Meet the urban explorer who travels the world to see abandoned buildings

By George Mathias via SWNS

Meet the man who flies thousands of miles around the world in his spare time - in search of abandoned buildings.

Ramy Awad, 32, is an urban explorer - and says there's no distance too far for the right secret spot.

Based in New York, he has flown to countries including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, France and Italy over the past few years.

He even jetted off to Pakistan - a 7,000-mile journey - after hearing about one particularly thrilling location.

But Ramy says his hobby is not without danger.

He reveals he was once rumbled on a trip to a mansion in Pennsylvania - by a man wielding a machete.

Ramy said: “I was at the bottom of a staircase and then just saw this guy. He looked at me and shouted get the f*** out of here!

“I looked down and he was holding a huge machete. He just started chasing us.”

Ramy's first trip was seven years ago when he went to the Kings Park Psychiatric Center in Long Island, New York.

A mental asylum, it closed in 1996 and has since fallen into disrepair.

Ramy found the experience exhilarating - and hasn't looked back.

He said: “I remember the exact feeling of walking in and smelling the asbestos and the mold,

"It was totally different to what I expected, it was amazing, and from then on, I was hooked.

“I’m fascinated by the whole concept of how a building ends up like that.

“Also the fact that you’re not allowed in adds to the appeal, it makes me more curious.”

Ramy was working three jobs - in aircraft maintenance, doing photoshoots and installing fibre optics - prior to urban exploring.

He now only does the latter - freeing up more time for him to scour the internet looking for new spots to explore.

In seven years Ramy has visited Turkey, Pakistan, Italy, France, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Japan, Belgium, Netherlands, and Spain

He documents his experiences and photography on Instagram, and has built up a wide following.

He says France and Italy in particular are a “treasure trove” for abandoned places.

Ramy said: “I went to Chédigny, France, and went in some old castles, it was absolutely breathtaking.

“They are like time capsules.

“Small European towns are my absolute favorite places to visit, there’s always great spots.”

Ramy said that the popularity of urban exploring has exploded in recent years.

He finds his spots on urban exploring forums or "just by searching on Google Maps."

He said: "You befriend explorers everywhere and they are all very respectful of the location."

Most of Ramy’s trips, which he does alongside his girlfriend Jennifer, 23, a nurse, are “bliss”.

But, aside from the machete experience, he has also had a few run-ins with squatters and scrappers - people who steal copper to sell.

Ramy says part of the appeal of his novel hobby is the adrenaline rush you get.

He said: “My partner Jennifer is now obsessed too.

"She used to be into teddy bears but only a few months into our relationship she was scaling up walls and climbing through windows.

“I’m always on the lookout for more spots.

"There are these houses in Jersey which have been left for almost a decade and there’s some funeral homes in South Carolina which are untouched – the fun never ends!”