Wood, who also is a history teacher, didn't spend much time seeing historic sites on his February trip with Sustainable Harvest International. Founded by former Peace Corps volunteer Florence Reed, the organization addresses the tropical deforestation crisis by providing farmers with sustainable alternatives to slash-and-burn agriculture.

He and his group spent a week in a village without electricity, running water or cell phone reception, sleeping in dormitories or with families. Arising at 6 every morning to a breakfast of beans and tortillas, they spent the days digging holes, pouring cement and cutting wood.

The composting latrines they built fit with the group's focus on sustainable agriculture, since the waste can be a rich source of nutrients for family crops and trees. They also left Wood with a sense of personal satisfaction from all his hard work.

"It's fun, and it gets something done," he said. "You can stand back and say, 'I built two latrines.' Or, if you want to look at it more existentially, 'I've helped people not pollute their land, I've helped people produce compost or make it so they can burn and cook without cutting down their forests."'

It cost him $1,000 for the 12 days, not including air fare. That paid for lodging, food, transportation, tools and "peace of mind," he said.

"It's hard work, but there's nothing to worry about," Wood said. "No one can get ahold of you so you're not worrying about the stock market or worrying about family too much. There's no communication so it's a very nice break from the pressures of the job."

Dr. Peggy Fuller, a dermatologist, went to Sri Lanka to build houses in 2005 after seeing the magnitude of the tsunami devastation. Taking a sabbatical from her successful practice in Charlotte, N.C., she spent several weeks making and hauling cinder blocks, carting dirt, carrying water and sweeping.

"I probably wasn't much help at all," said Fuller, 47. "I wasn't there very long. But to see the people's faces — they were so happy we were helping them. That's something you don't forget."

, where they and other church members stay in gender-separated quarters at the facility run by nuns in Guatemala City.

"This is more draining mentally, but it's much more rewarding," said Witkowski, 54, of Colts Neck, N.J.

Their task while there, he said: "Love the kids" and do maintenance projects while they're in school. Despite the language barrier, he feels he connects with the kids through play, joking around and showering them with attention and affection.

"I was overwhelmed that there's so much to do and so little time and can you effectuate change. But there's so much to do, you just can't give up," he said.

Alyssa Stahl, 37, a bank vice president in Chicago, went to West Virginia with Global Volunteers to help build houses in Appalachia last October after finding the group in an Internet search for groups that do volunteer vacations. She did a lot of spackling and painting, working as a mentor to disadvantaged youths.

She's already planning another trip soon to a Native American reservation in Montana where she will do either tutoring, light construction or cleanup projects.

"You feel that you're helping people and you're also getting to learn about a different culture, whether it's West Virginia or Tanzania," she said.

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On the Net:

www.sustainableharvest.org

www.ambassadorsforchildren.org

www.globalvolunteers.org