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Lois on the Loose: One Woman, One Motorcycle, 20,000 Miles Across the Americas
Lois Pryce was working at the BBC in London, firmly set on the career track. But unbeknownst to her coworkers, Lois was leading a parallel life as well, that of a biker babe with an overwhelming case of wanderlust, one that couldn't be satisfied by a weekend holiday. Her days in a cubicle were numbered, and it wasn't long before she was back on her bike and looking for adventure.
Armed only with the Spanish words for "caution" and "cheese," Lois set off to conquer America---both Americas, actually. Starting in Alaska and working her way down the Pacific Coast, she rode through snow, desert, and everything in between to reach the southernmost tip of Argentina.
Lois tackled every type of fellow biker imaginable and endured everything the continents could throw at her with quick thinking and a vibrant sense of humor. Whether bribing her way through Central American borders, spending the night in a Mexican brothel, or crashing her bike in Patagonia, Lois's bright, funny travelogue will charm anyone who longs for adventure and a stretch of the open road.
Armed only with the Spanish words for "caution" and "cheese," Lois set off to conquer America---both Americas, actually. Starting in Alaska and working her way down the Pacific Coast, she rode through snow, desert, and everything in between to reach the southernmost tip of Argentina.
Lois tackled every type of fellow biker imaginable and endured everything the continents could throw at her with quick thinking and a vibrant sense of humor. Whether bribing her way through Central American borders, spending the night in a Mexican brothel, or crashing her bike in Patagonia, Lois's bright, funny travelogue will charm anyone who longs for adventure and a stretch of the open road.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2007
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655 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
March 21, 2016
Lois Pryce is a bit of a motorcycle nut. Stuck in a bit of a dead end job at the BBC she dreams of climbing on her bike and riding off into the sunset. But where to go? A chat with a friend called Austin, and the beginnings of a plan are hatched; he advises having a solid route to follow, so after some deliberation she decides on the not insignificant route of Anchorage in Alaska all the way down the Pan American Highway to Ushuaia in Argentina.
A 250cc Yamaha bike is acquired and she starts the logistical details that needs to get her from the UK to Alaska as well as the packing and numerous other details. But it isn’t long before she is ready and stepping onto the plane for an adventure of a lifetime. There was only one minor detail that she never quite got to in her preparation, the Spanish language… Her route would be cover all terrains from snow to desserts, vast plains to the high Andes, suburbia to wild jungles as well as passing significant landmarks like the Golden Gate bridge and the Panama Canal. And there would be bears too. Mostly travelling alone, Lois was joined for some of the route but a French girl called Rachel, which was handy as she could speak Spanish and in South America by an obnoxious girl called Amalia. She either camped, or stayed with friends or people who had offered accommodation or mechanical support for the bike as it ground out the miles.
It is an enjoyable read overall. Pryce writes in a chatty style, and is not afraid to say what she is thinking of a place or person. It is amusing at times too, they check into a hotel in Mexico, only to find later that it is a brothel, and whilst it it is not funny at the time, it does make for entertaining reading when you consider the farcical border control that some of these countries have. It isn’t the best motorcycle travel book I have read, but was still worth reading nonetheless.
A 250cc Yamaha bike is acquired and she starts the logistical details that needs to get her from the UK to Alaska as well as the packing and numerous other details. But it isn’t long before she is ready and stepping onto the plane for an adventure of a lifetime. There was only one minor detail that she never quite got to in her preparation, the Spanish language… Her route would be cover all terrains from snow to desserts, vast plains to the high Andes, suburbia to wild jungles as well as passing significant landmarks like the Golden Gate bridge and the Panama Canal. And there would be bears too. Mostly travelling alone, Lois was joined for some of the route but a French girl called Rachel, which was handy as she could speak Spanish and in South America by an obnoxious girl called Amalia. She either camped, or stayed with friends or people who had offered accommodation or mechanical support for the bike as it ground out the miles.
It is an enjoyable read overall. Pryce writes in a chatty style, and is not afraid to say what she is thinking of a place or person. It is amusing at times too, they check into a hotel in Mexico, only to find later that it is a brothel, and whilst it it is not funny at the time, it does make for entertaining reading when you consider the farcical border control that some of these countries have. It isn’t the best motorcycle travel book I have read, but was still worth reading nonetheless.
March 22, 2017
Rollicking writing as a young woman goes all out to bring her passion alive--on a dirt bike from Anchorage to Tierra del Fuego. "A road trip isn't about being somewhere, I reminded myself, it's about going somewhere, and ultimately, that was all I wanted to do," says Lois. Very tough moments included, but also fresh fun, which she finds in the unlikeliest places. A philosopher at times, she says, "... it occurred to me that my anxiousness was just a natural, if unwanted, by-product of adventure--the tarnished flip side of the shiny golden coin of excitement." Lois has a knack for connecting with people and one of them is a real Grouch, a relentless grump, but Lois always has an upbeat take on difficulties. She often made me smile and think about my own little complaints. A page-turner and insightful look into most of the countries south of the USA. Dealing with all the corrupt officials is a sage unto itself, but Lois has a knack for dealing with the most unruly. Vibrant, alive, bringing the places along the road to life, this is a really great read.
August 6, 2019
Lois rides a 250cc dirt bike from Alaska to Argentina ... 20,000 miles. I've read a lot of the 'woman alone' journeys, and this one just didn't grab me. I would have preferred to hear more about the countries, and the people ... and not so much about bike repairs, etc. She does hook up with a couple of female companions for awhile, so, the entire trip wasn't strictly a 'woman alone' trip.
But it's a quick, easy read, so, if you can read it for free, go for it.
2 Stars = Blah. It didn't do anything for me.
But it's a quick, easy read, so, if you can read it for free, go for it.
2 Stars = Blah. It didn't do anything for me.
April 11, 2018
Extremely derivative travel book – as the author describes (in the style of “The Office”/Dilbert) giving up her job at the BBC and then (in the style of Bill Bryson/an alternative stand-up) her travels from Alaska to Argentina along the length of the American continent by motorbike.
The book is easy and pleasant to read but:
Her descriptions are often ridiculously clichéd or naive (an angry American finishing by saying “have a nice day”, the apparent incongruity of preparing for Christmas in the sunshine, the amazement that climate varies by altitude and that the climate in the Southern Hemisphere mirrors the Northern or that it rains in tropical countries);
Her use of language and allusion is poor and even embarrassing when compared to more learned travel books such A Time of Gifts (which I read at the same time for my Book Group). As an example a jagged range of mountains "looks like Jonathan Aitken’s polygraph”;
Her description of the countries she is visiting poor – which is disappointing given the number of countries she passes through – the only area where she does provide interest is in describing challenging landscapes to motorcycle through; and finally her book says little about the people in those countries with the exception of the border police who she couldn’t avoid.
Finally she is often disparaging about Western backpackers/tourists and their false travel, but her own travel is clearly well funded (by the job she apparently despised), makes liberal use of the internet and credit cards and is mainly restricted to the international motorcycle community not to the real inhabitants of any country she visits.
The book is easy and pleasant to read but:
Her descriptions are often ridiculously clichéd or naive (an angry American finishing by saying “have a nice day”, the apparent incongruity of preparing for Christmas in the sunshine, the amazement that climate varies by altitude and that the climate in the Southern Hemisphere mirrors the Northern or that it rains in tropical countries);
Her use of language and allusion is poor and even embarrassing when compared to more learned travel books such A Time of Gifts (which I read at the same time for my Book Group). As an example a jagged range of mountains "looks like Jonathan Aitken’s polygraph”;
Her description of the countries she is visiting poor – which is disappointing given the number of countries she passes through – the only area where she does provide interest is in describing challenging landscapes to motorcycle through; and finally her book says little about the people in those countries with the exception of the border police who she couldn’t avoid.
Finally she is often disparaging about Western backpackers/tourists and their false travel, but her own travel is clearly well funded (by the job she apparently despised), makes liberal use of the internet and credit cards and is mainly restricted to the international motorcycle community not to the real inhabitants of any country she visits.
April 22, 2016
I gave up riding a motorbike after an accident in London in 1980, but can still see the attraction. I still like to sit on the pillion and some years ago rode across Bhutan with a friend on his little trail bike; I am still not sure how we got over 12,000ft passes on that thing, often with hangovers (we called on many friends along the way). But we only dropped the bike once, on a dirt road at twilight, when my friend took a tight hairpin bend too slowly after 12 hours on the road. We were sent sprawling, happily unhurt. It was near a village called Wanka.
I remembered this while reading Lois on the Loose and thinking that Lois Pryce would have been splendid company. In 2003, in her late 20s, she was working for the BBC in London (but in telemarketing, not a glamorous TV job). Bored nearly to tears, she found solace in motorbikes. Sloping slothfully back to work after a holiday in the saddle, she decides she has had enough of her cubicle, her dull job, and her management-speak boss. Things reach a climax when she hears him moaning on the phone that his new toilet seat hasn’t been delivered. So she decides to quit and ride from Anchorage to Ushaia. As you do.
It’s not the safest journey, especially on your own, but Pryce reassures herself by looking at the State Department’s advice for US travellers to the UK. This assures her that she should by now have been robbed by a bogus taxi driver, mugged, date-raped, blown up by the IRA or all of the above. “I ...wondered if there really was any need to motorcycle across Colombia or the Congo when there was clearly so much action that I was missing out on here, on my very own doorstep,” she writes. In the late winter of 2003 she ends up in Anchorage. It’s snowing. She speaks no Spanish. And she has 20,000 miles to go.
Pryce presents herself as a bit naive, and sometimes she does seem that way (she knows no Spanish; in Canada she is booked for having no insurance). Yet in other ways she’s well-prepared. She knows her big old Brit bike isn’t right for the journey and gets a secondhand single-cylinder 223cc Yamaha trail bike. It’s chosen carefully; she needs to pick it up on her own if she drops it. She clearly knows her way around the bike and does most of her own maintenance and repairs on the trip (there’s plenty of that). She’s also tough, camping out in the Yukon, where it is still snowing. There are bears. In Vancouver her bike winds up in the pound. In Los Angeles she winds up in a weird strip club. She keeps going, keeps laughing and keeps you laughing with her. By the time she crosses the Mexican border, I like her, and I want her to reach the bottom of the world. To find out whether she does, you’ll have to read the book.
The trip has its darker moments. In Bolivia a fellow-rider crashes very badly; Pryce is appalled, and does everything she can to help. In Guatemala and Nicaragua she is the target of attempted scams. In Colombia she’s driven back into her hotel by predatory males. On two occasions she suffers sudden, violent stomach upsets that are graphically described; it’s funny, but it clearly wasn’t at the time. But there are also some very high points – the mountains of Canada and Ecuador, especially; the desert of Baja California; and warm encounters with other bikers along the way.
Lois on the Loose isn’t really a classic travel book as such; if you’re looking for shrewd observations on the countries, deep, meaningful cultural encounters, etc., you won’t find them here. In many places, she doesn’t even seem to have met the locals much. If you are expecting Colin Thubron or Paul Theroux, you may be disappointed. But I wasn’t. This is just a good yarn by a young woman having fun on the road. Pryce isn’t the solemn, committed type, and she’s making her own trip, not a travel writer’s. In fact I wonder if she had a book in mind at all when she went.
Pryce has been on the road since, riding from London to Cape Town – a journey she’s recounted in another book, Red Tape & White Knuckles. More recently she’s been riding in Iran. So far as I know she hasn’t made it to Wanka yet. I think she will.
I remembered this while reading Lois on the Loose and thinking that Lois Pryce would have been splendid company. In 2003, in her late 20s, she was working for the BBC in London (but in telemarketing, not a glamorous TV job). Bored nearly to tears, she found solace in motorbikes. Sloping slothfully back to work after a holiday in the saddle, she decides she has had enough of her cubicle, her dull job, and her management-speak boss. Things reach a climax when she hears him moaning on the phone that his new toilet seat hasn’t been delivered. So she decides to quit and ride from Anchorage to Ushaia. As you do.
It’s not the safest journey, especially on your own, but Pryce reassures herself by looking at the State Department’s advice for US travellers to the UK. This assures her that she should by now have been robbed by a bogus taxi driver, mugged, date-raped, blown up by the IRA or all of the above. “I ...wondered if there really was any need to motorcycle across Colombia or the Congo when there was clearly so much action that I was missing out on here, on my very own doorstep,” she writes. In the late winter of 2003 she ends up in Anchorage. It’s snowing. She speaks no Spanish. And she has 20,000 miles to go.
Pryce presents herself as a bit naive, and sometimes she does seem that way (she knows no Spanish; in Canada she is booked for having no insurance). Yet in other ways she’s well-prepared. She knows her big old Brit bike isn’t right for the journey and gets a secondhand single-cylinder 223cc Yamaha trail bike. It’s chosen carefully; she needs to pick it up on her own if she drops it. She clearly knows her way around the bike and does most of her own maintenance and repairs on the trip (there’s plenty of that). She’s also tough, camping out in the Yukon, where it is still snowing. There are bears. In Vancouver her bike winds up in the pound. In Los Angeles she winds up in a weird strip club. She keeps going, keeps laughing and keeps you laughing with her. By the time she crosses the Mexican border, I like her, and I want her to reach the bottom of the world. To find out whether she does, you’ll have to read the book.
The trip has its darker moments. In Bolivia a fellow-rider crashes very badly; Pryce is appalled, and does everything she can to help. In Guatemala and Nicaragua she is the target of attempted scams. In Colombia she’s driven back into her hotel by predatory males. On two occasions she suffers sudden, violent stomach upsets that are graphically described; it’s funny, but it clearly wasn’t at the time. But there are also some very high points – the mountains of Canada and Ecuador, especially; the desert of Baja California; and warm encounters with other bikers along the way.
Lois on the Loose isn’t really a classic travel book as such; if you’re looking for shrewd observations on the countries, deep, meaningful cultural encounters, etc., you won’t find them here. In many places, she doesn’t even seem to have met the locals much. If you are expecting Colin Thubron or Paul Theroux, you may be disappointed. But I wasn’t. This is just a good yarn by a young woman having fun on the road. Pryce isn’t the solemn, committed type, and she’s making her own trip, not a travel writer’s. In fact I wonder if she had a book in mind at all when she went.
Pryce has been on the road since, riding from London to Cape Town – a journey she’s recounted in another book, Red Tape & White Knuckles. More recently she’s been riding in Iran. So far as I know she hasn’t made it to Wanka yet. I think she will.
September 20, 2017
A super fun ride with Lois as she travels from Alaska all the way down to the tip of South America via motorcycle. The story follows a British woman's journey some 20,000 miles on somewhat small dirt bike, gutsy is an understatement. Lois is fed up with her job and being a motorcycle junkie decides to embark on an epic journey. The writing is free spirited and easy going with a good helping of humor. I was really surprised at how well put together the story is, only because some of these travelogues are poorly executed and I also never heard of the book. Lois has such a positive outlook and spirit it really bleeds into the story making it a joy to read. I highly recommend this book if you can find it.
April 14, 2010
This book was very inspiring and insightful. The cover makes it look a little more lightweight than it really is. It's just the tale of how this english woman (Lois) picks up and gets on a bike and goes from Alaska to the southern tip of south america ... but it really made me think about my own relationship to courage and adventure. There was a character in the book that wasn't all that likeable ... and, unfortuately, I saw myself in her complaining ways. I was inspired to try to be more like Lois ... cheerful and ready for anything.
October 23, 2020
Not a patch on Lois’ later book; Revolutionary ride (set in Iran), which I loved. V disappointing. Didn’t get much of a feel for the places Lois visited on her motorcycle trip from Alaska to tip of S America. Also, I didn’t warm to her character at all.
May 1, 2010
Lois Price writes in what I consider a very British voice, not quite the sly British humor I love, but the understated yet complicated language that people mock today.
“Despite this sudden influx of ursine furry friends I was still keen to carry on camping, although the reality of having one set of clothes and no washing facilities was beginning to make itself known to me, and probably anyone else who had the misfortune to come into contact with me.”
Lois on the Loose tracks one woman’s motorcycle ride from Alaska to Ushuaia, the southernmost tip of South America. It chronicles her misadventures, language difficulties and bike mechanical issues in a cheerful and hopeful voice with normal grumbling. My main grumble - I thought she was supposed to do the bike ride solo, yet she has a companion for much of the way.
The best scene is when she and her companion are crossing borders from one Central American country to another.
“Then the questioning would begin:
Where are you from?
England.
Where are you going?
La Paz.
Where is your husband?
No husband.
You have children?
No children.
This summary of our domestic situation would elicit a look that hovered somewhere between confusion and irritation, followed by the final question.
Drogas? Drugs. You have drugs?
No. No drugs.
With the inquisition at its end, the bemused boy soldiers would send us on our way, the unspoken question written all over their faces: Well… if they haven’t got husbands or children or drugs, then what can they possibly be up to?” ‘
This book highlights the journey, not just the destination, but the writing wasn't very approachable, in my mind.
“Despite this sudden influx of ursine furry friends I was still keen to carry on camping, although the reality of having one set of clothes and no washing facilities was beginning to make itself known to me, and probably anyone else who had the misfortune to come into contact with me.”
Lois on the Loose tracks one woman’s motorcycle ride from Alaska to Ushuaia, the southernmost tip of South America. It chronicles her misadventures, language difficulties and bike mechanical issues in a cheerful and hopeful voice with normal grumbling. My main grumble - I thought she was supposed to do the bike ride solo, yet she has a companion for much of the way.
The best scene is when she and her companion are crossing borders from one Central American country to another.
“Then the questioning would begin:
Where are you from?
England.
Where are you going?
La Paz.
Where is your husband?
No husband.
You have children?
No children.
This summary of our domestic situation would elicit a look that hovered somewhere between confusion and irritation, followed by the final question.
Drogas? Drugs. You have drugs?
No. No drugs.
With the inquisition at its end, the bemused boy soldiers would send us on our way, the unspoken question written all over their faces: Well… if they haven’t got husbands or children or drugs, then what can they possibly be up to?” ‘
This book highlights the journey, not just the destination, but the writing wasn't very approachable, in my mind.
February 3, 2008
I'm not sure what my initial draw to this book was, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless. I'm not into motorcycles at all, and I really have no desire to travel the americas on one, but it was still a good read.
Lois, from London, set off on a globe trekking mission of riding her bike from Anchorage, Alaska to the southern tip of South America. She traveled down through California, into Mexico, through Central America and on down to South America.
I was impressed with her ability to forage her own way, despite many naysayers. I was equally amazed with her fortitude in crossing the borders of many countries weary of outsiders.
Pryce depicted her tale with eloquence and wit that only British authors can convey and I was engrossed with the tale from it's onset.
While the bike talk was a bit tedious and boring, seeing as I'm not a motorcycle enthusiast, I found the story behind the adventure captivating.
Lois, from London, set off on a globe trekking mission of riding her bike from Anchorage, Alaska to the southern tip of South America. She traveled down through California, into Mexico, through Central America and on down to South America.
I was impressed with her ability to forage her own way, despite many naysayers. I was equally amazed with her fortitude in crossing the borders of many countries weary of outsiders.
Pryce depicted her tale with eloquence and wit that only British authors can convey and I was engrossed with the tale from it's onset.
While the bike talk was a bit tedious and boring, seeing as I'm not a motorcycle enthusiast, I found the story behind the adventure captivating.
June 17, 2009
I love motorcycle travelogues, and after hearing Lois speak at a meeting of the Kent Advanced Motorcycling Group I had to buy a copy of her book (and get it signed, naturally).
At 29, Lois quit her desk job with the BBC in order to travel the Pan American Highway from the north of Alaska to the tip of South America. Travelling solo for the most part, she meets natural obstacles such as snow, wind and rockfalls as well as human obstructions in the form of border guards and police officers. On the flip side, there are also gorgeous scenery and kind strangers. The highs and lows of the ride, told with enthusiasm and humour, will strike a chord with any biker, though I'm not sure a non-motorcyclist would find it quite as fascinating.
When I cracked my copy open, I saw that the author had written in the frontispiece 'To Alice, Hope this gets you in the mood for an adventure!'
It certainly has...
At 29, Lois quit her desk job with the BBC in order to travel the Pan American Highway from the north of Alaska to the tip of South America. Travelling solo for the most part, she meets natural obstacles such as snow, wind and rockfalls as well as human obstructions in the form of border guards and police officers. On the flip side, there are also gorgeous scenery and kind strangers. The highs and lows of the ride, told with enthusiasm and humour, will strike a chord with any biker, though I'm not sure a non-motorcyclist would find it quite as fascinating.
When I cracked my copy open, I saw that the author had written in the frontispiece 'To Alice, Hope this gets you in the mood for an adventure!'
It certainly has...
May 30, 2013
Lois is the guttiest gal I've ever read about.Riding a small (225cc trail bike) motorcycle from the Arctic Circle to Patagonia, at the tip of South America SOLO would be an epic trip for Captain America or Iron Man. For a young woman riding alone, unbelievable.
One of my favorite passages is when she's in Panama on her way south into Columbia.
She writes "How bad could it be? I reasoned to myself.After all, if I'd listened to every warning, I'd never have left home.Remember the doom merchants are everywhere and they must be ignored. And looking on the bright side; a kidnapping would save on hotel bills, and as for torture and mock executions I'd heard about... well, there are people in London who pay good money for such services. I was feeling quite chipper due to my impending adventure."
I mean,how can you not love her?
One of my favorite passages is when she's in Panama on her way south into Columbia.
She writes "How bad could it be? I reasoned to myself.After all, if I'd listened to every warning, I'd never have left home.Remember the doom merchants are everywhere and they must be ignored. And looking on the bright side; a kidnapping would save on hotel bills, and as for torture and mock executions I'd heard about... well, there are people in London who pay good money for such services. I was feeling quite chipper due to my impending adventure."
I mean,how can you not love her?
February 14, 2009
Not bad. Lois Price is obviously not a writer by profession. But she has fun traveling, and has an adventurous spirit.
I like travel books, but find that often the best travelers are not great writers, and vis-versa. There are a few exceptions of course. Sometimes it's fun to read someone that just likes traveling, but is not much of a writer. Sometimes it's fun to read a very talented writer, even if they are not the most adventurous traveler.
In terms of motorcycle travel books, I enjoyed "long way round" more than this book. But this was fun to read.
I like travel books, but find that often the best travelers are not great writers, and vis-versa. There are a few exceptions of course. Sometimes it's fun to read someone that just likes traveling, but is not much of a writer. Sometimes it's fun to read a very talented writer, even if they are not the most adventurous traveler.
In terms of motorcycle travel books, I enjoyed "long way round" more than this book. But this was fun to read.
September 4, 2007
The journey itself was more exciting in some places than others, but the author is a great writer. Looking forward to her next adventure.
December 20, 2025
While I love a tale of motorcycle adventures from a female author, I have to say this didn't especially grip me. Lois's adventures are written in a scurried flurry of grab-n-go moments, strewn with sexual mentions that feel salt and peppered purely to keep certain readers engaged. What I hoped for? More philosophical thoughts on what the journey taught her about society. More insight into the places she visited, outside of just the mentions of being groped, being conned, protests, drunks, and prostitutes. It needed to be more fleshed out. For instance, Lois wrote about being in a town with the longest life expectancy in the world. Great! But the mention stayed there, without adding in observations as to why she might believe that's the case based on her experience. Every thought or observation just...falls flat.
Reading about her motorcycle mishaps is great as a fellow rider, but sometimes that's all this book feels it is (on top of what I mentioned earlier). It's not one that will be memorable or stick with me. I didn't take much away from it.
Reading about her motorcycle mishaps is great as a fellow rider, but sometimes that's all this book feels it is (on top of what I mentioned earlier). It's not one that will be memorable or stick with me. I didn't take much away from it.
September 1, 2023
While I'm not going to rubbish her achievement the book just didn't do it for me seemed like she spent her time moaning about other people on the route (her friend who crashed her boss in the uk and backpackers in particular ) .
The red tape of leaving entering poorer countries also isint especially interesting she resented having to pay fixers to help her with paperwork yet still went ahead with her journey.
Seemed every much me myself and I vibe all the way through the book like I said she did achieve her goal but she seems to be self praising herself all the way through the book gets tiresome .
Also some of the pictures in the book come across as staged in one she's changing a tyre in a dress and sandal shoes .
I read a little about Elsbeth Beard first English woman to ride around the world , an interview in her own words she came across as a lot more modest it'll be worth a look if she has written a book .
The red tape of leaving entering poorer countries also isint especially interesting she resented having to pay fixers to help her with paperwork yet still went ahead with her journey.
Seemed every much me myself and I vibe all the way through the book like I said she did achieve her goal but she seems to be self praising herself all the way through the book gets tiresome .
Also some of the pictures in the book come across as staged in one she's changing a tyre in a dress and sandal shoes .
I read a little about Elsbeth Beard first English woman to ride around the world , an interview in her own words she came across as a lot more modest it'll be worth a look if she has written a book .
March 3, 2020
I loved the memoir, Lois on the Loose by Lois Pryce. She recalls her adventure of traveling solo 20,000 miles across the Americas on her motorcycle with humor and honesty.
Bored with her life in London, Lois ships her 250cc bike to Alaska and rides to the most southern point in South America. Along the way, she rides through a variety of terrains, challenging weather conditions, and in cultures different from her own. Driven by a sense of adventure, she faces challenges with strength and a great attitude.
If you enjoy reading adventure travel books, don’t miss this gem. Lois on the Loose is sure to please.
Bored with her life in London, Lois ships her 250cc bike to Alaska and rides to the most southern point in South America. Along the way, she rides through a variety of terrains, challenging weather conditions, and in cultures different from her own. Driven by a sense of adventure, she faces challenges with strength and a great attitude.
If you enjoy reading adventure travel books, don’t miss this gem. Lois on the Loose is sure to please.
December 16, 2023
I adored this book. With our riding season now over and our motorcycles tucked away for their winter hibernation, my thoughts turn to adventures of the past year, and the possibilities that lie ahead.
Lois’ adventures; the scenery, the people met along the way, is a colourful and fascinating saga and is told with a healthy dose of humour and brilliant storytelling ability. I could picture the rutted roads, the dusty and endless expanses of desolate land and the noisy chaos of the South American towns.
Such an ambitious journey and one that I absolutely loved following through the pages of this book.
Lois’ adventures; the scenery, the people met along the way, is a colourful and fascinating saga and is told with a healthy dose of humour and brilliant storytelling ability. I could picture the rutted roads, the dusty and endless expanses of desolate land and the noisy chaos of the South American towns.
Such an ambitious journey and one that I absolutely loved following through the pages of this book.
June 29, 2022
Lois is tired of her humdrum everyday routine in the UK, so she plans a motorcycle trek from Anchorage, AK to Ushuia, Argentina (the southernmost city in the world). Lois's trip ends with over 20,000 miles and takes her 10 months to complete, but with some very interesting characters along the way. Some helpful, and others, not so much.
If you are wanting a great adventure without spending all the time involved in planning/researching, learning a foreign language, and being out in the elements, I recommend "traveling" with Lois.
If you are wanting a great adventure without spending all the time involved in planning/researching, learning a foreign language, and being out in the elements, I recommend "traveling" with Lois.
November 16, 2018
Fantastic trip, gutsy woman and well written adventure and since she has the same bike as me I’m full of admiration for a trip that took a lot of courage. I have met Lois Pryce as she has given several talks on her trips to motorcycle groups and she is just as impressive in person as in print. Great winter read when the weather is chilly, the heating is on and the armchair beckons. Very enjoyable.
April 29, 2019
An entertaining adventure travel tale, as told from the author's unique perspective. Is it a perfect travel guide for motorcycle adventurers? No. But that isn't really the point. It is an inspirational story full of funny anecdotes and personal experiences/opinions. As a native Californian, I found her descriptions of NorCal/SoCal amusingly accurate.
Overall, a great read for anyone interested in adventure travel and motorcycles.
Overall, a great read for anyone interested in adventure travel and motorcycles.
April 21, 2020
Lois is such a great storyteller it's easy to be enraptured in her journey on her humble 250cc bike all the way from Alaska and to the "Southernmost City in the World". It's definitely the inspiration I needed during this time being stuck indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now I silently plot my own adventure while patiently waiting for Lois Pryce's next book about her regaling everyone with her new motorcycle adventures!
January 10, 2019
She’s adventurous and hilarious, but has a slightly pessimistic attitude about people. Maybe this is why she is so funny but I did find it a little tiring reading exaggerated opinions about ever person she came in contact with. Decent little adventure read but not sure if I’ll read anymore of her books.
May 25, 2022
The journey Lois embarks one is incredibly impressive. But most of all, I enjoyed the witty style in which she describes all the peculiar situations she finds herself in. Full of British humor and stubborn optimism she keeps going forward against all odds, making for an uplifting read.
She almost convinced me I need a smaller motorbike.
She almost convinced me I need a smaller motorbike.
December 3, 2023
When I heard Lois Pryce on Adventure Rider Radio, I became a fan!
The interview occurred sometime ago, but I immediately ordered Lois on the Loose, and I loved it!
Before I had finished it, I ordered her next two books.
This book was interesting and informative and will have you laughing out loud through the whole journey!
The interview occurred sometime ago, but I immediately ordered Lois on the Loose, and I loved it!
Before I had finished it, I ordered her next two books.
This book was interesting and informative and will have you laughing out loud through the whole journey!
December 16, 2017
Easy read with good humor along the way and an awesome attitude towards the complications of a long trip like she took. Once past Santiago, Chili the story speeds along with not much detail on the southern extremes. Highly enjoyable read.
July 11, 2018
A great and enjoyable trip across North and South America. A trip I absolutely want to do myself. A very fun look at some different parts of the world, especially the interesting difference in views from across the borders.
May 27, 2020
This book is so fun! I’ve read it multiple times over the years and enjoyed it each time. Definitely scratches the wanderlust itch. Minus one star for sometimes uncharitable descriptions of people, which felt pretty out of touch in 2020 (this book was written 15 or so years ago).
January 13, 2021
I really admire her chutzpah. And I love travelogues so I found this really interesting. I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first half but it was all good. And I learned a little bit more about a couple of places on my bucket list. I can't wait to read her other books!
January 29, 2024
a real adventure from start to finish!! made me relive my own memories of south america and more :) i just wish the book was slower in some places so you could get a real feel of each place but then i guess it would be 1000 pages long lol
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