Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu under drifting cloud

Peru · May 28 – June 7, 2027 · Teens 15–19

A new kind of youth trip.

A micro‑internship in Peru: teens work beside local entrepreneurs on real business challenges, explore Cusco and Machu Picchu, and grow through faith, culture, and service.

  • Faith
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Culture
  • Self-Reliance
Reserve a spot See the experience

The four pillars

This is our promise to every teen and every parent. Each part of the trip below is evidence that we delivered on it.

Change happens in someone else's world

Teens — and adults — have to be immersed in a place before it can change them. The experiential learning is the trip, not a side effect of the travel.

By becoming a guest in another's world, our capacity to love, understand, and serve grows.

Culture shapes the lens through which a person perceives and experiences life — including how they experience Christ. We see that in the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, and in early Church history.

This is what we mean by building future global leaders: young people equipped to love, understand, and serve across difference, whether the challenge in front of them is spiritual or economic.

Delivers on Faith and Culture.

A long table in a Sacred Valley field, laid with woven Andean runners and hand-thrown clay cups

Real work. Real relationships. A wider view of the world.

Kuska travelers do not arrive with a prefabricated answer. They listen first, learn from Peruvian business owners, and contribute as thoughtful micro-interns.

  1. 01

    Meet the entrepreneur

    Small teams are paired with a Peruvian business owner and dig into the real challenge they're facing.

  2. 02

    Work beside the owner

    Travelers spend time inside the business, learning firsthand how marketing, sales, operations, and culture shape the solution.

  3. 03

    Present what you found

    Before flying home, each team turns what it learned into practical recommendations and presents them directly to the entrepreneur.

Delivers on Entrepreneurship and Self-Reliance.

See the full trip — dates, cost, and what's included

Two Kuska travelers with their arms raised, looking out over Machu Picchu in morning light
Machu Picchu, on the 2025 trip.

Your teen is the whole focus

One trip, not a season of them
Kuska runs a single trip. Your teen is not one of hundreds moving through a program — this group is the only one we are responsible for.
A small group, closely mentored
Kuska keeps the group small and the ratio of adults to teens high, so no traveler is anonymous for ten days.
Rules and agreements, set in advance
Expectations for conduct, safety, and group life are written down and agreed to before anyone boards a plane.
Transportation and lodging above the standard
Chosen for safety and rest rather than the lowest price — a step up from the usual international youth trip.

More for parents — safety, health, and travel

Kuska travelers and youth from a local stake in service vests, with brooms, outside their meetinghouse
The service weekend: Kuska travelers working alongside youth from a local stake.
James Stubbs, founder of Kuska Trips

The leaders have been here before

This is not an exotic destination our leaders are excited to see for the first time.

“Everything I knew about Peru was second-hand.”

Kuska grew from founder James Stubbs's Peruvian family story. His abuelita Lola used entrepreneurship to create an education and a new future for her children, yet James did not experience Peru first-hand until his late twenties.

This is the trip he wanted: to be a teen learning beside Peruvian entrepreneurs, building cultural fluency, and coming home with a more grounded idea of leadership and service.

He knows this ground intimately — it is the land of his own ancestry, and the trip hands travelers a part of his family. He has spent years supporting Peruvian entrepreneurs, and has walked his own entrepreneurial road.

James Stubbs · Founder · Read the full story

  • Maya Stubbs, Youth Leader with Kuska Trips

    Maya Stubbs

    Youth Leader

    James's niece, and a youth leader on the trip. Peru is family history for her too, and she was there for Kuska's first trip in 2025.

  • Chase Tippetts, Trip Leader with Kuska Trips

    Chase Tippetts

    Trip Leader

    A trip leader on Kuska's first voyage in 2025. Fluent in Spanish, with five years leading teenagers on international trips.

  • Rachel Tippetts, Behind the Scenes with Kuska Trips

    Rachel Tippetts

    Behind the Scenes

    Supports Kuska behind the scenes. MinistrySafe certified in abuse prevention, and proficient in Spanish.

James and Maya share the legacy of an ancestor whose love of Christ — and willingness to exercise faith as an entrepreneur — led to sacrifices that changed the course of her posterity.

Read the full bios

Peru 2027

Twenty-three seconds in Peru

Machu Picchu at first light, the markets of Cusco, a table set for the whole group — a look at the trip your teen would be joining.

Machu Picchu at first light, titled Welcome to Kuska Trips — Peru 2027
Moments from recent Kuska trips to Cusco, Machu Picchu, and Lima.

Common questions

When is the next trip?

The next Kuska trip to Peru runs May 28 – June 7, 2027! Applications are open now — reserve a spot.

Who can go on this trip?

Kuska trips are built for teens ages 15–19. Groups stay small, with a high ratio of adult mentors to travelers.

How much does it cost?

The 2027 trip is $2,800 per person, which does not include the international flight — budget roughly $800–$1,100 on top. A $500 deposit secures a spot. See The Trip for the full breakdown, or reach out with questions.

Who is leading this trip?

James Stubbs, Kuska's founder, leads the trip alongside Chase Tippetts, a trip leader on Kuska's first trip in 2025, and youth leader Maya Stubbs, with Rachel Tippetts supporting the team behind the scenes. James has traveled to Peru many times and loves giving others a glimpse into the country of his heritage. Meet the team.

See all questions →

Ready to travel together?

Spots on the 2027 Kuska trip to Peru are open, and go in the order deposits are received.

Reserve a spot Ask a question