Hello Blogosphere!

Hello Blogosphere! Being that this is my first blog post ever, I'll introduce myself. I'm a 27-year-old travel and tourism writer residing in Madison, Wisconsin. When I'm not writing this blog, I'm a Madison Tourism Examiner for Examiner.com. When I'm not writing, I'm out traveling, downhill skiing and checking out attractions to write about! I'm into traveling, live music, concerts, theater, movies, books, celebs, TV; anything and everything entertainment-based.

Madison is a city surrounded by water. Lake. City. Lake. It's a diverse city with lots to offer in terms of arts & entertainment. Nighlife is hot & plentiful whether you're checking out a movie, a bar on University Ave., a live band at the Orpheum, or a broadway performance at the Overture. Maybe shopping is more your thing? Check out East Towne, West Towne Mall and the famously stylish State Street downtown. That's where you'll find me this weekend-downtown Friday night checking out the bar scene and at the Overture Saturday night checking out Rent (for the second time). I'll be sure to write reviews for both. :)

In the meantime, check out my article below that I wrote for my first Examiner.com post. It's about one of the premier travel agencies in the area, Burkhalter Travel.

"Burkhalter Travel thrives in tourism industry"

Businesses across Madison continue to look for ways to stand out among their competitors in the local market. One particular business, Burkhalter Travel, has found many ways to get an edge above the rest in the Madison tourism industry.


For over 51 years, Burkhalter Travel has been servicing the Madison community with a plethora of travel and tourism services. Burkhalter is a full-service travel agency offering expertise in cruises, tours, group, wedding, business and leisure travel.

To continue to thrive in the current economy, Burkhalter has positioned themselves as experts in a unique niche: wedding travel. Recently, the agency participated in two bridal shows in Madison and Wisconsin Dells where they made connections with hundreds of brides, family members and other vendors. The expert Vacation Travel Consultants at Burkhalter can plan the perfect destination wedding or honeymoon and take the stress of planning away from the bride and groom-to-be. Many of the staff members at Burkhalter specialize in specific destinations, so they can offer advice on everything from where to stay on your wedding night to the most newlywed friendly all-inclusive honeymoon destinations.

Concentrating on wedding travel isn’t the only thing Burkhalter has done to stay successful. The agency advertises more than any other travel agency in the area. However, advertising is not the key to gaining and keeping clients. Scott Mast of Burkhalter Travel says great service is what really counts. “We try to stay very pro-active,” says Mast. “Despite the economy, there is still business out there, and our great staff and great service is what has kept us successful over the years.”

To offer the best service to their clients, Burkhalter offers three convenient locations in Madison as well as offices in Oregon, Fitchburg, Baraboo, Stoughton and Brookfield. Recently, Burkhalter has expanded into Iowa, proving that despite the odds, Burkhalter Travel will continue to be successful in south central Wisconsin and beyond. Go to the Burkhalter Travel Web site, stop in at any of their nine convenient locations, or e-mail vacation@burkhaltertravel.com to book your trip today.