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Families traveling and working together during their vacation can actively begin to solve the world's problems.

"Whale breath," said Dr. Ken Balcomb. "God, I love it." The cloud of mist definitely had an oily feel and a fishy smell to it. Alongside the rugged little workboat, three killer whales made chuffing noises as they blasted us with warm, salty breath and prepared to dive again. Cameras clicked frantically as we followed Balcomb's orders to photograph the white saddle patches behind the orca's dorsal fins. As principal investigator for the Orca Project, he calls the shots, and as volunteers on the Earthwatch expedition in the Pacific Northwest, our mission was to help the Center for Whale Research in documenting the details of orca society and to monitor the effects of human intrusion on their territory. For 10 seasons, Earthwatch volunteers have assisted Dr. Balcomb with photographing and recording the activities of the three resident pods of killer whales.

Not Your Ordinary Vacation

Earthwatch participants ranging in age from teens to seniors have tagged and released butterflies in the rain forest of Ecuador. They've studied Mayan architecture and made recordings of Celtic music. "Earthwatchers" have helped eradicate intestinal parasites in the children of Cameroon. They've excavated dinosaur bones and Iron-age villages and have videotaped oral histories of vanishing cultures. Margaret Mead told us, "Never doubt that a small group of concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

The Earthwatch Institute puts these small groups together, reaching out to the public and making it possible for interested people to go into the field and work directly with scientists "on the cutting edge of knowledge to solve problems, to learn and to take responsibility for our future." The non-profit organization supports research programs all over the world, bringing together scientists and volunteers to work on endangered ecosystems, cultural diversity, world health, biodiversity and global change. It's an impressive track record:

• Since 1972, Earthwatch has supported over 2,000 projects in 129 countries and 36 states.

• More than 50,000 volunteers have contributed over $34 million and 5,635,300 man- and woman-hours to the search for solutions to the world's problems.

It's an idea whose time is right, especially for chronically underfunded scientists. Rather than paying assistants to do the fieldwork, they can tap into a source of willing and able volunteers who pay for the privilege of joining the team.

Natural disasters have prompted a boom in volunteer/travel opportunities. Under initiatives such as "Travel For Good" launched in August 2006 by the online travel company Travelocity public awareness has grown. Travelocity's annual forecast poll found that 11% of respondents plan to volunteer during their vacations in 2007 - up from 6% in 2006.

"Our Earthwatchers deserve the highest praise. They can -- as long as you tell them why they are doing it and where it may possibly lead -- be called upon to do any task, no matter how hard, menial or tedious. Or at least give it a jolly good try," says Dr. William Waldren, whose projects (currently Mallorca's Copper Age) have relied on Earthwatch's help for 24 years.

Dr. Peter Quinby, a scientist from Montana, agrees. Quinby's work is partially funded by Earthwatch. "I was very impressed with the ability of Earthwatch to find dedicated volunteers and to coordinate a nightmare of scheduling and information." Quinby's project, Ontario Old-Growth White and Red Pine Forest Survey, takes place east of the Great Lakes, where more than 250 volunteers engage in highly demanding two-week camping and canoeing treks through ancient forests and crystal-clear lakes, recording the sizes and amounts of trees, lichens and wildlife in logged and unlogged areas. "Everybody wins," he says, "the volunteers, the investigator, Earthwatch and the public."