Author name: Gordon Dreger

Hospitality isn’t entirely one-sided. While we think of hotels, restaurants, and airlines as being in the business of serving us, there’s actually a quiet exchange happening, a kind of unspoken dialogue between those delivering the service and those receiving it. And the people who’ve spent years travelling? They speak that language fluently, often without realizing

There was a time, not that long ago, really, when the words “duty-free” sent a little thrill through travellers. You’d land at an international airport, clear security, and there it was: a gleaming emporium of spirits, perfumes, cigarettes, and chocolates, all beckoning with the promise of serious savings. That bottle of single malt you’d been

Somewhere between “fun trip planning” and “small print reading,” deposit and cancellation policies sit in a special circle of travel hell. Nobody loves them, including the people who have to create them (me) let alone enforce them (the W&A team). Yet they exist for reasons that are a bit more complicated than “because the accountant

New Year’s resolutions have a bad reputation, and for good reason. Most fail by February. The gym membership languishes, the diet crumbles at the first dinner party, and the language app sits unopened while we scroll social media instead. But what if we aimed for resolutions that aren’t about deprivation or discipline; ones that might

Travel brochures love skylines and bucket-list landmarks, but cities rarely reveal their true character at the top of the Eiffel Tower or in front of the Taj Mahal. Those places are worth seeing, of course, but they’re the cover of the book, not the story itself. The story lives at street level, in the spaces

If you’ve travelled with Wheel & Anchor before, you’ll know that walking is part of the deal. Cobbled streets, gentle hills, the odd uneven path to a viewpoint or vineyard: all very manageable, but much more enjoyable with a bit of support. Many of our members already use a single walking stick, and do so

Tracing one dish across borders to understand migration and memory Most people don’t book a trip because of the food, at least not on paper. They come for coastlines, castles and craft markets and even the cathedrals. And yet, when they talk about the trip after the fact, the stories often circle back to the

A transparent look at logistics, limitations, and better alternatives I’ll start with something I genuinely mean: I understand that our transfer policy can feel like an unnecessary hassle, especially for members who arrive early to shake off jet lag or who extend their stay to explore a destination more deeply. Many of you do exactly

There’s a moment in the design of every Wheel & Anchor trip when an itinerary stops being a list of places and becomes something closer to a narrative, one with breath, rhythm, and space for the unexpected. That moment usually arrives after weeks of mapping distances, reviewing hotels, negotiating with partners, and asking the question

Traveling with Aeroplan once felt like unlocking hidden doorways to business-class comfort and elite perks. Now it increasingly feels like those doors have shrunk—and the key costs a lot more points or cash. Over the past year, Air Canada’s loyalty program has devalued award redemptions and rewritten elite qualification rules in ways that hit our

There’s a quiet alchemy that happens when a trip transitions from logistically sound to genuinely memorable, and it usually begins with the person wearing the metaphorical nametag marked “Host.” At Wheel & Anchor, we’ve spent years refining what that role means, not just in operational terms, but in how it shapes the experience our members

A question that’s been surfacing more frequently in recent months – particularly given the circus unfolding south of our border – is whether Wheel & Anchor might organize more trips within Canada. It’s a thoughtful request, and one I take seriously. After all, who wouldn’t want to explore the staggering beauty of our own backyard

The New Airport Literacy: Navigating Biometrics, Lanes, Lounges, and Stress-Free Flows The airport experience has evolved dramatically over the past few years, and for Canadian travellers setting out on complex international itineraries, understanding the new tools and systems can mean the difference between stress and serenity. From biometric screening that recognizes your face to CT

Here’s a follow‑up to this week’s pricing note: a lighthearted look at why travel feels pricier since Covid, what’s actually driving it, and how we’re working to keep value high even as the loonie limbos lower. First I would like to make a confession first. Talking about prices, especially when they’re rising, is easily the

If recent years have taught us anything, it’s that what’s shouted from headlines and what’s happening on the ground can be vastly different experiences. A city described as “on edge” may feel, at street level, like a Tuesday: cafés full, kids walking home from school, small inconveniences in the transit timetable. Conversely, a place that

There’s a certain freedom that comes from stepping just beside the spotlight. The world’s most famous destinations draw well-deserved admiration (and equally predictable crowds, but that’s another topic). However, their quieter neighbours often hold the same charm with more breathing room, better value, and a surprising depth of culture that rewards anyone willing to look

What makes travel friendships different isn’t intention—most of us don’t set out to “make friends”—it’s proximity to possibility. A new place loosens the script, and in the unscripted spaces, people find each other. That was the quiet magic at our Summer Socials: a room full of travel aficionados swapping stories and, without trying, planting the

There’s a quiet, powerful truth that emerges after years of organizing trips for people in their 60s and beyond: most health considerations don’t have to end an adventure; they just change how it’s approached. The goal isn’t to ignore reality, nor to be ruled by it. It’s to prepare well enough that health becomes a

If engaging in conversation with our Wheel & Anchor members has taught me anything, it’s that most of us love to despise air travel. Whether it’s the hassle of security, the mystery of shifting seat assignments, or the feeling of being conspicuously herded onto a 777, there’s no shortage of tales to share – usually

I’ve long believed that the heartbeat of any destination is best found not in its grand monuments or “must-see” attractions, but at a humble café table—ideally one with a slightly wobbly leg and a saucer that’s seen better days. Order something local, settle in, and within minutes the city begins to introduce itself. The waiter’s

Spend enough time with professional guides and you begin to see their world through a different lens. They’re the first voices many visitors hear, the story-keepers who translate centuries of history into a morning walk, the cultural interpreters who can turn a quiet courtyard into a living chronicle. They meet guests from every latitude and

A familiar scene has been unfolding on nearly every Wheel & Anchor program I host or that I hear about from many of our hosts. We’ll arrive at a spell-binding lookout—perhaps the hazy sunrise over Vietnam’s rice plantations or the pink glow that settles each evening on the limestone cliffs of Portugal’s Algarve—and, within seconds,