Travel Channel’s Josh Gates, a Tufts grad, says leave room for adventure
He used to be a skeptic, but Travel Channel’s “Expedition Unknown’’ host Josh Gates now firmly believes that there is life beyond planet Earth. The Manchester-by-the-Sea native said that doing research for a four-part special that premieres on Oct. 4 convinced him that “there is life elsewhere in this universe.’’ The special, “Expedition Unknown: Hunt for Extraterrestrials,’’ precedes Gates’s fourth-season of the popular “Expedition Unknown,’’ which airs later this year. A graduate of Tufts, Gates lives in Los Angeles with his wife and 20-month-old son. He’s been to more than 100 countries, but there are still many places he’d like to visit, including the Pitcairn Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. We caught up with Gates to talk about all things travel.
Favorite vacation destination? There’s a smell that grabs you when you step off the plane in Siem Reap [northwestern Cambodia]. I can never really place it — something frying, a trace of charcoal, diesel exhaust, and the perfume of exotic flowers . . . all laced together in the humid air. I’m head-over-heels in love with Southeast Asia. Every time I touch down in Thailand, Cambodia, or Vietnam, the air washes over me, and I feel like I’m home. From the people to the food to the history, there’s just no place like it.
Favorite food or drink while vacationing? Is there anything better in this world than a well-made Mai Tai?
Where would you like to travel to but haven’t? To date, I’ve been to 104 countries, and to be honest, I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface of what’s out there. I’m most fascinated by remote places and lonely islands, which are also the hardest places to reach. Currently, I’m longing to see the Pitcairn Islands in the Pacific. There are only about 50 inhabitants, nearly all of whom are the descendants of the mutineers from the HMS Bounty who fled there in 1790. Sorry, Captain Bligh.
One item you can’t leave home without when traveling? I always carry a Moleskine journal and a simple Parker Jotter click-pen. Journaling an experience is worth more than any photograph. But the real answer is, of course, my iPhone. What can I say? Even an adventure travel guy needs Google Maps once in a while.
Aisle or window? I’m a window convert. I used to be an aisle guy, but after having my long legs smashed by the drink cart for the millionth time, I finally wised up. Along with the obvious benefits of having something to sleep against and nobody crawling over you, the window offers a view that nobody in human history had the benefit of seeing until just over a hundred years ago. I spend most flights staring out into that endless cloudscape and watching the planet drift by below. I never understand people who close the window shade. There’s magic out there.
Favorite childhood travel memory? My father took me to Rome when I was in high school, and one afternoon, he let me wander around the city by myself. I had a map from the front desk of the hotel, and I excitedly navigated through the winding streets and open piazzas, until I made it to the steps of the great Pantheon. I sat down at a cafe and drank a pot of tea. It sounds silly, but I felt like a real explorer — like I was the first one to discover that graceful old temple. And I wanted to see more. It was the start of a feeling that never really left me.
Guilty pleasure when traveling? Sleeping in. Making “Expedition Unknown’’ and traveling the world is a privilege, but it can also be exhausting. When we have a day off, sometimes I spend it lounging around my hotel room and catching up on Zs. Later, I throw open the drapes and look out on some exotic city that I barely know. I feel guilty for not taking that time to explore.
Best travel tip? I believe that meaningful travel needs to challenge us on some level. Careful planning might make for a smoother trip, but it will always be less interesting. Leave some things to chance and embrace the unknown. My best travel memories have been from unexpected encounters with strangers, accidentally discovered restaurants, and ending up in strange villages with no hotel in sight. All great travel stories are stories of misadventure. That’s when things get fun.
JULIET PENNINGTON
