While I'm not trying to play down the consequences of Chernobyl and Fukushima (though they're of vastly different magnitudes), there are some really unique guided tours that head into the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. You can even spend the night at a hotel [i]in[/i] the Zone, luxuriating in the height of Soviet-era hospitality...for the proletariat, anyhow. There are some truly hauntingly beautiful photographs[0] that highlight the very real human cost to the disaster, one that could have been prevented.
I love travel photography, so it's always been something that's high up on my todo list, though I'd prefer to go with friends (hard to understate the awkward silence that follows "Want to visit Chernobyl with me?") at some point. Tours avoid the problematic areas, and there were obviously a ton of workers going in and out to work on the New Safe Containment building recently so it's not like it's a complete dead zone. If you look at this chart of recorded radiation levels[1] at interesting Pripyat/Chernobyl landmarks from 2009, you'll note that while you'll want to stay the hell away from some landmarks, the uSv/hour recordings at the places tours visit are comparable to daily exposure to natural background radiation in various regions or a transatlantic flight.[2][3] Thousands visit each year, though I'd probably suggest screening your tour options carefully.
Of course, I mentioned the plan to my mother back when I was 18 and I still hear about it from her when we disagree nine years later :). Some people just have an odd sense of risk aversion.
I love travel photography, so it's always been something that's high up on my todo list, though I'd prefer to go with friends (hard to understate the awkward silence that follows "Want to visit Chernobyl with me?") at some point. Tours avoid the problematic areas, and there were obviously a ton of workers going in and out to work on the New Safe Containment building recently so it's not like it's a complete dead zone. If you look at this chart of recorded radiation levels[1] at interesting Pripyat/Chernobyl landmarks from 2009, you'll note that while you'll want to stay the hell away from some landmarks, the uSv/hour recordings at the places tours visit are comparable to daily exposure to natural background radiation in various regions or a transatlantic flight.[2][3] Thousands visit each year, though I'd probably suggest screening your tour options carefully.
Of course, I mentioned the plan to my mother back when I was 18 and I still hear about it from her when we disagree nine years later :). Some people just have an odd sense of risk aversion.
0. https://500px.com/search?q=pripyat+ukraine&type=photos&sort=...
1. http://chernobylgallery.com/chernobyl-disaster/radiation-lev...
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders_of_magnitude_(radiation...
3. http://greentourua.com/chernobyl-today-all-you-need-to-know-...