Featured Image Credit: TikTok/ @pimpmycamel
Topics: Health, Social Media, TikTok, Travel, World News, Reddit
Poppy Bilderbeck
Topics: Health, Social Media, TikTok, Travel, World News, Reddit
A TikToker who explores 'abandoned places' has revealed why it's important to stick to the 'unwritten rules'.
Ramy Awad was always that 'curious kid' who went into places he 'wasn't supposed to'. However, now 34 years old, he's taken his exploration of the unknown to some much more extreme and terrifying levels.
Awad - who goes by @pimpmycamel on TikTok - is best known for his wild videos shared to his social media showing him exploring 'abandoned places'.
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These places can range from abandoned mansions to his old high school or even 'a mental asylum in Italy'.
Many of his followers have spoken out in concern on his posts, warning him to take care of himself and not do anything too risky and he's since addressed their worrying.
In an interview with FOX News, Awad notes his followers are 'absolutely right' to share their concerns, because some of his adventures have indeed led to him getting injured in the past.
He says: "I've literally had half my body fall through an abandoned church. I was in a church in Philadelphia, and I took a step and the ground literally fell. And if I didn't hold out my arms, I would have fell [sic] right through into the basement. On top of that, inhaling black mold, asbestos."
However, the TikToker reassures he does 'have experience' and follows some rules to 'try to stay as safe as possible'.
The 'unwritten rules' are followed by many urban explorers and include not ever going anywhere abandoned alone, not stealing anything or causing damage to the property or location and not sharing the exact location either.
"Because there are TikTokers who go into a location and vandalize it, and they call themselves explorers. They vandalize, they put it on fire, they graffiti it," Awad adds.
Indeed, Reddit user FreeTheRobots_'s post on r/urbanexploration questions the 'unwritten rules,' asking whether it's acceptable to 'take anything from one of the sights'.
User u/Royal-Accident-1463 responded: "Take only pictures, leave only footprints. Also...best to scope the place out thoroughly before going in. Finally, always have someone to watch your back."
"I’ve been exploring for a few years. Made a lot of mistakes and learned a lot. The concept of take only pictures and leave only footprints has been one of my principal rules. I think that is a given, the difference between an exploration and vandalism or theft is obvious to most," u/Accomplished_Ad2599 adds.
Overall, Awad resolves: "Do as much research as possible. Prepare yourself as much as possible. Don't go in there with the intention of vandalizing or stealing… always bring someone with you.
"[...] You never know what's going to happen… it could be very dangerous where you need someone else to go find help."