Is it safe to assume that if you're anywhere within in the level range listed in the "area' command that you'll get full exp for exploring/observing stuff it?

My concern right now is that the system is opaque enough that I could go in and carefully explore a dangerous place and then have it turn out I get no exp because I'm too low. And there's no way to know if you're getting anything for the time and risk invested until you get back to the guild and get nothing. And then you have no idea how many levels it's safe to gain before you've overlevelled the area and won't gain anything again.