Who loves exploring abandoned places?
When I went to Chernobyl last year, I met a young Welsh woman who had planned the trip for years. She kept using the phrase “urbexing” as she talked to me.
For those who are unfamiliar with the term, urbexing, also known as “urban exploring,” is the practice of entering abandoned locations and taking photographs there.
Additionally, it appears to be the foundation of an entire subculture.
Photo by Edan Cohen on Unsplash
I have been interested in abandoned places for a long time, and since I was a teenager, I have gone into abandoned places and been caught a few times.
My mom has a lot of stories about the phone calls she received after these mishaps because of this, and I don’t blame them for calling her.
It is against the law to enter abandoned houses, barns, factories, shopping malls, and other buildings because they are dangerous.
Here are my safety recommendations for exploring abandoned buildings for those who have often considered it or who explore in places they probably shouldn’t.
1. Remember it is illegal
Image by Roy Harryman from Pixabay
Because I don’t want to be sued and you don’t want to be sued either, I want to start the list with this one.
Make sure you won’t get busted for trespassing before exploring anywhere.
I mean make sure, not “look both ways, anyone there, go!”.
You’d be surprised at how often people get busted for these sorts of things.
Even if the land isn’t maintained and the building looks like it’s been abandoned for a long time, abandoned locations are typically located on private property or are owned by a family.
That house, that land, and probably the person who owns it probably don’t like you being there.It is against the law to enter abandoned buildings by trespassing.
If you sneak into a derelict mansion, it’s tempting to think that no one will notice or care.
However, you are trespassing if you enter the property without permission, as there is a good chance that someone still owns it.
Do your research, locate the owner, and inquire about visiting.
Web Urbanist recommends referring to yourself as a photographer rather than an “urban explorer.”
But hey, what they don’t know can’t hurt them, eh? I didn’t say that.
2.Find out why it was abandoned
Photo by Gwendal Cottin on Unsplash
If a building is abandoned, there was a reason for it to end up like that.
Was the family hurt in a tragic incident?
Did the family leave the property behind when they moved away?
Was there a natural catastrophe, such as a fire or flood?
In addition to enhancing your appreciation of the location, investigating this can help you avoid injury.
You could easily walk into a radioactive hotspot if you suddenly found yourself in Chernobyl or Fukushima and did not know what had happened.
3. Check if the building is secure
Photo by Jamison Riley on Unsplash
Do not ignore signs that tell you the building is unstable. They’re there for a reason.
This may seem obvious, but when they see an abandoned building, many people don’t give it much thought.
When Chernobyl opened to the public for the first time, many tour companies did not include a liability clause.
In Ukraine, it is your fault if you hurt yourself by falling through the floor.
However, in the West, the tour company is responsible for your injury if they fail to adequately disclose whether a property is unsafe.
An American visitor broke his ankle on opening day after entering a building and falling through the floor.
When he got back to the United States, he filed a successful lawsuit against the business.
If you fall through the floor of an abandoned building, no one will sue you; however, you may sustain serious injuries or become trapped.
The floors of buildings that have been abandoned for an extended period of time weaken and become increasingly unstable.
Always check what’s inside a building before entering it.
Do you have a couch, stove, or other piece of furniture?
Is there anything hefty on the ground that is secure?
If this is not the case, you should first test the floor by either slowly entering the building or throwing a large rock into it.
This brings me to my subsequent point:
