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
Unrecognized Countries – Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
18 June 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
At Young Pioneer Tours we have more than a passing interest in unrecognized countries, with my passion running so deep that I even spent a month living in Transnistria literally for no other reason than the sheer sake of it. We run tours to almost all …
Visiting Sariwon, North Korea
15 June 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
The “Sariwŏn Folklore street” was constructed during Kim-Jong-il’s rule. Built to display an ideal picture of ancient Korea, it includes buildings in the “historical style” and a collection of ancient Korean cannons. Although it is considered an inaccu …
Soviet Batman: what if Batman had been a Soviet citizen?
14 June 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?
14 June 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
13 June 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
12 June 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
10 June 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
North Korean ginseng is the stuff of legends, quite literally. The DPRK itself 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 …
Serbian currency: make your own money
10 June 2019 / by Joel Vostok
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
8 June 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 …
