What does it take for a woman to ride into the male-dominated industry of motorcycle touring and become one of the few female-owned touring businesses of the world? Well, it takes a bit of luck and tons of guts.

Follow me back to when I was 16 when I got my motorcycle license in the former Czechoslovakia. I had been studying at an agricultural technical college, and motorcycle driving licences were being offered to us girls for free. Before then, I had never even sat on a motorcycle, let alone think I would ever be tempted to ride one. I decided to take advantage of the school’s free offer for both tractor and big bike licenses.

The training bike was an old 500CC CZ, with double handlebars that the instructor could hold while riding pillion. Our instructor was about 100 kg (about 220 lbs), so when he sat on the bike the suspension would bottom out. And, when he got off, I would be catapulted into the air! Even this added obstacle to my training didn’t deter me from passing my test.

I now had license in hand, but no motorcycle. It would turn out that I would have to wait another seven years before buying my first bike—a new Harley-Davidson Sportster 883. But, that taste of freedom was worth the wait. However, this love affair didn’t last but three years before it was yanked from my grasp, due to the sea air from a holiday in Spain playing havoc on the Harley’s chrome. I was forced to sell the bike before it rusted completely.

Spain wasn’t about to kill my dreams. A passion for motorcycles was now in my blood, and was given the gas once again when my Spanish boyfriend let me borrow his Honda Africa Twin. But, I knew the holiday would soon be over, and that I would need a job. It just so happened that my boyfriend was offered a position as tour guide by his friend who was also the local KTM dealer. And wouldn’t you know that they happened to be one support vehicle driver short when I walked through the door. After the test drive, I landed my first job in Spain and watched as a whole new and exciting world unfolded before my eyes.

Shortly after, we were assigned equal duty. This meant that the golden gates were now open and I could devote full-time to tour-guiding. However, the high was about to end when an incident happened on a return from Morocco. A local had stowed away in our trailer, and at the Spanish border the police discovered him. As a result, my boyfriend was arrested on the spot and accused of human trafficking. He spent almost a month in detention before we finally found a lawyer competent enough to get him out.

Our boss was so shaken by the experience that he completely abandoned the company’s original strategy. Morocco was dropped and plans were developed for around-the-world tours. He also promoted me to company manager—a position that was met with seeming disappointment by the guys, yet, was bolstered somewhat by their respect for my riding abilities on the 1200GS.

The new position and our world touring plans would have been a dream come true, but as luck would have it, our boss couldn’t hold on through Europe’s economic crisis of the late 2000s. And just like that, instead of taking on global adventures, we were forced to take to the streets. So, from the ashes of the original company, and with the blessings of our existing clients… and just enough accumulated knowledge necessary to run a touring company, I made the decision to start MotoAdvenTours.

In the beginning, it was really tough, but despite only having a couple of second-hand bikes and a webpage, we managed to survive the first year. No matter how difficult things were, not for a single moment did I consider giving up or moving on to something else.

Because motorcycle touring attracts so many interesting people, we’re constantly learning from them. They’re the priceless connections that are a constant source of rediscovery. And perhaps one of the advantages that separate us from the others is the simple fact that I’m a woman—a touch that gives our tours a different approach, as well as a very relaxed atmosphere. Sometimes being in the right place at the right time can, and does, change life unexpectedly. If you asked me eight years ago what I’d be doing now, being a professional motorcycle tour guide would probably not be on the list. But, if you asked me today… this is what I’ll be doing for the rest of my life. I love it!

Others often remark on how lucky I must be. And I have to admit, that I’m extremely happy. But the only “luck” was how I got into motorcycle touring—the rest is a result of long hours, a constant learning curve, and lots of trying, failing and trying again until it finally came together.

There is still a very long way ahead if we’re going to take the company where I envision it should be. All we need to do is to choose the right direction and take the next step….

Hana Ptackova is the owner of MotoAdvenTours (MotoAdvenTours.com). Based in Spain, the company specializes in extensive touring of Morocco and northern Africa. Hana is multilingual, and speaks fluent English, German, Spanish and Czech, as well as some French, Italian and Russian.

MotoAdvenTours.com