Burkhalter Travel and Cruise Shoppe - Madison, Wisconsin

Jean S.

Once you use their service, you won't stop. Staff is beyond helpful! I was not a travel agency person, one awesome trip they assisted me, and I'm addicted. They made my first trip out of North America unforgettable. There will be more.

Timothy H.

We used Burkhalter for our last trip to the west coast. Our agent was very helpful in planning a trip to a place we haven't been before, and everything worked out very smoothly. Airfare, car rental, and multiple hotels - it all went according to plan.

I should add that the price was also very reasonable considering the amount of work we had them do for us.

Jim D.

Terrific service, very knowledgeable staff, and genuinely wanted us to maximize our experience.
Julia was friendly and very helpful. We would highly recommend her and Burkhalter for our next travel

Jim W.

Nothing to see there. Was hoping to get some vacation ideas and personal help.

Jenna R.

This agency did not work out for me. I spoke with two separate agents to help me secure flights, and both were totally rude. One told me directly that helping me get a flight wasn't worth her time because she only made $42 from it. The flight schedule they picked for me did not fit well and I asked for an alternative, but was ignored or handed off to someone else. I travel extensively and was hoping to find a good agent that can help me every time, but it won't be Burkhalter. There are other travel agencies in the area that were much happier to help me get traveling.

Terry L.

Went to pay off the balance of a scheduled trip, the doors were locked with a sign saying that by appointment only. Didn't have a heads up from the website saying that. Did call a delivery number that was on the door and got in that way luckily.

Tina H.

I rely on my Burkhalter Agent for EVERYTHING!! My agent provides excellent customer service in every aspect of the travel industry, and her knowledge of the destination as well as every step of the travel process is unparalleled. I took a river cruise in the summer, and there is no way it would have been so perfect without her! I am traveling this weekend, and she helped me with the arrangements, resulting in smooth, seamless trip plans so that I can focus on what really matters: fun, friends, and family!! I would give them 10 stars if I could! GRATEFUL for Burkhalter!

Chris H.

TLDR: Honestly not worth the trouble. you are better off planning it yourself. You'll learn more about the area you are going to see and have more information on hand when you get there. You also won't pay for something but not get it because your travel agent messed up or have something booked under a different name.

I wold describe the travel agents that we worked with as condescending and incompetent. They are only there to try and get the most money out of you and your trip instead of planning the best trip for you in your budget.

Everything they do and offer you can find better and cheaper yourself with some research on the internet.

- Full review -

The only reason I went through Burkhalter is because I got a GC from my work. After dealing with your travel agent my wife and I were excited because she told us she knew the area very well. It turns out that your travel agent doesn't actually do anything but relay info to another TA who plans your trip.

It took us a very long and stressful period to actually get the trip we wanted. The first itinerary was nothing like what we asked, and each one that followed always missed things we were asking for. It finally took us spelling out exactly what we wanted and making them remove almost everything from the trip so we could just do it ourselves. They also didn't respect our budget. Sometimes planning a trip that was 1.5x what we said our budget was for. Our travel agent was condescending to us when we pointed out that this was 1.5x the budget we listed.

We were supposed to have a driver from the airport to the hotel. We looked around where it said they would be for an hour but didn't see anyone. Even after asking drivers if they were for us but with a wrong name. We had trip insurance though so I figured we wouldn't have to pay for that because we were told by our agent. This was literally an example she gave to convince us to pay for it. Turns out that isn't true. We still had to pay for it.

The next day we had a tour planned to show us the city. The name for the tour was wrong. I had to run back to our hotel to get the voucher to show we already paid for it. It was booked under someone else's name.

Dealing with them after our trip was nothing but frustrating and annoying. Everything the said the would help with or cover with trip insurance turned out to be a lie.

Your trip will be less stressful and more worry-free if you plan it yourself, trust me. If I knew what we would have gone through I wouldn't have used the gift card and just did it myself.