In the chilly dawn of the Kalahari Desert, two dozen meerkats turn the dark fur of their bellies to the sun, warming up for the day’s hunt for food.

Television stardom hasn’t spoiled the long-tailed, foot-tall creatures. Despite being subjects in Animal Planet’s “Meerkat Manor,” the group has to work hard to stay alive. Watching these pound-and-a-half animals is part of my responsibility as one of three volunteer assistants organized by the Earthwatch Institute — a Massachusetts-based...

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne lies three miles from the mainland of Northumberland, England, not far from the Scottish border. It’s not only a picturesque site but a religious and historical place well worth a visit if one is traveling in northern England.

A little history Since the island is connected to the mainland by a causeway at low tide, visitors must check the tide timetables located at the entrance to the causeway so as not to be stranded on the island for a much longer time...

Trucks, lined with tourists sporting assorted hats like exotic crested birds, raced jeeps to the gatehouse in Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, India. After securing route assignments, the drivers fanned out like beaters on a tiger hunt over dirt roads pockmarked by monsoon rains. My daughter, Anna, and I were among the lucky few in a jeep.

We zipped past colorfully saried women and children processing to temples hidden within an ancient fort, its stone fortifications snaking...