This is the story of Robin Schoenthaler—a journey of profound loss, resilience and the unexpected ways travel can help us heal. After the heartbreaking loss of her infant son, Robin’s Backroads trip to Thailand became a turning point in her path toward hope. We’re deeply honored to share her story.
Standing in front of a crumbling Buddha statue in the heart of Thailand, Backroads guest Robin Schoenthaler gazed at a weathered sign bearing a Buddhist teaching: “Life is suffering—just enough.” In that moment, the words felt less like wisdom and more like a cruel reminder of her own collapsing world.
At 40, Robin was single and engulfed by grief. A few months earlier, she had lost her infant son, Ryan Peter Schoenthaler. In a bid to escape the emptiness of her home during Christmas, she impulsively booked a Backroads trip to Thailand.
Thailand proved to be a welcome distraction—the chatter of markets, the golden temples, the sweet aroma of frangipani. On the second-to-last day of the trip, Robin found herself no longer able to ignore the reason she was there, and it all came out in a conversation with her Trip Leader, Jo.
The following day, Jo took Robin on a detour to a 2,000-year-old temple tucked away from the usual tourist paths. Ancient trees stretched toward the sky, and prayer flags fluttered gently. The two women together in quiet contemplation, listening to the birds sing and distant bells ring.
About a month after returning to the snow-laden streets of Boston, Robin received a letter postmarked from Thailand. Her heart raced as she opened it, revealing a photograph of Jo kneeling beside a freshly planted sapling on the temple grounds. At its base lay a plaque inscribed with the name “Ryan Peter Schoenthaler.”
“One doesn’t heal from the grief of losing a child in one moment,” Robin reflected. “But my Trip Leader made a gesture of such extreme kindness and humanity that it became a turning point in my healing journey. The tree, with his name, growing strong and alive in that place—it was a kickstart to my healing. It didn’t get me all the way there, but it was, as the Buddha said, just enough.”
Within a year of receiving the photo of the tree at the temple, Robin’s life shifted again—this time with the birth of her second son.
You can hear more about Robin’s story as told on The Moth.
