What to Expect When Working with a Bursch Travel Advisor
Personalized vacation planning. Honest recommendations. A real person helping you every step of the way.
Planning a vacation should be exciting, but with so many destinations, cruise lines, resorts, and online booking options, knowing where to begin can feel overwhelming.
At Bursch Travel, we take the time to understand what matters to you. We help you compare your options, make informed decisions, and plan a vacation that fits your interests, travel style, and budget.
And we believe you should know exactly how our services work before making a commitment.
Getting started is easy, and your first conversation with us is completely free! It’s a chance to talk about your travel ideas, get to know your advisor, and see if we’re the right fit. If you decide to move forward, our professional services fees start at $60 per adult and may vary depending on the complexity of your vacation. We’ll let you know exactly what your fee will be before you decide to hire us, so there are no surprises. This fee covers our time, expertise, and personalized planning services and is separate from the cost of your vacation.
Here’s what you can expect when you work with us.
How Does Working with a Bursch Travel Advisor Work?
Step 1: Start with a Free Consultation
You don’t need to have your entire vacation figured out before contacting us. We’ll start with a complimentary conversation about where you’d like to go, when you want to travel, your budget, and the type of experience you’re looking for.
Maybe you’re considering an Alaska cruise but aren’t sure which cruise line is right for you. Perhaps you’re dreaming about Europe and need help deciding where to begin. Or maybe you simply want a great beach vacation.
We’ll listen, ask questions, and explain how we can help.
There’s no charge and no obligation to hire us after this initial conversation.
Step 2: Decide to Hire Your Travel Advisor
After our initial conversation, you’ll have a better idea of how we can help and whether you’d like to work together. We’ll explain your professional services fee upfront, so you’ll know exactly what it will cost before deciding to hire us.
If you’re ready to move forward, we’ll collect the agreed-upon fee and get started planning your vacation.
It’s that simple!
Step 3: We Research Your Vacation Options
Once you’ve hired your advisor, the personalized planning begins.
We’ll research travel options that match your interests, preferences, and budget, using our destination knowledge, firsthand travel experiences, and relationships with trusted travel suppliers. We look beyond the advertised price to consider what really matters: accommodations, location, what’s included, transportation, cruise itineraries, cancellation policies, and overall value.
We also have access to special offers and added amenities on many vacations. Depending on the supplier and itinerary, these might include complimentary room upgrades, early check-in, cruise ship transfers, or other extras that make your trip even better.
Instead of spending hours comparing options online, you’ll have someone helping you sort through the choices and find the vacation that’s right for you.
Step 4: You Choose, and We Handle the Booking
You’re always in control of your vacation decisions.
Your advisor will walk you through the recommended options, answer your questions, and help you select the trip that feels right. Once you’re ready, we’ll coordinate your reservations and explain important payment deadlines, travel documentation, and other details.
You make the decisions. We help make the process easier.
Step 5: We Help You Prepare for Departure
Booking your vacation is just one part of the process.
As your trip approaches, your advisor can help you review important travel details, understand entry requirements, consider travel protection, and prepare for what to expect.
Whether you have questions about your cruise, transfers, or international travel, you’ll know who to contact.
Step 6: You Have Support When You Travel
Even the best-planned vacations can encounter unexpected changes. Flights get delayed, weather affects itineraries, and travel suppliers sometimes make adjustments.
While we can’t prevent every disruption, your advisor can help you understand your options and work with travel suppliers when assistance is needed.
And when you return home, we’d love to hear about your experience. Getting to know how you travel helps us plan even better vacations for you in the future.
Why Does Bursch Travel Charge Professional Services Fees?
We believe good travel advice is worth something!
Our advisors spend time getting to know you, researching destinations, comparing options, and putting together vacations that fit your interests and budget.
But there’s another reason we charge a professional services fee. We want to recommend the vacation that’s right for you—not the one that pays us the highest commission.
Travel suppliers have different commission structures, and some don’t pay commissions at all. While Bursch Travel may receive commissions from certain suppliers, we don’t want that to influence which vacation we recommend.
Our professional services fee helps support the time, expertise, and personalized attention we give each client. Because at the end of the day, our priority is making sure you’re excited about the vacation you’ve chosen—and confident it’s the right fit for you.
Frequently Asked Questions About Working with Bursch Travel
Yes! Your initial consultation is completely free, with no obligation to book. It’s an opportunity to discuss your vacation ideas, learn about our services, and decide whether you’d like to work with an advisor.
Our professional services fees start at $60 per adult.
The exact fee may vary depending on your vacation and the planning services required. Your advisor will explain the applicable fee before you agree to move forward.
The fee is collected after your complimentary initial consultation, once you decide to hire your Bursch Travel advisor. You do not have to pay a fee simply to have an initial conversation with us.
No. The professional services fee is separate from the cost of your vacation and is not credited toward your booking. It compensates your advisor for professional planning services, research, and guidance.
Yes. We may receive commissions from cruise lines, resorts, tour companies, and other travel suppliers.
However, those commissions vary, and we don’t want supplier compensation to dictate our recommendations.
Our goal is to help you choose the vacation that best fits your needs—not the one that offers us the highest commission.
You’ll pay our professional services fee in addition to the cost of your vacation, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your trip will cost more than booking it yourself.
In many cases, Bursch Travel has access to special offers and added perks that you might not find when booking on your own. Depending on the vacation, these could include complimentary room upgrades, early check-in, transfers to your cruise ship, or other exclusive amenities.
Your advisor will also help you compare options, understand what’s included, and find the best overall value for your vacation. Sometimes it’s not just about what you pay—it’s about what you get!
Absolutely!
We work with travelers across the United States. Vacation planning can be done by phone, email, or virtually, and in-person appointments may be available at our office locations.
Our advisors help plan ocean and river cruises, European vacations, Alaska and Hawaii trips, all-inclusive resorts, escorted tours, family vacations, honeymoons, destination weddings, group travel, and customized international itineraries.
We can also help connect you with an advisor whose experience matches the type of vacation you’re planning.
Ready to Start Planning Your Next Vacation?
Since 1956, Bursch Travel has helped travelers explore the world, and we’d love to help you plan your next adventure! Whether you know exactly where you want to go or are just starting to explore ideas, we’re here to help.
Your first consultation is free, and there’s no obligation to hire us. Let’s talk about where you’d like to go!
