Yough 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
What’s Changed in North Korea?
September 13, 2017 / by Gareth
As a tour leader for YPT, I’ve been a frequent visitor to North Korea over the past three years. One of the main questions that tourists ask me is if I’ve seen any changes to the country in that time. The answer is yes, but North Koreans are very conse …
Full Time DMZ Bar Manager and YPT Intern
September 10, 2017 / by Gareth
YPT is hiring a full time DMZ Bar Manager and intern in Yangshuo to start immediately. This position is based in Yangshuo in southern Chna and we are particularly looking for someone able to deal with multiple bar-related tasks but this position will a …
Our Top Five Wackiest Tours for 2018
September 7, 2017 / by Gareth
At YPT, we specialise in travel to places that your mother would rather you stayed away from. But, in order to prove we’re not all mouth and no trousers, here is a run-down of five of our weirdest and most wonderful tours! 5: Skiing in Iran When we thi …
An Irishman at the DMZ: A Tale of Two Borders
September 6, 2017 / by Gareth
I’m an Irishman who was raised in the South of the country. My father who worked as a traveling musician all over Ireland and the UK once described his experience of traveling across the border into Northern Ireland as ‘the tensest place on earth’. It …
Is it Ethical to Travel in Tibet?
September 6, 2017 / by Gareth
For seasoned travelers, especially for those who like going places “off the beaten track”, the question of ethics in tourism is not uncommon. Should I go to Chechnya when there is such clear homophobic violence being legitimated by the state? Should I …
What You’ve Always Wanted to Know About Travelling to Turkmenistan
September 6, 2017 / by Gareth
I heard getting a Visa is hard, what should I do? Getting a Visa to Turkmenistan is not exactly hard, but there’s a very specific process, and it doesn’t always work. In order to get a tourist visa to Turkmenistan you must be booked through a tour comp …
Arriving in Kazakhstan: The Gateway to Central Asia
September 5, 2017 / by Gareth
Most have only heard of Kazakhstan from the movie Borat, poor villages, crazy people and strange accents. The reality of this place couldn’t be further from the truth. Borat put Kazakhstan on the map for most westerners I decided to go to Kazakhstan to …
Chechnya – How to Break Rules and Take Tea with the Vice President.
September 4, 2017 / by Gareth
No one knows what to expect when visiting Chechnya for the first time. So what is it really like? YPT’s Shane runs you through a few of the basics after returning from our first ever tour to this tiny North Caucasus republic. Before I run through a few …
North Korea Conducts Successful Nuclear Test
September 3, 2017 / by Gareth
A 6.3 magnitude seismic event, a confirmed nuclear test, was detected approximately 10 km from North Korea’s nuclear test site today at exactly 12:00 Pyongyang time, the USGS warning indicated. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said t …
