**YouTube Travel Star’s Nightmare in Swansea: Motorbike Stolen, Community Rallies to Help**
A renowned travel blogger’s journey to Swansea took a distressing turn this week when her prized motorbike was stolen from outside her hotel – only for the community to come together and help her recover it.
Noraly Schoenmaker, the Dutch adventurer behind the hugely popular travel vlog and YouTube account “Itchy Boots”, which boasts nearly three million subscribers, arrived in the Welsh city for a special book signing event. However, her visit quickly went from celebration to crisis as she woke to find her motorbike missing the very next morning.
“My bike is stolen, again! The bike is gone,” Noraly shared with her audience in a recent video update, reflecting her shock and frustration at yet another incident of theft targeting her two-wheeled companion. Despite her security precautions, which included parking the motorcycle metres from hotel reception, fitting a heavy-duty chain and using a cover, the vehicle still disappeared overnight.
Swift action was taken as Noraly used a tracking device installed on the bike. The signal led her to a nearby blue van, prompting her to alert hotel staff and urge them to contact the police. Convinced the culprits had loaded her motorbike into the van, Noraly returned to inspect it, determined to track down her missing means of transport.
“In my mind, it made perfect sense that the van was involved,” Noraly later admitted. “But things took another twist.” In an unexpected turn of events, hotel staff located the bike – not in the van, but hidden behind shrubbery in an adjacent part of the carpark. Noraly quickly apologised to the van’s owners, expressing relief and embarrassment: “I was convinced it was in the blue van. I’m sorry to those people – I’d looked behind the bushes before, but they’d done a good job hiding it.”
Yet the ordeal was not over. The thieves had left the motorcycle worse for wear, with its number plate snapped, the seat torn off, and various parts damaged. “There were obviously scratches, and it had been dragged, but also covered over with bushes,” Noraly explained, surveying the extent of the vandalism.
The hotel’s security footage later shed light on the audacious theft. According to Noraly’s account, a man on a small moped was seen circling the area within minutes of her arrival the previous night. He kept out of view of the cameras, making identification impossible. Then, in the early hours, two individuals returned under cover of darkness, struggling to move the locked bike and leaving black rubber marks on the pavement as they dragged it out of direct sight. A van arrived half an hour later but, whether spooked by something or due to another last-minute change of plan, the thieves ultimately chose to stow the bike in the bushes instead.
Despite losing her bike’s cover and suffering material losses, Noraly was quick to highlight the goodwill and generosity shown by local businesses and residents in Swansea. Not only did helpful hotel employees assist her in retrieving the hiding motorcycle, but local garages also came to her aid. A new number plate was fitted at no charge, and even the installation was carried out without asking for payment.
“You know, one bad thing happens, and then suddenly you meet the kindest, most helpful people,” Noraly said with gratitude. “From the hotel staff offering water and support, to the garages fitting a plate and refusing payment, I have to say: the people in Wales have been wonderful.”
Though the experience has cast a shadow over her visit, Noraly’s story stands as a testament to the power of community and support in adversity. It’s a reminder that even after shocking events, human kindness can help put the pieces back together.
South Wales Police have been advised of the attempted theft and are continuing their investigation. Noraly, meanwhile, has thanked her fans and the locals of Swansea for turning around what could have been a ruined trip, vowing to continue her journeys – with, no doubt, a watchful eye on her motorbike.