say.
The only deportations I’ve seen the news media hyperventilate over involve either illegal alien gang bangers or legal aliens who engage in antisemitic riots.
She is well advised and anyone else to stay away from the United States until fascist trump morons have been removed
How are you going to remove the 45% of US Hispanics who voted for Trump?
You use words that you don’t even know the meaning of.
Good riddance
Why should the US let in people that want to undermine the country? Her obvious left agenda bothers me. I see someone saying come to free Canada. Yet Canada has confiscated truckers hard earned money for their dissent of government actions and arrested ministers for having their doors open. Before you call someone fascist, do a little reading, find out what a real fascist is. We have been avid followers of Ichy Boots, but your ridiculous, vindictive statement about the US has caused us to reconsider following your adventures.
You are delusional.
I not “We” the news have shown europeans with valid passports being detained for days and then being deported…plus trump has a problem with geography so he might not know where dutch is
Does someone with a different viewpoint to your own undermine the country?
Are you a Jew-hating Hamas simp?
Noraly should be worried only if she intends to protest in favor of the holocaust on college campuses. Americans also don’t want KKK members rioting on college campuses.
Hate is bad, m’kay?
First step- go to you tube account subscriptions and delete her channel- DONE! USA is the most democratic/free country in the world-PERIOD! Why do u think everyone is trying to come here? Only an idiot would insult your country with her left wing BS and then ask you to buy her book- duh!
Maybe she’s wrong. But, she doesn’t feel that way. We all get fed misinformation and we all lack complete information. We do the best we can to sift through and analyze the information we have. I don’t see the point in criticizing someone for coming to a different conclusion than you have. The fact that she’s concerned about not being allowed back shows me that she values that ability. And, if you feel like she’s doing it as a statement, well, we all make statements now and then, don’t we.
I wasn’t going to buy her book before this, and still don’t plan to.
But some of you guys need to chill TF out.
You all leftists can have your opinion, we all know how you cry and complain and are for anything that is against America. I think she was told by her publicist that she should not come to the states as it may offend people and not buy her book…. So to make sure she sells her merchandise and book and slings the Revit and Moscow Moto swill, they made up a piss poor excuse. It is all about the money, she is Dutch of course, they are some of the stingiest people I have ever met….
“Itchy, we don’t care. We just want to play our video games!”
With the metric being used to screen right now, I can see her logic. She has been throughout the Middle East having almost 100% positive experiences. A blonde haired blue eyed woman, interacting and being treated well in Islamic countries. That right there will bother some of the folks in charge , because it does not fit the narrative. When they see this on her phone and social media, coupled with passport stamps from Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Yemen it would get her added scrutiny. I have 30 years in law enforcement….definitely not a “leftist”. I can tell you “guilt by association” can be a thing and agree with her decision.
I’ve never been a fan but I did love her Baja Rally series. Her riding surprised me and loved that type of content.
I think this is a big misstep on her part. She must think quite a lot of herself if she thinks the US State dept would have an issue with anything she’s said in her socials. From what I’ve seen it’s been a straight travel blog.
It’s like me saying I’m not going to enter a particular country because of a US travel warning. As riders we roll our eyes at those for the most part.
It does come off more as a political statement and half of her US base is likely to see it that way. The tide has turned on our itchy friend.
Idiotic over-reaction. She would have -zero- issues on a book tour.
Here’s another angle not being discussed… any content she monetizes in the US qualifies as work and is subject to taxes. The two German young women detained recently then deported from Hawaii messed up and said they’d planned to work during their stay.
Another brainwashed leftist compelled to virtue signal. Shame because her channel was quite interesting. Don’t think I’ll be buying her book anytime soon
Only because she herself had a SAME SEX partner.
She better wait untill the fascist trump regime folds..
What an idiot. Was she going to join MS-13 and smuggle some fentanyl across the border? No? Then she’d be fine. Unfortunately this is just another example of a weak mind falling victim to the corrupt Hollywood media machine
It is your decision not to come the US. We have rules abide by them and all is well.
When I came back from Moscow in 1987, I had a nice visit from the FBI…and things were a lot calmer travel-wise back then. Besides, book-signing tours are exhausting.
She could have gotten a second passport for ‘incompatible countries’. Normal and common procedure.