Travel Channel | Roadtirement

Josh in front of El Castillo in Mexico. Photo courtesy Josh Gates

Have you ever watched an episode of Expedition Unknown? It is a binge worthy show. We started watching because we couldn’t find anything we hadn’t seen, or anyway it felt like we’d seen everything. Anyway, our son suggested we watch Travel Channel’s Expedition Unknown just to see if we liked it. Liked it is an understatement, we loved it! Josh Gates is absolutely fantastic as a guide and a master at explaining things in lay people terms. For the last 4 days we have been binge watching it and still have more shows to go. We are watching this Travel Channel production on Discovery+.

Our pic, also seen in Expedition Unknown

Some of our favorite episodes have been filmed at places where we have visited during our travels. The episode about the search for real-life buccaneer Jean Laffite’s missing treasure in the early 1800’s is partially set in New Orleans, Louisiana. This episode (Season 4, Episode 13) ended in Galveston, Texas, another place we have seen. It is lots of fun seeing the same buildings, beaches and lands that we have visited. We shared some of our experiences in New Orleans here.

Gates has a great sense of humor, and it is amazing the connections he has in the world of archeology, treasure hunting and fascinating history. He journeys take you to all corners of the world, and places that you never knew existed. We also really enjoy his behind the scenes episodes, giving you a look at how large and complex his production crew really is.

~Sher

Courtesy Travel Channel

We have come to enjoy different types of TV shows during our pandemic isolation. One that is actually kind of scary is a show on the Travel Channel ominously titled The Dead Files.

This paranormal themed show features Amy Allan, a physic medium and paranormal researcher, and Steve DiSchiavi, a retired homicide detective with 20 years experience with the New York City Police Department. The show first aired in 2011, and is currently in its 13th season.

Each episode has a different “client” of theirs, and the two investigate each haunting/paranormal event separately. Allan performs walks of the property and as a sensitive, she sees and sometimes talks to the dead spirits. DiSchiavi on the other hand, does police style research, interviewing others who have connection or history to the place. He also digs into the past stories of the property, finding documents and old photos. The two do not compare notes until the end.

When they present their “Reveal” to the clients at the end of the show the results are startling. Allan often uses a police artist to make a sketch of the ghosts she has seen, and the most of the time this sketch is the same entity the property owners have seen. Amy and Steve then offer solutions to getting rid of the ghosts.

Whether you believe in the paranormal or not, this is a fun show to watch, even for just a couple of episodes. If you have an interest in ghost hunting, this show is for you. The Dead Files is now streaming on several streaming services.