Walk in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul

Download all information and a daily itinerary here.

Trip Date & Info: May 8–24, 2023

• Trip Host/Professor: Dr. Brad Klassen, Associate Professor of Bible Exposition
• TMS students, alumni, and their wives. Minimum of 20 people; maximum of 30 people.
• If space allows: Friends of TMS who value the convictions and mission of the seminary and are hungry to learn.

Registration Deadline: November 25, 2022

Full Trip Cost: $3,190/person*

Cost Excludes: Turkish visa (approx. $50/person); international airfare [e.g., LA to Istanbul; Athens to LA]; travel insurance; lunches on most days; personal expenses such as souvenirs.

Payment plan: Deposit ($200/person) due December 1, 2022; final/full payment due February 13, 2023.

Cancellation policy: A non-refundable deposit of $200 is due by December 1, with the remainder of the cost due by February 13, 2023. If a participant must drop out after Febuary 13, the refund policy is as follows:

• 89-60 days prior to departure:  no penalty
• 59-45 days prior to departure:  10% penalty
• 44-30 days prior to departure:  50% penalty
• 29-15 days prior to departure:  75% penalty
• 14 days and less prior to departure: no refund

All applications will be available shortly.

• TMS Turkey Greece Study Trip 2023 – Application Form
• TMS Turkey Greece Study Trip 2023 – Scholarship Application

Registration Deadline: November 25, 2022

Payment plan: Deposit ($200/person) due December 1, 2022; final/full payment due February 13, 2023.

International travel plans: Participants will need to arrange and pay for their own Turkish visas and international airline tickets (instructions will be provided). Although most participants will depart from LAX and return to LAX together, it is possible to arrange your own travel plans before and after the trip, provided you arrive in Istanbul no later than mid-afternoon on May 9, and leave Athens no earlier than the morning of May 24.

Additional travel plans: Participants are welcome to arrive in Istanbul before the trip begins, or to stay in Athens after the trip concludes, but these arrangements and costs will be the sole responsibility of the individual. Make sure your visas reflect your individual travel plans.

Daily schedule: The days will be rigorous since it is a study trip! Breakfasts are at 7:00am. We leave the hotels around 8:15am. The days are full of travel and site visits, with lunch inserted around 12noon. We return to the hotels around 5:30pm, with dinner usually at 6:30pm. Evenings are typically free for rest or personal exploration in the difference cities where we stop. There are a couple of days with additional free time added during the afternoon and evening.

Physical expectations: Participants will walk an average of 4–5 miles/day. The walkways are generally well maintained but at times include a lot of stairs and dirt-path inclines. The average temperature in Turkey and Greece in May is between 75F and 85F, with minimal chance of rain. There is usually lots of sun.

Food: Mediterranean cuisine. Very good breakfasts and full dinners are included in the cost. Lunches and mid-day coffee/snacks are at the expense of the participants. (If you have dietary restrictions, be sure to investigate to see how a mediterranean diet affects your health.)

Receive elective credit: Students who wish to take the trip for two units of academic credit can register for “BI 627—Life and Mission of Paul: Field Studies” (tuition cost to be covered by the student, according to the tuition rate of a summer school course). The special elective requires extra reading prior to the trip and a series of site reports after the trip.

Scholarship opportunity: Generous donors have provided funds to cover between 30% and 60% of the total cost of the trip for residential MDiv students, depending on level of qualification (the scholarships are not available to distance-location MDiv students). Full-time ThM students also can qualify for this scholarship. That means the 2-week trip to Turkey and Greece could only cost approx. $1400 in total. Specific qualifications will be listed on the scholarship application. Download the application here. Follow instructions on the application to submit.