How to Prepare for Your First Paranormal Investigation
How to Prepare for Your First Paranormal Investigation
Going on your first paranormal investigation can be exciting, creepy, confusing, and overwhelming all at the same time.
You might be thinking about ghosts, voices, shadows, strange noises, equipment going off, or what you are supposed to say once you are actually inside the location.
But before you even start worrying about paranormal activity, you need to prepare the right way.
A good investigation is not just about showing up with a flashlight and hoping something happens. It is about safety, respect, documentation, asking the right questions, and knowing how to tell the difference between something strange and something normal.
At Alternate Planes, we investigate ghosts, Bigfoot, UFOs, UAPs, and unexplained stories. One thing we have learned is this:
The better prepared you are, the better your investigation will be.
You do not need to be an expert to start. But you do need a plan.
1. Choose the Right Location
Your first paranormal investigation should be somewhere safe, legal, and manageable.
Do not start by sneaking into abandoned buildings or trespassing on private property. That is dangerous, illegal, and honestly not worth it.
For your first investigation, look for places like:
- A private home where someone invited you
- A historic building with permission
- A cemetery during legal visiting hours
- A business with reported activity
- A public location where filming or recording is allowed
- A location you already know well
The most important thing is permission.
If you do not have permission to be there, do not investigate there.
A good location should have some kind of history, witness story, or reported activity. You do not need the most haunted place in the state for your first time. You just need a place where you can safely practice documenting, asking questions, and using your equipment.
2. Research the History Before You Go
Before you investigate, learn as much as you can about the location.
Look into:
- Who lived or worked there
- Important dates
- Deaths, accidents, or major events
- Local legends
- Reported activity
- Previous owners
- Building changes
- Nearby roads, train tracks, rivers, or wildlife
- Normal explanations for noises
This helps you ask better questions during the investigation.
For example, instead of asking, “Is anyone here?” over and over, you may be able to ask:
“Did you work in this building?”
“Were you here when this was a prison?”
“Can you tell us your name?”
“Did something happen in this room?”
Research gives your investigation direction.
It also helps you avoid making bad assumptions. Sometimes a location has a creepy story attached to it, but the real history is different. Always try to separate the legend from the facts.
3. Make a Simple Investigation Plan
Do not overcomplicate your first investigation.
You do not need a giant production schedule. You just need a basic plan.
Before you start, decide:
- Where you are going
- Who is going with you
- What time you are starting
- What areas you want to investigate
- What equipment you are bringing
- Who is recording
- Who is asking questions
- Where your base area will be
- When you are leaving
This keeps everyone on the same page.
If you are filming for YouTube or social media, also think about your story. What is the video about? Why are you there? What are you trying to find out?
Even a simple investigation should have a purpose.
4. Bring the Right Beginner Equipment
You do not need to spend a fortune before your first paranormal investigation.
A simple beginner setup could be:
- Cellphone camera
- Voice recorder or cellphone audio recorder
- Small microphone for clearer audio
- Flashlight
- Extra batteries
- Power bank
- REM pod
- Notebook or investigation log
- Pen
- Water
- Warm clothes
- First-aid basics
If you have more advanced tools like a spirit box, SLS camera, EMF meter, or night vision camera, that is fine. But do not feel like you need all of that to start.
For your first investigation, the most important things are:
Good video, clear audio, and good documentation.
Your phone can do a lot. Use it.
5. Test Your Gear Before You Leave
Do not wait until you are at the location to find out your batteries are dead or your microphone does not work.
Before you go, check:
- Camera batteries
- Phone battery
- Memory card space
- Audio recording
- Flashlights
- REM pod batteries
- Microphones
- Tripods
- Chargers
- Power banks
- Camera settings
Do a quick test recording.
Say something out loud, play it back, and make sure you can hear it clearly.
This sounds simple, but it matters. If something interesting happens and your audio is unusable, you may lose the best part of the investigation.
6. Walk Through the Location First
Before you start asking questions or using equipment, do a normal walkthrough.
Look for things that could cause false evidence.
Pay attention to:
- Creaky floors
- Loose windows
- Drafts
- Pipes
- Electrical boxes
- Heating and cooling systems
- Animals
- Traffic noise
- Nearby people
- Reflections
- Mirrors
- Hanging objects
- Doors that move easily
- Flashing lights
- Radio or Wi-Fi interference
This is one of the most important steps.
A lot of “paranormal” activity can have normal causes. That does not mean every strange thing is fake. It just means you need to know the environment before you start calling something unexplained.
If a door opens later, you want to know whether that door already moved easily.
If you hear a bang, you want to know if pipes or wind could have caused it.
If a device goes off, you want to know what electronics are nearby.
7. Keep the Camera Rolling
One of the biggest beginner mistakes is stopping and starting the camera too much.
If you are investigating, keep recording.
Sometimes things happen when you least expect them. You might be walking between rooms, resetting equipment, or talking casually with your team when something strange occurs.
On an Alternate Planes investigation, one of the most interesting moments happened when a voice was heard with the naked ear. That stood out because it was not just something discovered later in audio review. It was heard in the moment, and that made it much more powerful.
That is why documentation matters.
If you hear something, say it out loud immediately:
“I just heard a voice.”
“That sounded like it came from the hallway.”
“No one on our team was talking.”
“Everyone stop moving for a second.”
Those comments help when you review the footage later.
8. Ask Good Questions
When you begin your session, ask clear and simple questions.
Do not talk over each other. Give time between questions so you can listen for responses.
Good beginner questions include:
- “Is anyone here with us?”
- “Can you tell us your name?”
- “Did you live here?”
- “Did you work here?”
- “Can you make a noise?”
- “Can you touch this device?”
- “Can you step away from the device?”
- “Are we bothering you?”
- “Do you want us to leave?”
- “Can you repeat that?”
The most important part is waiting after you ask.
Give the location room to respond. Silence can feel awkward, but it is necessary.
Also, ask follow-up questions. If something happens after a question, do not ignore it. Respond naturally.
For example:
“If that was you, can you do it again?”
“We heard that. Did you make that sound?”
“Can you tell us where you are?”
9. Do Not Jump to Conclusions
This is a big one.
Do not take one tiny piece of evidence and turn it into proof.
One noise does not automatically mean ghost.
One REM pod hit does not automatically mean spirit.
One word on a spirit box does not automatically mean communication.
One shadow does not automatically mean entity.
You have to look at the full picture.
Ask yourself:
- Did anyone else hear or see it?
- Did the camera capture it?
- Did the audio recorder capture it?
- Was there equipment activity at the same time?
- Could the building have caused it?
- Could the human mind be filling in the blanks?
- Could it be wind, animals, pipes, cars, or people?
- Did it happen more than once?
Paranormal investigation should include skepticism. Not the kind that shuts everything down, but the kind that keeps you honest.
You can believe something strange happened and still question it.
That is how you get stronger evidence.
10. Listen to Your Gut
Your instincts matter during an investigation.
If something feels off, pay attention.
If you feel like you should ask a certain question, ask it.
If you feel like a room has changed, say it out loud.
If you feel like you should stop or leave, listen to that too.
But remember: your gut is part of the investigation, not the whole investigation.
A feeling by itself is not proof. But a feeling combined with audio, video, equipment responses, and multiple witnesses becomes much more interesting.
Your personal experience matters. Just make sure you document it clearly.
Say things like:
“I feel pressure in this room.”
“I suddenly feel nervous.”
“I feel like we should ask about this corner.”
“I heard something with my own ears.”
That gives you something to compare with the footage later.
11. Respect the Location
Whether you are investigating a home, prison, cemetery, historic building, bookstore, or old ghost town, respect matters.
Do not damage anything.
Do not provoke just to get a reaction.
Do not mock people who may have died there.
Do not leave trash.
Do not break rules.
Do not treat the location like a haunted attraction unless it actually is one.
If real people lived, worked, suffered, or died there, treat that with respect.
That respect also makes your investigation better. You are more likely to ask thoughtful questions and take the experience seriously.
12. Stay Safe
Paranormal investigating can put you in dark, old, isolated, or unfamiliar places. Safety has to come first.
Basic safety tips:
- Never investigate alone if you can avoid it
- Tell someone where you are going
- Bring flashlights
- Bring extra batteries
- Watch your footing
- Avoid unsafe floors or stairs
- Check the weather
- Bring water
- Dress for the location
- Know where the exits are
- Do not enter dangerous buildings
- Leave if the situation feels unsafe
Being scared is part of the experience.
Being reckless is not.
13. Take Notes During the Investigation
A simple investigation log can make a huge difference.
Write down:
- Date
- Location
- Team members
- Weather
- Start time
- End time
- Equipment used
- Rooms investigated
- Personal experiences
- Sounds heard
- Device activity
- Camera or audio timestamps
You do not need anything fancy. A notebook works.
If you are filming, have someone call out important moments on camera:
“Time is 9:42. REM pod just went off.”
“We heard a voice from the back room.”
“Jared is alone in the jailhouse.”
“We are moving into the basement.”
This makes evidence review way easier.
14. Review Everything Carefully
After the investigation, the work is not done.
You need to review your footage, audio, and notes.
Look for:
- Voices
- Knocks
- Footsteps
- Shadows
- Equipment responses
- Team reactions
- Environmental explanations
- Moments where multiple things happened at once
Do not just look for the spooky stuff. Look for normal explanations too.
Sometimes the best thing you can do is debunk your own evidence. If you can explain something naturally, say so. That builds trust.
And if you cannot explain something, be honest about that too.
There is a big difference between saying:
“This is definitely a ghost.”
And saying:
“We do not know what caused this, but here is what we captured.”
The second one is usually stronger.
15. What to Do If Something Happens
If something strange happens during your first investigation, try not to panic.
Do this instead:
- Stop moving.
- Stay quiet for a moment.
- Say what happened out loud.
- Ask if anyone else experienced it.
- Check the cameras.
- Check the audio.
- Look for normal causes.
- Ask a follow-up question.
- Mark the time.
- Keep recording.
For example:
“I heard what sounded like a voice from the hallway. Did anyone else hear that? Nobody was talking. We are going to wait and see if it happens again.”
That kind of calm reaction helps your evidence.
Screaming and running can be entertaining, but it can also ruin the moment.
Final Thoughts
Your first paranormal investigation does not need to be perfect.
You do not need the most expensive equipment.
You do not need to act like an expert.
You just need to be prepared, respectful, curious, and honest.
Start simple. Get permission. Bring basic gear. Keep the camera rolling. Ask lots of questions. Listen to your gut. Take notes. Review everything carefully. And do not jump to conclusions from one small piece of evidence.
Paranormal investigation is not about proving something every time.
It is about documenting the experience, ruling out normal explanations, and being open to the possibility that something unexplained may still remain.
That is where the real investigation begins.