Young Pioneer Tours
Blog
Welcome to the Young Pioneer Tours Blog, the place where we we keep you informed about everything YPT, from current tours, to future tours and a whole lot of eclectic stuff in between.
YPT first started blogging in 2008 and are considered the best North Korean Travel blog that there is.
But, as Young Pioneer Tours have expanded our locations, so have we expanded our blog. Now we have one of the best travel blogs in the world!
And while most of our content is about the numerous destinations we go, including travel guides and what to pack, we also delve into more serious subjects such as the safety of certain destinations, as well as how LGTBQ+ friendly the places we visit are.
While the vast majority of our content is produced in-house, we are always on the look-out for guest bloggers and writers. Want to write for us? Then simply get in touch.
You can also check out our sister publication YPT Life.
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Wines of the world: France, Italy… Moldova?
2 May 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
There is perhaps no passion more notoriously snobby than wine-tasting, so when I claim that Moldovan wine (and brandy) is some of the best in the world, I expect no small amount of derisive sniffing and arched eyebrows to follow. Fact is, though, that …
Filming in North Korea
2 May 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
Whilst it is illegal for journalists to travel to North Korea in an undercover capacity, filming in NOrth Korea is allowed with the correct permissions – as the Michael Palin’s trip, facilitated by Koryo Tours, attests to. Filming in North Korea Past P …
What was the May Fourth Movement?
1 May 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
If you’re of a certain age (and gender and race) then it is likely you’ll enjoy the memes and the greetings on the 4th of May with your usual annual pleasure – May the Fourth be with you! But while Star Wars Day is celebrated around the world (especial …
What does DPRK mean? What does DPRK stand for?
1 May 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
What does DPRK mean? What is the DPRK meaning? What does DPRK stand for? So, you have North Korea and South Korea. Or the DPRK, and the ROK. For South Korea, ROK means Republic of Korea. So, what does the DPR bit of DPRK mean? When you travel anywhere …
Air Koryo and its fleet
1 May 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
Air Koryo gets a lot of unwarranted crap: from being the “world’s only one-star airline” to their infamous mystery burger, the poor airline takes a licking but keeps on ticking. In actuality, not only do they have an excellent safety record, but flying …
Day of the Shining Star
1 May 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
There are many special times to visit the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, one of which is the Day of the Shining Star. The Day of the Shining Star (Korean광명성절) is a major public holiday in North Korea and falls on February 16th – the birthday of …
Traveling to Kaesong and the DMZ
1 May 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
Kaesong was the ancient capital city of the Koryo dynasty that ruled the Korean Peninsula. Nowadays the historic city is a UNESCO world heritage site containing a number of historical relics from the 10th-14th century. Incidentally, had it not been for …
North Korean Traffic Girls
1 May 2019 / by Nicolas Platt
Introduction to North Korean Traffic Girls One of the most recognizable sights on the streets of Pyongyang is the cities, renowned traffic girls. The beautiful women dressed in crisp, stunning blue and white uniforms standing in white circles at the ci …
The Holy Korean Mountains
1 May 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
Korean Mountains are an important sceneic and cultural element to both sides of the Korean divide. Officially there are 5 sacred mountains on the Korean Peninsula (although Kim Jong Il kind of added a 6th). Of the five, three are located in the DPRK an …
