Registration will open on July 1, 2025, at approximately 10 a.m.
Rhodes College is committed to lifelong learning and strives to create opportunities for all members of our community to learn and share new experiences together. The Meeman Center for Lifelong Learning at Rhodes is excited to offer an international trip for Rhodes alumni, parents, and friends to travel to Thailand as part of a class led by Rhodes faculty member Brooke Schedneck. “Religion and Culture of Thailand” is an eleven-day trip in northern Thailand, exploring sites and connecting with local people. Participants will visit temples, learn how to meditate from monks, gain knowledge of Thai cooking, and relax with elephants.
Dr. Brooke Schedneck is an expert on Buddhism in contemporary Thailand who has led several groups of Rhodes students on a study course called Buddhism in Thai Society. Author of Living Theravada: Demystifying the People, Places, and Practices of a Buddhist Tradition (2023), Religious Tourism in Northern Thailand: Encounters with Buddhist Monks (2021), and Thailand’s International Meditation Centers: Tourism and the Global Commodification of Religious Practices (2015), along with dozens of articles and chapters on her research, Professor Schedneck will share her extensive knowledge of the cultural foundations of the country. She lived in Thailand from 2009-2017, has made frequent trips during the summer months and a sabbatical year, and is a fluent Thai communicator. Through her extensive contacts, we will meet with several Thai Buddhists, Muslims, professors, and cultural mediators who will exchange their knowledge with us.
This trip needs a minimum of nine registered travelers by October 1. But don’t wait until then to register—it could fill up much sooner! Registration will close on January 1, 2026, or when the trip reaches maximum capacity, twenty travelers.
$2,900 per person, double occupancy. Single room supplement $400. Register before August 15 for a $200 discount!
Seven Nights in Chiang Mai
Three Nights in Chiang Rai
Note: Participants should be prepared to walk short distances of twenty minutes or so, including steps and uneven terrain. While vans and hotels will all have air-conditioning, participants should be prepared for July heat and humidity when outside.
This schedule is based on payments that Rhodes College must make to tour vendors to guarantee group rates. We highly recommend that you purchase additional trip cancellation insurance at the time of registration to recover your payments should you need to withdraw from the trip.
Deposit due: $500 upon registration
Refund if you cancel: Fully refundable for one week; non-refundable after one week
Interim payment due: $1,500 on January 15, 2026
Refund if you cancel: $750 if you cancel before February 15, 2026
Balance due: March 15, 2026
Refund if you cancel: None, unless the tour is full and your place can be resold.
Cancellations must be in writing. Payment can be made by credit or debit card. Please note that participation is limited to adults 18 years of age or older.
No refunds will be made for any part of this program in which you choose not to participate. In the unlikely event of the program’s cancellation, all fees paid will be refunded in full.
We strongly recommend the purchase of trip cancellation insurance, which is available for coverage of expenses in conjunction with cancellation due to illness or accident. Baggage insurance is also recommended. In the event that you must cancel your participation in a travel program, trip cancellation insurance may be the only source of reimbursement.
