This memorial fund was started to continue John’s generosity towards the children in the countries he would travel to. As anyone who had been in contact with John would know, he loved the kids he encountered. Looking back over photos from each trip, you would undoubtedly find a few of John either playing with the kids or handing out a hearty lunch. He did things like that because that’s who he was. He was so humble about his generosity that many of his family and friends only learned of it at his memorial.

Our plan is to continue to give to those children less fortunate than ourselves. We will donate through Heifer International in John's name.

Heifer's Mission to End Hunger

Heifer envisions… A world of communities living together in peace and equitably sharing the resources of a healthy planet.

Heifer’s mission is… To work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth.

Heifer's strategy is… To “pass on the gift.” As people share their animals’ offspring with others – along with their knowledge, resources, and skills – an expanding network of hope, dignity, and self-reliance is created that reaches around the globe.

Heifer’s History This simple idea of giving families a source of food rather than short-term relief caught on and has continued for almost 60 years. Today, millions of families in 115 countries have been given the gifts of self-reliance and hope.

If you would like to make a donation...

Send checks made out to “Heifer International and in memory of John Saliba III” to:
PO BOX 8058, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203

Or, you can call Heifer International at 1-888-5-HUNGER and make a donation in memory of John Saliba III.

GeoJourneys will also donate a portion of the profits from each tour we book as our ongoing contribution. Our plan is to continue John’s amazing generosity and compassion for the children in the remote regions that he visited.

Blair and John with the children and staff of Batopilas Orphanage, Chihuahua

JOHN SALIBA Written by Mary Saliba

My brother, John Saliba, filled every second of his 33 years with adventure, love, humor and friendship. He created a fantastic world for himself, and invited us all in.

John hands out snacks to children at Cusare Falls, Mexico

A competitive skier in high school, he never lost his love for the outdoors. In college he began traveling, spending a year in Kenya. He later earned his MBA at Thunderbird, majoring in International Marketing. It was during one particularly tedious temp job, possibly the last time John wore a suit and lace-up shoes, when he designed a business plan that would become World Trek Expeditions. He tried to figure out how he could travel and ride his bicycle and be with his friends – for a living. Downhill Mountain Biking was born.

When you are vacationing on Koh Samui, you'll be enjoying the beaches, the waterfalls and the active nightlife, you'll still need a place to stay, and some of the best places to stay on Thailand's third largest island are the rented Samui villas! The Samui villas of Koh Samui are inexpensive and they can provide you with a degree of privacy that's hard to get in some of the larger resorts.

He began leading day trips to his favorite out-of-the-way places in Colorado. His number one motive was to have fun – and that meant everyone had fun. Eventually, he began leading longer trips. He and his friend, Blair Windley, would go on exploring trips to Mexico, Peru, Honduras… they would find strange, undiscovered corners of the world and bring people to them. With John and Blair, people found themselves leaping off sand dunes in Baja, riding kayaks up to gray whales, riding mountain bikes along the rim of Copper Canyon and flying down to the bottom under the blazing blue Mexican skies. He was never lost, he just changed his plans from time to time… for example, on one of his exploration trips, he and Blair drove several hundred miles in the wrong direction – West instead of East. When John discovered this he said “Heck with it, let’s go to California, then!”

When John died, while traveling in Thailand, so many people felt their hearts break right then. For John, every day, every week was an adventure. But to those of us who went on his journeys, that one week spent with him was maybe the best, most exciting week of our lifetime. So many people have said that John taught them how to live – how to make every day count. John was a generous spirit; with his time, and in other ways. He always managed to find room in his over-stuffed van for a box of Frisbees and candy for the orphans of Batopilas, Chihuahua. He had a love of fun and of life and of all the possibilities of the day, and he wanted to bring that to the children of this country he loved so much.