Why Kinga Tanajewska Just Got On Her Bike and Left

Kinga Tanajewska, better known as On Her Bike, has spent the last decade riding solo across the world, building a global audience of nearly a million followers and more than 42 million YouTube views along the way.

She’s one of the original adventure biking content creators, sharing compelling stories from her travels at a time when few riders were doing it online. She set off with no support crew and no fixed plan, it was just her, her bike, and whatever the road threw at her.

This June, she’s bringing those experiences to the ABR Festival, from the highlights to the setbacks and close calls that come with crossing continents alone.

She might have a global audience, sponsors, and a regular income from her content, but if you put that to one side, her reasons for setting off all those years ago aren’t that different from yours or mine. The need to escape, to clear your head, and to see what’s out there. It’s exactly the kind of story that was made for the ABR Festival, and that’s why Kinga will be heading to Ragley Hall in June.

The turning point

Riding had been part of Kinga’s life long before she set off around the world. She first got on a bike as a teenager in Poland, spending years riding to rallies and building her confidence on two wheels before eventually moving to Australia, where the idea of bigger adventures started to take shape.

Then in 2015, a head-on collision changed everything.

“I had a broken hand, broken leg, and a blood clot on my lung,” Kinga says. “But the injuries were nothing compared to my mental state. I had terrible PTSD and was a complete mess.”

At the same time, work pressures were mounting, and there were difficulties in her personal life.

“I had to deal with all that, my job was very stressful, and a few months later, my marriage fell apart, and I just snapped.”

With a payout from the accident and enough money to last a couple of years, she made a decision many riders will recognise, even if they’ve never taken it this far.

“I just thought I’ve got enough money to cover two years, so I’m just going to take off and see where I end up.”

That was 2017, and nine years later, she’s still on the road. This summer, she’ll be reflecting on that decision on stage at the ABR Festival, and where it’s taken her since.

Taking the first step

Like most adventure riders, Kinga was far from an expert when she set out, and she’d be heading out with no backup.

“I went solo because my partner didn’t ride, and no one else wanted to go. I just thought, sod it, I’m going to go anyway,” she says.

“I’d never camped on my own, I’d never ridden on my own, I was so scared.”

Those early days were a steep learning curve. She dropped the bike regularly, struggled on gravel, and had to figure things out as she went.

It’ll be a familiar story to many riders who’ve taken their first steps, and one that’s echoed time and again across the ABR Festival.

“The hardest thing is to start,” Kinga says. “So many people can’t get past that first step because they think they’re not capable…but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.”

The two videos that changed everything

Kinga didn’t set out to become a content creator; in fact, when she first picked up a camera, there wasn’t really a template to follow.

“I did two short videos, but at the time, no one was on YouTube,” she says.

But those early films caught attention. Enough for viewers to assume they were professionally made campaigns, and for BMW Australia to take her on as an ambassador.

From there, things grew steadily. By the time she set off on her round-the-world journey in 2017, the audience was building, and as YouTube and brand partnerships evolved, so did the opportunity to fund her travels.

“I set out in 2017, and by 2019 the money had pretty much run out… but luckily in those two years the industry had changed,” she explains. “YouTube had started paying out, so I was beginning to make good money.”

It’s a journey that’s still evolving, and one she’ll be sharing in more detail across the weekend at Ragley Hall.

Why going solo changes everything

A big part of Kinga’s story is the decision to travel alone, and for her, that’s shaped everything.

“You experience everything on such a completely different level when you are a solo traveller,” she says.

And it’s not just about independence, but connection too.

“If I’m travelling through the Middle East by myself, I’ll get to talk to men and women. If you’re a man, women won’t always talk to you because of the culture. For me travelling as a solo woman, people want to help you.”

That openness has taken her across continents, through remote landscapes, and into encounters that define the experience of adventure riding.

“If you set off with a good attitude, an open mind, and treat people with kindness, things generally work out.”

It’s those moments that stay with you, and the kind of insight that hits harder when you hear it in person.

It’s the hard parts you remember

It isn’t always a smooth ride, and Kinga is open about the mistakes, the fatigue, and the challenges that come with long-distance travel.

“On the first part of the trip, I was still a little naive. I was carrying too much kit, I kept falling off a lot and getting myself exhausted and making bad decisions.”

But those are the experiences that are part of any good journey. They’re fundamental to what makes adventure biking what it is, and a huge reason why people keep watching Kinga’s content.

Seen Kinga’s journey? Hear what didn’t make the cut

It’s fascinating watching Kinga’s travels online, but it doesn’t come close to hearing the stories behind those adventures in the flesh. And this June, Kinga will be taking to the Ducati Stage and Bridgestone Stage at the ABR Festival to share insights and the hard-earned lessons from nearly a decade exploring the world solo. She’ll also be revealing a few stories she couldn’t tell on YouTube, and maybe a few tips on how to make a living travelling the world on a motorbike.

Kinga joins the likes of Richard Hammond, Charley Boorman and more than 80 other speakers at Ragley Hall for the ABR Festival from 26-28 June. You won’t find inspiration like this anywhere else, so grab your ticket now, before they’re all gone.