JG
“The only thing harder than searching
for the world’s greatest lost relics is sitting
down and staring at a blank page of paper.”
AO: You’re also a writer. In your book, Memoirs of a Monster
Hunter, you take fans behind the scenes of your Syfy series,
Destination Truth . Do you have plans to write a new book in
correlation to Expedition Unknown ? Are there any other books
in the works?
JG: I loved the experience of writing my first book, and it was
also a huge challenge. The only thing harder than searching for
the world’s greatest lost relics is sitting down and staring at a
blank page of paper. But I’ve been scribbling in lots of journals,
and I hope to turn those ramblings into another book soon. That
is, if I can decipher my own handwriting.
AO: You spend quite a bit of time in many different airports to
reach your desired destination. What’s the best thing about
airports? What’s the worst?
JG: I love airports. I really do. I think of them as space-stations –
these little outposts that link travelers coming and going to all
corners of the known world. Journeys are beginning and ending,
and there’s just something really romantic to me about these mi-
crocosmic terminals. The worst thing about airports is how utili-
tarian they’ve become. Airports should be temples to imagination
and adventure, not bus stations with fast food. My wife and I con-
sidered getting married at the stunning TWA terminal at JFK.
They don’t build them like that anymore. Here in the States, I love
being stuck in O’Hare, especially at night. They keep the high-
domed concourses dimly lit, and you can wander under the
shadow of a dinosaur from the Field Museum before sitting down
for sushi at Wicker Park or riding the moving walkways through
that weird neon tunnel. Internationally, I love Suvarnabhumi air-
port in Bangkok, which is like being aboard the Battlestar Galac-
tica, but with way more massage opportunities.
AO: Name three unique essentials you never travel without.
Why are they so important/significant to you?
JG: 1. A Moleskin journal and a Parker click-pen. Everyone is
obsessed with photos (myself included), but if you can jot down
an entry in a journal, it’s so much more meaningful to look back
on. I find that reading something I’ve written floods back so many
more memories than just looking at a picture. It helps me to really
return to that place and time.
2. A good book. I never make time to read anymore unless I’m
on a long flight or posted up in a hotel. I try to carry something
related to the place I’m traveling. Dark Star Safari while traveling
overland in Africa. Moby Dick while lounging on a beach in
Hawaii. Agatha Christie for a long train ride. If I can get wrapped
up in a novel during my trip, I start to feel like I’m becoming one
of the characters.
3. My necklace. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice I’ve worn the
same necklace in every episode on TV that I’ve ever made. Peo-
ple think it’s a compass, but it’s really a sundial. The hinged mech-
anism has long rusted shut, and the writing on the back is nearly
illegible. It’s an important totem for me, though. A touchstone for
all of the great opportunities I’ve had to experience the world,
and a reminder that time is always marching forward – best to
make the most of it.