Budget Travel - Travel from NYC - Machu Picchu for $300?

Is there anyone out there that knows if this is possible? My boss's kid was given an assignment to figure this out, and neither of us have been able to do it. I know Spirit Air runs specials to Lima sometimes, but I can't find anything current, also the cost of the flight from Lima to Cuzco throws a huge wrench into it. The cheapest I found was on TACA for $158 roundtrip. Any guidance would be GREAT! Thanks!

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/mileage-run-deals/1004021-lan-aa-lim-284-all-may-june-only.html#post12582412

If you can fly in May/June... this fare is out of DCA but you can route it:
DCA-MIA-LIM
LIM-JFK-DCA (and accidentally get lost while looking for your connection to DCA) :rolleyes:;) throw in a cheap flight from NYC-DCA and you get something in 350ish range...

getting to CUZ from LIM is another story... but you could use the LIM fare as a starting point...

In September I flew:
JFK-DCA-JFK-LIM-CUZ
CUZ-LIM-JFK

for 215+68+170 (I was able to get local price on the LAN flight intra-peru).. so my total was 453ish...

I doubt it.

I got a $250 ai IAD-LIM flight for November. More typical fares are in the $600 and up range. (And one would have to get from NYC-WAS)

Bus fare from LIM to CUS is about $40-$50 each way on Cruz del Sur or Ormeno. There may be cheaper bus companies, but some of them are pretty dicey. Flights start at a bit over $200 round trip. (It's about a 21 hour bus ride, vice a 1.5 hour flight).

Train from Cusco to Machu Picchu starts at about $70 round trip, depending on the times. There is, allegedly, a fairly complicated way to take multiple bus services and collectivos and hike part of the way.

Then you've got to figure about another $50 for the bus to the ruins from Aguas Calientes and the actual admission to the ruins. (You could save $12 or so by hiking up to the site.)

And that says nothing about accomodations. Aguas Calientes is a fairly pricey place as Peru goes and I doubt there is much of anything below $20 a night there.

Hiking the Inca Trail and camping won't help as permits to do so are not especially cheap.

Okay, thanks for all of the help. If I get the info of how the teacher priced out this trip, I'll pass it on.