A Special Section Focusing on Senior Lifestyles
MATURELifestyles Travel
November 2014
Burnsville woman’s lifetime of travel began in grade school BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER Barbara Tillemans truthfully can say she’s been traveling almost all her life. The Burnsville resident was born in New York, grew up in Arkansas, and went to boarding school in Tulsa, Okla., flying back and forth by herself as a fifth-grader. Her next residence was California, where she went to college. “Close to graduation, I talked to some friends about traveling,” Tillemans said. “I didn’t even go to the graduation ceremony (at the University of California in San Francisco).”
was pretty much unheard of. But it was a very interesting time.” After she toured Africa, she met a former college roommate in Madrid and they spent the next year together in Europe. Tillemans married and had two children, and continued traveling with her husband, who was a native of Minnesota. She has lived in Burnsville for 46 years. After a stint as a Realtor with Edina Realty, it was natural for Tillemans to gravitate toward a job working with a travel agent. “I worked with her as an independent contractor,”
Instead she saved her money, sold her car and boarded a cruise ship bound for Yokihama, Japan. Then she used a round-the-world airline ticket that was good for one year from Tokyo to Madrid. “That didn’t include Africa,” Tillemans said. “I needed a separate ticket for Africa.” “I traveled by myself for the next six months,” Tillemans said. “At 21, that
Tillemans said said. “We did a lot of our own planning. I’ve been traveling ever since.” Even though she no longer works as a travel agent, Tillemans said, “I still help make travel plans for people I know. There is always going to be a need for good travel agents. I can tell people where to find the best omelet in Paris or how to get into the Louvre without standing in line.”
From years of traveling, Tillemans has lot of tips. She admits that she still tends to over-pack. “There are ways of getting really good airfares,” she said. “People can build up miles on a credit card that gives miles for more than one airline. You can really save money on international flights.” “There are still good discounts,” Tillemans said. “There are good tour operators who cater to older people.” Special tours are available just for women, or especially for older travelers, or people who use walkers and canes, Tillemans said. As a travel agent, she worked with grandparents who were taking children and grandchildren on trips, mainly cruises. “There are still a lot of older people who like to cruise; it’s an easy trip,” she said. “There’s something for every age on a cruise.” She advises people to get a credit card with a chip in it, since it’s the only card accepted at most places in Europe. She also advises people to wait to exchange their American money until they reach their destination abroad. Her own travels continue. “I just met my daughter in Dubai, and I’m looking at going back to India on a tour,” she said. “A lot of Barbara Tillemans of Burnsville is pictured having high tea at Burj Al Arab, a hotel in TILLEMANS - TO PAGE 7 Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Submitted photo).