Meet the Wheel & Anchor Team
Your hosts are passionate and experienced travellers, ready to take you on some extraordinary adventures.
Gordon Dreger
Founder, W&A
Gord is our chief traveller and founder of the Wheel & Anchor community. Having been around the business for over 28 years and brought guests with him to all of the continents, Gord has a reputation for delivering unmatched hospitality. His greatest passion is showing people the world because he believes that travel is the single most important factor of global understanding. He recently released his book, The Heart of Hospitality, which you can get a copy of here.
Joel Curry
Co-Founder, W&A
Joel is the co-founder of Wheel & Anchor and the brains behind our entire marketing & communication strategy. Having spent nearly a decade living in Asia and Europe, Joel brings an understanding of how things are done from his experiences around the world. He is also a voracious reader taking in a book or 2 on average every week !
Paula Czarnik
Senior Member Support Specialist, W&A
Always on a quest for adventure, Paula is passionate to learn about the culture, history, trying local food as well as meeting the locals when she travels. She believes travel to be one of the best influences and educations in her life and is excited to help you with your next journey. Paula has been fortunate enough to explore over 28 countries. When she is not travelling you can find her hiking, snowshoeing, whitewater kayaking, rock climbing, surfing and doing yoga. Her latest adventure was sailing across the Pacific. She enjoys sharing her knowledge, experience and passion to create your next holiday of a lifetime!
Aura Riedel
Host, W&A
Aura was introduced to travel at a young age, her first big trip being to Japan and Thailand at the age of four. Travel has always been an important part of her life and upbringing, so she has naturally developed a love for culture and language, which has only fuelled her desire to see and learn more about the world. She spends her spare time planning and departing on trips to new countries.
Amber Riedel
Host, W&A
Amber is one of our hosts and a very successful entrepreneur who has travelled solo around parts of the world that are not for the faint of heart. She has a natural talent for showing travellers a great time while on the road and a special knack for negotiation at those daunting markets one inevitably encounters along the way.
Mike Sowden
Blogger, W&A
Mike is our storyteller. He writes blogs and various articles about travel and a bunch of other interesting topics. He grew up on the Mediterreranean island of Cyprus and now resides in the UK and it’s brilliant for us to have his voice on our team.
Elsa Almenara
Host, W&A
Elsa is our tour creator extraordinaire and an eager traveler, with Vietnam and Czech Republic as her current favorite destinations so far.