Young Pioneer Tours
Blog
Welcome to the Young Pioneer Tours blog about everything North Korea, and all of our other special off the beaten the track destinations.
Since starting in 2008 we have seen blogging about North Korea and our other great destinations as a great way to engage with our customers and to show the world a slice of life in the great destinations we visit.
Due to the mass amount of great content we create, as well as receive from our Pioneers we have since started our travel lifestyle magazine “The Young Pioneer”.
We’re always looking for contributors to our sites, so feel free to browse through our blogs, and , get in touch if you’d like to write for us.
Check out and subscribe to the YPT Blog and travel magazine
Soviet Batman: what if Batman had been a Soviet citizen?
June 14, 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
Batman is someone who needs precious little introduction – he’s a Randian billionaire genius playboy who inexplicably spends billions on brutalising mentally ill people instead of funding social welfare programmes – and there are probably Tibetan ascet …
UPDATE: Sudan military coup – will it affect tours?
June 14, 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
Update: July 6th 2019 Yesterday, the leaders of the Pro-Democracy movements and of the military came out of talks lasting for two days. An agreement concerning sharing the power has come out of these talks, which was welcomed as a victory by the pro-de …
Top Political Parties by Membership
June 13, 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
In some countries membership of political parties is a big deal. Also, in order to qualify you have to be one of the ‘ruling political parties’, as otherwise there would be multiple country listings. In this article we will go through the Top 7 largest …
Tipping in North Korea
June 12, 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
Does the tipping system exist in North Korea? Is tipping obligatory in North Korea? If so, how much and to whom? We are very glad that you asked, as these are some of the many questions that we get asked frequently here at Young Pioneer Tours. The shor …
North Korean Ginseng – The Perfect Gift
June 10, 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
North Korea is no stranger to unfounded myths and anecdotes. One such story is that they once owed a debt to then-Czechoslovakia (or Bulgaria, depending on who’s telling the tale) that they paid off with Korean ginseng. Although Czechoslovakia and/or B …
Serbian currency: make your own money
June 10, 2019 / by Joel Gallagher
How I came to printing my very own personalized money (legally) in Serbian currency Working as an adventure travel tour guide for YPT to some of the world’s most bizarre destinations, it’s fair to say that I often find out some quirky things that can b …
The Green Zone of Baghdad reopens
June 8, 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
After 16 years of being closed off to the general public, the heavily fortified, high-security zone of Baghdad called the Green Zone has reopened. Located along the banks of the Tigris River, the Green Zone has been like a city within the city, where d …
Pyongyang Castle and 4 other national treasures of North Korea
June 7, 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
We at YPT have an inordinate fondness for creating arbitrary lists of our favourite things: bars, silly countries and even Soviet cars all have their own articles, and in that spirit we now bring you a look at the remnants of Pyongyang Castle and four …
International Friendship Exhibition – DPRK Guide
June 7, 2019 / by Rowan Beard
Introduction The International Friendship Exhibition (국제친선전람관) also known as the International Friendship Gift House, is one of the most iconic and must see sights of North Korea. The exhibition was first opened on August 26 1978 and holds over 250,000 …
