About Us

Wingback Travel is owned and operated by Laura Leeker in conjunction with her long time travel partner, Michael Ross Harper. Laura and Ross plan every detail and lead all of our tours, so they are with you every step of the way when you travel with us. Kyle Priddle oversees our finance and technology operations.

Our main office is located in Aix-en-Provence, France.

Laura Leeker, founder of Wingback Travel, standing in front of a fireplace

Laura Leeker

Founder & Director

A detail-oriented lover of logistics and research, Laura has over 15 years of experience planning complex itineraries and sharing her love of travel with others.

After completing her degree in Finance, she moved Paris and started a corporate job. Laura quickly realized that cubicle life was not for her.

She went on to live in Berlin and London, where she completed her Masters degree in Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art.

She then returned to the US, working at an art gallery in New York City and returning to school to finish her PhD in Art History. She specializes in the art of medieval Italy, but has taught and studied widely in the field, from ancient to modern periods. Her favorite part of being a PhD student was spending several months a year in Europe doing research and co-leading study abroad trips.

Laura lives in Aix-en-Provence, France. She speaks French and Italian.

  • France and Japan!

Ross Harper, expert guide for Wingback Travel

Michael Ross Harper

Director of Sales

Ross is the co-owner of Fiddleheads in Columbus, Georgia, USA.

He and Laura met in French class at Auburn University. Ross also moved to Paris after graduating with a degree in French. He worked at the Emmanuel Ungaro boutique on avenue Montaigne and as English teacher in Normandy.

After working in Paris, Ross moved to Bayeux, a small town in Normandy, where he taught English for a year. He then returned to Columbus, Georgia where he worked as an Event Designer at Details of the Garden and opened his first store, The French Market, in 2012.

Two years later he opened his store, Fiddleheads, selling special gifts, jewelry, and clothing . Ross travels to England and France several times a year to source antiques, shipping all his finds back in a container and offering them for sale at Fiddleheads.

Ross lives in Columbus, Georgia. He is a fluent French speaker.

  • Paris and Venice

Kyle Priddle in the gate area at JFK airport, getting ready to fly to Paris

Kyle Priddle

Finance & Technology

Kyle has worked in business and technology for over 25 years and was a VP at Spectrum (Charter Communications) from 2017 to 2026. Kyle provides behind the scenes support for Wingback Travel’s finance and technology operations. He has a Bachelor of Business degree from Eastern Illinois University.

Kyle is a long-time travel enthusiast, tallying 38 international trips.

Kyle lives in Aix-en-Provence, France.

  • Provence, Swiss Alps and French Alps, Rome, Lugano, Berlin