It’s sometimes hard to believe there are relatively quiet places in Mexico’s Riviera Maya —the long stretch south of Cancun toward Tulum. I was there only nine years ago, and on a recent trip, I noticed many more hotels dotting the road. But more development doesn’t mean you can’t find a sweet spot in the...

I expected that it would be excessively hot on the late August day that I’d be working on a home in New Orleans. I’d already imagined it in my mind: alternating time between standing on a ladder and collapsing under a tent to balance my body temperature. Instead, it rained steadily on the day before...

In the immediate aftermath of natural disasters, one thing is certain: Help is always needed. For vagabonders who are drawn to giving back to the global community, especially when times are tough, this offers a wide variety of ways to get closer to a culture. But what happens when the media coverage dies down and...