Most normal folk wouldn’t think twice about stepping foot in some of the world’s most haunted places. Heck, most don’t even like hearing things go bump in the night in their own houses, let alone a historic castle or warehouse with 100-plus years of paranormal occurrences.

For others, however, this is the way of life. Sometimes the living are just too boring and mundane to contend with professionally. Robb Demarest, lead investigator of Ghost Hunters International, therefore chooses to spend his time dealing with the unexplained, the spooky and the downright petrifying.

From England to South Africa, to New Zealand to Romania, Demarest spends his time tracking, documenting and debunking famous fright sites around the globe. I recently caught up with Demarest (who was halfway around the world in a phone booth in South America at the time) to chat with him about, well, ghost hunting, but more specifically, adapting to ghoul investigating around the Earth. Through his words of otherworldly wisdom, I deciphered the following.
 
Seven tips for being an international ghost hunter

1. Ghost hunting and travelling are an ideal combination.
“To me it’s like the perfect situation. I love travel and since I was a boy I’ve been investigating and been interested in the paranormal, so now to be able to combine the two, it’s just perfect. To be honest with you, I think it’s more fun. Some of the stuff we do isn’t captured on camera. While we were in South Africa, we went quad bike racing in the mountains. I don’t want it to just be that we show up to a city, we look for ghosts, then we head to the airport. We try and make sure that wherever we go, we’re always getting out there and really experiencing the local culture.”

2. Languages can sometimes throw a wrench in investigations, so bring a translator.
“Language has been tough, but we have Barry Fitzgerald from Ireland, who is a man of many languages and is quick to adapt to several of them and act as our unofficial guide wherever we go. He helps us through some of the cultural bumps and language barriers.”

3. Be wary of supposedly “haunted” places.
“I go in more skeptical. I go into a place, thinking the place has to prove to me that there’s something going on. If we hear steps at the stroke of midnight coming down the stairs, my first thought is ‘I wonder if the clock is rocking the floor and creating these steps.’ I always have the skeptical mindset. With a lot of the team members it varies; some are highly skeptical, other people are more open.”

4. You can’t always catch the ghost you want, regardless of intriguing evidence.
“There has been time and time again that’s happened. I would say a good 70 per cent of what we find gets dismissed … and it’s sad sometimes because some of this stuff is incredible evidence. But if someone can pose a good question of ‘Couldn’t it have been X or Y?’ you have to throw it out. I want to make sure that when I bring something to clients, I’m not just giving them a bunch of sounds we heard … we want to make sure we have some idea that it’s, as far as we can tell, paranormal before we bring it forward.”

5. Anticipate technological differences from country to country.
“[Groans and laughs] Well, how about people plugging in 110 voltage equipment into 220 volts and watching them blow up? Once were out here, we have to rely on the equipment we have, so when you watch one go up in flames, it’s disappointing.”

6. Pack your bags well, because it’s going to be one long trip.
“I think that people would be surprised that we’re actually traveling as much as it seems to be on the show. Some have asked me, ‘Well one week you’re in New Zealand and then the next week you’re in Ireland. What’s in between?’ Well, there is no in between; we traveled for 30 hours straight. Some people think we do a case then get to rest for a couple of weeks. We’re really out there all the time. The hardest part is the fact that we’re away from friends and family for a very long time. The hotel were currently staying at has no Internet, no phone no TV, no AC, no anything. For most of us, we can’t even call home sometimes.” 

7. Everyone, even ghost hunters, can be afraid of something.
“Driving on the I-95 from New York to Florida – that can get me a little on-edge [laughs]. It terms of paranormal investigation? No, it doesn’t. If I see something tonight that scares me, I’ll be the happiest guy on earth. I’ll be the first one to admit it and say, ‘Boy, when that occurrence does happen, I hope I have a camera in my mind aimed at whatever’s terrifying me.’”

Ghost Hunters International airs Wednesdays, 10 p.m. ET, on Space.

Ever had any creepy encounters with a ghost or spirit? Please, indulge me at sarcher@tvguide.ca


Be sure to check out this week’s geeky goods
Supernatural (Fri., Sept. 26, 9 p.m. ET, Space)
Sam and Dean attempt to help a man haunted by the angry ghosts of children he was unable to save in this new episode.

Smallville (Sat., Sept. 27, 8 p.m. ET, Space)
Clark starts his new job at the Daily Planet, where he is partnered with Lois for a story on a bus explosion.


Shaun’s loved superheroes since he could tie a towel around his neck and pretend to be one. Unfortunately for his friends and family, his geeky-ness only grew, amassing everything from sci-fi, horror and fantasy to videogames, cult shows and movies. When he isn’t citing Lord of the Rings quotes or perfecting Xena’s war cry, Shaun can usually be found adding to his figurine and replica prop collection or just relaxing with some good television.

Always willing to spread the nerdy love, his column, The Outskirts channels everyone’s inner geek and celebrates it, helping prove it’s actually super-cool to be a fan-boy, or a fan-girl.