This is a guest post about the new urbex travel trends that are so popular especially in Europe and Japan.
I have always had this thing with abandoned places, roofs, not-so-tapped destinations, and spots. When a couple of years ago I first saw photos with a hashtag #urbanexploration on Instagram I thought it was such a cool idea to actually give a name to something that many people have been doing for years.
The Urbex Travel Trend
I have always been a wanderer and liked to peep into old buildings, rock rickety rooftops and chase the sunsets from not so known places. If you enjoy that too, keep calm and read on!
For those of you who are not familiar with this word, first of all, I guess we have to answer one essential question:
What Does <<Urbex>> Stand For?
The word “urbex” is a fusion of “urban” and “exploration”.
Briefly speaking, urbex is all about exploring and indulging the abandoned, urban areas. Sounds creepy? Not really!
What Makes Urbex a Unique Way to Travel
Urbex has it all.
It is a blend of discovery, photography, and sport. Urbex tells untold stories. It allows you to interpret the moment you live in a unique way, your way. You decide what story you want to tell through your photos, videos, and captions.
Urbex has no boundaries.
It lets you explore endless paths, places, tales.
You may ask what’s cool about spooky, forgotten places? Well, urbex is not limited to abandoned spots solely!
The term “urban” is what you make it. A night stroll in the city, seeking graffiti. Catching the sun from the rooftops before the dawn. Tiny alleys of your hometown. One thing is certain: urbex is all about ambiance and uniqueness. You will certainly not go to a five-star hotel if you wish to have a true urban exploration feeling. What else could you think of? Possibilities are endless.
What Type of Traveler Will Enjoy Urbex?
Urbexers rarely travel without their cameras, they strive to capture the mysterious moments and forgotten places in photos. They also wander a lot and sometimes urbex resembles parkour, some kind of outdoor gymnastics.
You have to act quick: jump, stroll, chase moments… If you like secrets, street art, photography, adrenaline, and movement – urbex is definitely something for you.
The urban explorers’ community is steadily growing all over the world (especially in Europe) and there is no rule to start. You just take your camera and wander. Some people are urban explorers without even knowing!
Do you enjoy climbing rooftops, visiting creepy buildings, looking for the traces of street art in the tiny streets of the town? You’ve got it in your blood!
Social media platforms are a mine of inspiration – you simply have to look for #urbanexploers and other tags on Instagram or Facebook.
Why Is This Urbex Travel Trend so Popular Right Now?
I think that it became quite a famous activity among young people who wish to escape from boredom, tapped places, tourist-invaded spots.
The adrenaline raises up, the imagination is boosted. Creative souls always strive to go off-the-beaten-path and create something extraordinary.
Urban exploration lets you express yourself and is an outlet for your originality without spending horrendous amounts of money, which is always a bonus.
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Monika is the travel writer behind Bewildered in Morocco. She is an ex-Polish Expat in Morocco, ESL teacher, passionate about photography and writing. She is also particularly into urbex, food, cafes, nature and off-the beaten path places.
Such a lovely post! I love urbex, I didn’t know it was a thing, let alone had a nane. I was in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria, a while ago and there was an old abandoned factory, which was so creepy but cool. I think I wanna do more of this. Thanks for introducing me!
You’re an urban explorer! too cool :p Yeah, I hadn’t heard of it before!
‘Nice post. I think you’re right. I live in Berlin, and there are abandoned buildings aplenty. I think we’ve all been doing urban exploration but just didn’t know it!
Haha yes, I bet so! I really want to get back to Berlin. I was so young and poor when I went there lol. I remember only my free walking tour which was incredible but that’s about it!