All youth aged 15-19 can come on RISE expeditions! Invite your friends, coworkers, neighbors, cousins… anyone!

Find the trip you want to attend, and select the yellow Book Now button. Here you can reserve your spot by paying the $500 non-refundable deposit. Once you’ve signed your waiver, and sent in your passport (if international), your application is complete at that point, and we will contact you with more information!

After filling out the application form and submitting your $500 deposit, your spot is confirmed! You will receive a welcome email from us with further instructions pertinent to your specific trip within 24 hours.

In order to be placed on the waitlist for a certain trip, you must pay the $500 deposit. If you do not get on the trip that you are hoping for, you can put your deposit toward another RISE expedition or receive a full refund. If you choose the refund, your refund will be returned July 1st. This only applies to applicants on a waitlist, not applicants who are signed up for a trip.

Although Justin and Lindsay are not on every RISE expedition, all leaders and chaperones are hand-selected by the RISE team.

Yes. You will need a valid passport to travel out of the United States. Most countries require that a passport is valid for 6 months AFTER travel has ended. A visual passport check is always recommended to ensure validity. This is a serious part of signing up for a trip and is your responsibility to apply for and follow through with

In general, and where applicable, RISE will either purchase Visas, or give clear instructions on how to do so on your own.

$500 Non-refundable Deposit: Due upon sign up 
February 1, 2026: Half of the trip fees due
April 1, 2026: Remaining balance of trip fees due
There is no exact payment schedule. Half trip fees are due by February 1, and the remaining balance is due April 1. You may pay any amount or increments that work for you so long as these deadlines are met. Before February 1, all trip fees less the $500 deposit are refundable. Between February 1 and April 1, any amount paid over half the balance is refundable. After April 1, the entire trip fees paid are non-refundable. This schedule only applies to participants who cancel for their own reasons.

We often have participants with dietary or other medical needs successfully attend Illuminate Youth Trips. It is important that you look at the itinerary and decide if your desired trip is right for you and your health. We are happy to accommodate your special needs, but the participant needs to be well prepared to care for their own needs as much as possible. You are the expert and advocate for your own health, but we will always do our best to make each trip safe for everyone and your varying needs.

Yes! We’d love to have you. You will need to read through For Strength of Youth on www.churchofjesuschrist.org. and agree to follow all of the rules set forth by Illuminate Youth Trips. We have successfully had members of other faiths travel with us and have appreciated the diversity and what their life experience adds to our travels. It is important to understand that we adhere firmly and strictly to our rules and require participants to agree to abide by them before travel.

Every trip is different, and many are limited by seatbelts and spaces on boats. For this reason, we cannot add anyone after a trip is full. We value the culture set forth by Illuminate Youth Trips and part of that culture is creating an intimate setting and cultivating lifelong friendships. We intentionally keep our groups relatively small to ensure an environment of inclusivity and a family-like culture.

One of the best parts of traveling with RISE is that we have hardly any downtime. We hit the ground running from the minute the trip begins. For this reason, we cannot commit to meeting with participant’s friends and family while traveling. There are so many moving parts in traveling with a group, it is not feasible to add stops or stray from our itinerary. Occasionally, if a family member can work out with the participant (not Justin or Lindsay directly) of a location that we will be we can make an exception so long as the group is not affected. In general, meeting up with loved ones is not recommended while traveling with RISE.

For safety and convenience, we offer an optional group flight that departs from and returns to Salt Lake City.
The group flight is round-trip and cannot be changed, canceled, or rerouted. If you live outside of Utah and choose to join the group flight, you’ll need to arrange your own travel to and from Salt Lake City.
The estimated cost for the group flight is $1,500, which will be added to your invoice and is due by March 1, 2026. If the final cost is higher, we’ll notify you before making any changes to your invoice. If it’s lower, we’ll apply the difference to your balance—or refund it if your trip is already paid in full.
We work hard to secure the best group rate possible to keep costs affordable.
If you choose to book your own international flights, please make sure the participant arrives at the destination airport at the same time or earlier than the group and departs at the same time or later. Personal travel plans must not impact the group itinerary, so we ask that you wait to book any flights until we provide detailed arrival and departure information.

Yes. We do offer a group travel option, however, if you are comfortable flying on your own you may book your own travel. You MUST be in the desired city by a certain date and time to meet up with the group. It is not possible for Illuminate Youth Trips to meet participants who arrive later than the group or at other airports as oftentimes we board another plane or have other transportation lined up for the group. The group itinerary must not be affected by your travel itinerary.

As of right now, we are not, but we partner with our 501c3 non-profit organization ROAM Humanitarian for our RISE expeditions. A large portion of the trip fees and international flights will be tax deductible through ROAM Humanitarian. If you are interested in family humanitarian experiences, we’d love to have you on a ROAM expedition!

As long as we have your travel itinerary, have approval from your parent/guardian, and you are in the desired city to meet the group by a certain time and date, yes you can extend your trip or arrive earlier. Your personal travel must not affect the group itinerary.

We encourage you to be present! Why pay to travel if you’re going to stay glued to a screen?
For RISE expeditions, personal electronics are not allowed. This gives participants the opportunity to fully focus on service, immerse themselves in a new culture, and build real connections with others on the trip—without digital distractions.

Yes. Participants who break substantial rules will be sent home with no refund of trip fees and at their own expense. It is not fair to other participants on the trip to spend their sacred travel time feeling uncomfortable or find themselves in situations that do not align with our values. Most of the time we can privately work out situations that arise, however the rules are in place so that there is clear communication of our expectations from each individual. If you can not or do not want to comply, then this trip is not for you.

We do not have a specific modesty policy, rather follow the suggestions from www.churchofjesuschrist.org. “Modesty is an attitude of propriety and decency in dress, grooming, language, and behavior. If we are modest, we do not draw undue attention to ourselves. Instead, we seek to “glorify God in [our] body, and in [our] spirit.”

Although we hate to see you miss this opportunity, we understand that life happens and circumstances change at times. As most of our trips have a waitlist, please let us know as soon as possible if you intend to cancel. Due to the nature of our 501c3 status, your trip fees are considered a donation which are non-refundable. For this reason, it is important that you are certain that you are willing and able to travel at the time of application. If you must cancel due to an emergency, deposits may be moved to another expedition IF the expedition date is no less than 8 weeks out. The deposit must be used on an expedition within 6 months of original expedition date and new expedition must be selected and registered for by the date of the missed expedition. If you must cancel, follow the cancellation deadline below. If you cancel 8 weeks prior to expedition date: None of your expedition fees are refundable or transferable to another expedition. All expedition fees will be considered a taxable donation.

Each expedition will provide a sign up for donations that are specific to the projects we will do. If you wish to bring your own donations, please communicate with ROAM Humanitarian directly on what you would like to bring for the communities that we will serve. At times we are limited in space with ground transportation and connecting flights. You must communicate with us if you plan to bring anything other than your allowed carry on bag and personal items. We want you to be able to maximize this experience, but communication is key.

Each trip is different, but in general most of the places we will visit are rugged and developing. We recommend bags that are carry-on size and have a backpack and roller option. Many places will not be conducive to wheels on a suitcase, although at times, like in an airport it is convenient to have that option. ROAM Humanitarian will not pay or be responsible for checked or oversized bags. Any in country flights booked by ROAM Humanitarian will include a carry on and personal sized luggage.

If RISE cancels your trip due to Covid-19 restrictions or other unforeseen circumstances you will be able to choose another trip to attend that has space available and/or have the option to push your travel one year out. All of your fees paid up to the cancellation point will go toward the new trip that you choose. If your trip is canceled and you no longer want to attend a RISE expedition, you will be eligible for a full refund, except for your $500 non-refundable deposit. This refund policy only applies to trips that are canceled due to Covid-19 or other travel restrictions. If you cancel for your own reasons, see “I want to cancel my trip.” response above.

Each country we visit is different. ROAM Humanitarian will communicate required vaccinations. An updated list of recommended vaccinations for each country we visit can be found at your local health department.

Our EIN number is #86-2151304