St. Cloud 220 Division St Waite Park, MN 56387 Fax: 800 Number: 800-645-2331 Manager: JIll Ward Phone: 320-251-3180
Hours: Monday - Friday: 9:00am - 5:00pm
By appointment only. Call today to schedule!
Years at Bursch Travel: 24 years.
What is your travel background? I got my Travel Management Degree from Rasmussen College and then worked at Trans Global Vacations for a year. I've been at Bursch Travel ever since!
What are your travel related specialties? I can do a mixture of things. I book Disney vacations, cruises, trips to Mexico, Caribbean, Hawaii and the rest of the US. I am also able to coordinate destination weddings and incentive groups. I am an AM Master agent, a Disney college of knowledge graduate, a Marriott Hotel specialist and a Certified Travel Counselor.
What destinations are on your bucket list? Australia, New Zealand and Aruba.
What's your favorite location and why? Hawaii. I love being surrounded by the beautiful beaches and waterfalls.
Share a fun fact about yourself! I LOVE technology. I know, I'm a pretty big dork. :)
Years at Bursch Travel: 9 years.
What are your travel related specialties? Mexico and the United Kingdom.
What is your favorite destination and why? England! I lived there for four months during a study abroad program and grew to absolutely love the history, architecture, food and culture.
Travel Bucketlist! Southeast Asia and Africa.
Do any client/bookings stand out in your memory? My most rewarding moment came when I booked a trip for a mother and daughter who had no idea where they wanted to go. They were animal lovers, so I suggested San Diego. They visited the San Diego Zoo and went whale watching – they were hooked. The mother later came back and told me that her daughter described the whale watching experience as the single best day of her life!!
Something fun about you that people don’t know: I shoot professional photography when I’m not booking travel! I take wedding photos, newborns and children, graduating seniors, families, engagements, etc…
Years at Bursch Travel: 7 years. I got my BA in social work but then later received my travel certificate from the Travel Academy in Eagan, MN.
What places are on your travel bucket list? Australia, Machu Picchu, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Brazil.
Do you have a favorite destination? I fell in love with Spain. I love the history, the architecture, and the food & wine!
Tell us a fun fact about yourself: I lived in Honduras when I was younger. My dad was an eye doctor and would charge $1 (or one lempira in Honduran currency) per patient. Some people couldn't afford it, but they would come back later and give him a chicken or a pig as payment and a thank you for checking their eyes.
Doug has worked in the travel industry for 31 years and been at Bursch Travel for 26. He has an AA Degree from St. Cloud State University and is very active with the Sons of the American Legion throughout Minnesota and the United States. He has worked his entire career in corporate travel and specializes in Corporate Travel. His clients appreciate his excellent customer service and how he creates solutions for any situation. The most enjoyable part about traveling for him is collecting all of the “tacky tourist” stuff to bring home. He is anxious to collect some more items when he someday visits his dream destination of Ireland.
Years at Bursch Travel: 6 Years.
What do you do for fun when not traveling? I enjoy the great outdoors - hiking, horseback riding, running, and camping.
What's your favorite destination? It's a toss-up between Ireland and Italy. The cultures and rich history of the landscapes are most appealing.
What are your travel related specialties? Mexico, the Caribbean, Disney World, Hawaii, Alaska, and Western Europe.
What is your favorite destination and why? Alaska has won over my heart! The untouched natural beauty and wilderness is amazing. Ireland is a close second favorite destination, the people, rich history, and beautiful scenery is incredible.
What's on your travel bucket list? There are so many great places to visit still; Australia, New Zealand, and Iceland are very high on my list!
Tell us something fun about you that people don’t know. I have a horse and enjoy horseback riding in parks around central Minnesota. We participated in our first endurance race this summer!
Years at Bursch Travel: 21 Years
What parts of the world do you know best? Mexico, Hawaii and the Caribbean. I'm also a graduate of the Disney College of Knowledge.
What's your favorite destination and why? It's very hard to narrow down to just one! I love the mountains so Alaska & Montana were fantastic. I'm also in love Hawaii because of its beaches and beautiful scenery. Ireland is my favorite for history, culture AND scenery. And so many great US places! Charleston's history, food and beauty made it a very memorable location.
What do you do for fun when you're not traveling? I love spending time outside! I enjoy walking/hiking, being on our boat, spending time with family & friends, reading, watching movies, doing yard work, home projects and, of course, time with our puppy my husband, Eric.
Years at Bursch Travel: 16 Years at Bursch but over 33 years total.
What are your travel related specialties? Europe, USA, Mexico and Caribbean.
What locations are on your bucket list? I can't really narrow it down! I want to do more of Europe, Central and South America, South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand.
What do you do for fun when not traveling? I enjoy spending time with my two kids, hiking, hanging out with friends, and reading.
Do you have a favorite destination? I love all of the history of Europe but I also love the beautiful beach destinations of Hawaii and Riviera Maya.
Years at Bursch Travel: 6 Years
Which destinations are on your bucket list? Tahiti, Fiji, Bora Bora - any exotic island.
What are your travel related specialties? Mexico! I go there at least twice a year. I've also traveled extensively through Belgium.
What do you do for fun when not traveling? I plan my NEXT trip! I also like to play the piano for relaxation as well as sew.
Any usual bookings to date? I had a direct descendent of Count Dracula inquiring about a tour to Transylvania on Halloween. Seriously! He even showed me his driver's license.
Care to share a fun fact? I am a church choir director and Lee Hurd was in my choir. That's how I got involved with Bursch Travel.
Karen K.
Years at Bursch Travel: 8 years with Bursch - another 10 previous.
What are your travel related specialties? Group travel is my main focus… incentive groups, destination weddings, and college groups. Mexico and the Caribbean are the areas I know best, but I am a graduate of the Disney College of Knowledge and the Princess Cruise Academy.
What's on your travel bucket list? Australia, New Zealand, and a European River Cruise.
Do you have a favorite destination? Hawaii! The Hawaiian people and culture are like nowhere else. Each island has something different to offer. Best of all, it's right here in the U.S.
Any fun facts? In my previous job, I got to spend a day and night with a soap star, Philip Kiriakis, from "Days of our Lives". After our meet and greet, I toured him around the Brainerd lakes area local hot spots. It was fun to see how long it would take, at each establishment, for people to start recognizing him!
Lisa is our newest advisor in our St. Cloud office but that doesn’t mean she lacks knowledge of the travel world. Prior to joining the Bursch team she spent several years with MLT Vacations, AAA Travel and as a corporate travel advisor for Creative Memories. After a short break from travel we were so lucky she choose Bursch as her home. One of her favorite places to visit is San Diego because of all of the things to see and do and beautiful beaches. She is always busy dreaming about planning future trips for her and her family to Italy, Greece or Australia – how does a girl begin to choose just one? In her off time from travel Lisa has 4 children and her husband, Kevin, so she never gets bored but if she does she loves to golf, read and spend time around the campfire with her family and friends. If you are looking for a travel advisor with some spunk and great knowledge of this big world to see, give Lisa a call. She will impress you immediately!
Years at Bursch Travel: I just completed my bachelors of science in Tourism & Recreation Management at Arizona State University and I'm excited to join the Bursch team!
What are your travel related specialties? Disney vacations and Florida
What do you do for fun when you're not traveling? Hosting parties and event planning for friends and family. I also enjoy reading and spending time outdoors.
What destinations are on your bucket list? All 4 international Disney parks, Europe and the Caribbean.
What's your favorite destination and why? Florida! It's a quick flight from MN making it easier to escape the cold and enjoy the beach and Disney World.
Share something fun about yourself that most people wouldn't know? When visiting a dueling pianos bar, I was once called on stage to play with the other pianists.
Years at Bursch Travel: 4 years.
What did you do before Bursch Travel? I got my BA in Accounting from St. Cloud State University and am a certified public accountant. I used to own my own business!
What destinations are on your bucket list? Barbados, Aruba and Thailand. Can you tell that I like the sun and white sand beaches?
Share something fun about yourself that none of us would know: I hiked the Grand Canyon and survived!
Years at Bursch Travel: 17 Years. Prior to Bursch, I worked in the travel industry for 25 years.
How did you get your start in travel? I was working at a southern California department store. While chatting with a customer about travel, the customer offered me a job at the travel agency she owned with her husband! The rest is (ancient) history.
What countries are on your travel bucket list? Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Argentina....the list goes on!
What's your favorite destination? Portugal - I just got back so memories are fresh. The people are so friendly and fun and the food and wine are fantastic and inexpensive. It's a beautiful place with so much to do and an interesting history I would love to learn more about.
What do you do for fun when not traveling? I dream about my next trip! I also smother my dog with lots of love. Oh, and I also watch a lot of good TV...I'm a little obsessed.
What's a favorite travel memory? I traveled to Singapore just a few weeks after 9/11. I was overwhelmed by how much sympathy the local people had for our country. Traveling really does make the world a smaller place and you learn how similar we really all are.
Years with Bursch Travel: 14 Years. I work in the accounting department and also as the human resources counselor.
Educational background: AAS degrees in Accounting and Human Resources, AS degree Payroll Specialist.
What do you like to do for fun? I love spending time with my five kids. Movies, video games and bonfires in the backyard with s'mores and hotdogs. Yumm!
What is your favorite destination? My favorite trip was taking my kids to Disney World. We enjoyed all of the magic it had to offer!
Years at Bursch Travel: 28 years.
Travel related specialties: Missionary Travel, Asia, Africa, Europe.
What do you do when not traveling: I work on my classic trucks and go to as many classic car shows as possible during the summer.
Favorite destination and why: To date, it's Italy. It was something that we had planned on doing for many years after my youngest son graduated from high school. Finally, two years after he graduated, we made the trip happen. It was the most memorable and interesting trip - my family really took in the culture and enjoyed the adventure. We took all modes of transportation including planes, trains, boats and automobiles.
Most interesting trip planned: I have fond memories of a gentleman and his wife that wanted to return back to the homeland he left during WWII. He was in a concentration camp and was the only one of his family who survived. He sat in my office for over 2 hours sharing stories that were intriguing and interesting. The most special story was about how he met his wife on the outside of the prison camp.
Years with Bursch Travel: 33 years.
What are your travel related specialties? I LOVE New York City and have escorted over 15 groups on Bursch Travel's most popular tour - "The Best of the Big Apple." With over 1000 participants having experienced this incredible adventure, I'm very proud to be celebrating the tour's 10th anniversary.
What's on your travel bucket list: Scotland and Australia.
What do you do when you're not traveling? What, there are other things to do? I do like to scrapbook my trips, read, watch movies and play trivia besides spending time with my family which is top on the list.
What is your favorite destination and why? I love something about every place I visit. I like to escort 3-4 groups a year and bringing people experiences and opportunities they couldn’t get on their own is one of my greatest joys.
What's something fun about you that people don’t know? I loved my days in marching band. I was the drum majorette and participated in the colorguard. I was asked to join a drum and bugle corp after high school but I wanted to get into the travel business right away so I took my very first flight to travel school in Florida!
Years at Bursch Travel: 28 years
What degrees do you have? I have an AA degree in Travel Management from Rasmussen College. I'm also a graduate of the Disney College of Knowledge and a Certified Travel Counselor.
What's on your travel bucket list? My dream destination is a two week trip to London and Paris - of course for the sightseeing, but also for the shopping and exploring new foods!
Tell us something that people may not know about you? I do travel planning for sweepstakes winners from all kinds of different companies around the United States. Recently I was able to make a little girl's dream come true when she won a week-long trip to Los Angeles including a visit to Nickelodeon Studios and Disneyland. The little girl was truly mesmerized by this exciting trip.
Years at Bursch Travel: I have been at Bursch Travel for my entire 39+ year career!
What do you like to do when not traveling? I am an avid cross-country skier and a supportive fan of my son who competes in the Biathlon. Last winter I was able to attend the Inaugural Winter Youth Olympics in Austria. I was very excited to experience an Olympic event and was overwhelmed by the beautiful scenery in this amazing area of Europe.
What locations are on your bucket list? On my next adventure, I would like to visit the Galapagos Islands and or Antarctica.
Years at Bursch Travel: 9 Years.
What did you do prior to Bursch Travel? Fred Bursch and I met in 2004, married in 2008, and I joined him at Bursch Travel in 2012. Prior to that, I had a 35-year career in the Medical Service Industry where I held a Vice President/Regional Manager position, managing 35 service centers in 18 states.
What are your favorite destinations and why? When I reflect back on the travel Fred and I have done together, the most memorable places have been: Egypt and a Nile River Cruise from Luxor to Aswan (Extra special memory – Fred proposed on bended knee in front of the Pyramids.) Israel and Jordan. Irrawaddy River Cruise through Myanmar from Bagan to Mandalay. Safari in Kenya and Tanzania. Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan. They were most memorable because we were deeply immersed in the country’s culture through local guides who escorted us and introduced us to the people and the culture of their beloved countries.
What's on your travel bucket list? Australia, New Zealand, Peru, Iceland, Vietnam, Ireland and Antarctica.
What do you do for fun when you're not traveling? Besides travelling, my other favorite things in my world are; spending time with family and our grandchildren (George, Henry, Elly, Emmett and Evan), walking, biking, golfing, gardening, boating and skiing.
Years at Bursch Travel: 8 Years.
What did you do prior to Bursch Travel? I worked in digital marketing for both local and national advertisers for over 8 years. I officially joined Bursch Travel in 2014 but feel like I have been a part of the team since I was born...my grandpa, Pete, started the company in 1956. I'm excited to bring Bursch Travel to the 3rd generation of ownership!
What are your favorite destinations and why? How can I possibly choose? Morocco stands out as an incredibly unique experience and culture. It was like no place I've ever been and I'd go back in a heartbeat. That said, Italy has my heart (and my stomach) and Alaska took my breath away.
What's on your travel bucket list? South Africa, Switzerland, and New Zealand. Water, mountains, and wine!
What do you do for fun when you're not traveling? My sons are 9 and 7 so I'm becoming a hockey and baseball mom. In my spare time, I love trying new restaurants, going to museums, and planning my next vacation!
Years at Bursch Travel: 17 Years
What did you do prior to Bursch Travel? I worked at Delta Vacations and Hutchinson Travel.
What is your favorite destinations and why? Switzerland. The beauty of the destination, the cleanliness, the friendly people and amazing food!
What's on your travel bucket list? Bora Bora, Maldives, Vietnam and return to Switzerland.
What do you do for fun when you're not traveling? I like to cook, read, and take walks with my husband.
What are your travel related specialties? Diving - specifically in Bonaire.
