Jorge Balza and Karen Vergara Balza share one thing above all: an insatiable love for adventure. Since marrying in 2014, they’ve explored 46 countries, visited the 7 World Wonders, and stepped foot on every continent, except Antarctica. Along the way, they discovered a universal truth: at the heart of travel lies the human desire to connect with ourselves, with one another and with God.

Realizing that travel doesn’t just have to be leisure, they dreamed of inviting others into life-changing experiences that would show them both the beauty of other cultures and countries, but also the hardships and challenges that others around the world face daily.

Through the years, Jorge and Karen began to discover the joy of outrageous generosity as they grew in their Christian faith. In that journey, they met incredible individuals around the world with a heart to share their time, talent and financial resources to causes that God had placed within them.

In 2024, they led their first family adventure to Medellín, Colombia, blending mission with adventure. Seeing the transformation in travelers and the nonprofits they supported sparked a bigger vision.

From that spark, Zabal Travel was born: a company devoted to creating purposeful adventures, retreats, and vision trips that connect people, families, and communities to themselves, to others and to God, creating an effect of eternal impact.