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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The GCC Explained: Gulf Cooperation Council
3 November 2025 / by Gareth Johnson
The GCC, or Gulf Cooperation Council, is the alliance of six countries on the Arabian Peninsula: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain. Formed in 1981 in Abu Dhabi, the council was established to coordinate economic p …
Saddam Hussein – The Biography
3 November 2025 / by Gareth Johnson
Saddam Hussein Abd al‑Majid al‑Tikriti was born on April 28, 1937, in the village of Al‑Awjah near Tikrit in northern Iraq. His early life was marked by hardship and instability. His father died before he was born, leaving Saddam to be raised by his mo …
Spreading The Rays of Juche: Five North Korean Films You Must-See!
1 November 2025 / by Justin Martell
Table of ContentsPart One: A Brief History of North Korean CinemaPart Two: With the CenturyPart Three: Like Humans DoPart Four: Five Films You Must-SeeThe Flower Girl, Dirs. Choe Ik Gyu and Pak Hak, 1972The Emissary Unreturned, Dir. Choi Eun Hee and Sh …
Five Key Takeaways from My Recent Trip to Pyongyang in 2025
31 October 2025 / by Rowan Beard
I’ve been working with Young Pioneer Tours (YPT) since my first visit to North Korea back in May 2012, so when I became the first Western tourist to re-enter the country via the Rason Special Economic Zone on February 13th, 2025, it was an especially m …
5 Travel Guides That Are Still Relevant in 2025
31 October 2025 / by Gareth Johnson
People love to say guidebooks are dead. They said it when blogs arrived, they said it again when Instagram came along, and they said it for the third time when AI started spitting out travel tips. Yet here we are in 2025 and people are still buying tra …
Yanggakdo International Cinema – DPRK Guide 2025
31 October 2025 / by Steven Zhang
When you travel to North Korea and stay at the iconic Yanggakdo International Hotel, look down from the upper floors and you’ll spot a uniquely shaped building that resembles a giant waterwheel – that’s the Yanggakdo International Cinema. Table of Cont …
The Chisinau Wine Festival
31 October 2025 / by Gareth Johnson
Every October the capital of Moldova, Chisinau, becomes the centre of the universe for anyone who loves wine, food, and good chaos. Known officially as the National Wine Day, rather than the Chisnau Wine Festival, this is not your dainty French tasting …
Rural Cambodia – The Koh Trong Guide
31 October 2025 / by Gareth Johnson
While not exactly a party destination, the rural island of Koh Trong is a real hidden gem. Sitting just off the coast of Kratie on the Mekong, the island attracts both local and international visitors with its laid-back charm, quiet villages, and unint …
Traveling to Prek Sbauv The Hometown of Pol Pot and Meeting His Nephew
30 October 2025 / by Gareth Johnson
Having been stranded in Cambodia during Covid myself and indeed YPT started to really explore the dark tourism sites within the country. Therefore, with a week between tours and pretty much no idea how to complete the task, I decided to head to Prek Sb …
