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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
Five tips to enjoy a Trans-Siberian train ride
17 October 2018 / by Gareth Johnson
Taking the Trans-Siberian train features on most travel enthusiasts and train aficionados’ bucket list. The train ride, spanning over 6 or 7 days depending on which train one chooses, takes passengers across the whole of Russia, from cosmopolitan Mosco …
“Glorious Fatherland” Mass Games extended!
17 October 2018 / by Alistair Riddell
Glorious Fatherland returns! After the triumphant return of the Mass Games, formerly titled “Arirang” and now called “Glorious Fatherland”, the DPRK have announced the games are back for 2019! The reinvigorated Mass Games have been a massive hit — YP …
How to: fly from Pyongyang to Vladivostok
12 October 2018 / by Pier Doyon
When it comes to visiting North Korea, most people choose to either fly from Beijing or take the train and cross into the DPRK via the border in Dandong. Once in a while, you’ll hear eccentrics saying they caught a flight from Shanghai. Returners wish …
Exploring China’s far west — Xinjiang Province
3 October 2018 / by Gareth Johnson
Despite having lived in China for 12 or so years (a fact I sometimes bring up), I had up until recently done comparatively little travelling in the country. Xinjiang in particular had never really appealed to me; this could have been due to my innate t …
20 images of the mind blowing new Mass Games show in North Korea
2 October 2018 / by Alistair Riddell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKWNRXwVmAY&feature=youtu.be The Mass Games make a triumphant return with “Glorious Fatherland”! It’s no news that North Korea’s iconic and world famous Mass Games is back in Pyongyang after a five-year hiatus. Forma …
Pioneer Dan ‘Tito’ Davis publishes his fascinating story in audiobook format
28 September 2018 / by Alistair Riddell
We tend to get some interesting characters on our tours, but perhaps none more so than Dan ‘Tito’ Davis, a former drug dealer and 14-year fugitive from the US authorities. We’ve already spoken about meeting Tito previously, and our sister website theyo …
Five Reasons to Experience Transnistria Independence Day
26 September 2018 / by Joel Vostok
A highlight of YPT’s Soviet Europe calendar is September 2nd, the day when Transnistria declared their independence from Moldova after a brutal civil war. Arguably the most important day in the breakaway country’s short history, no expense is spared on …
The North Korean Supermarket – Manzi Life
24 September 2018 / by Gareth Johnson
Dandong is genuinely one of my favourite cities in China for a number of reasons; the great weather in the summer, the beautiful views of North Korea, the excellent food, and frankly the utter sureness of the place at times. Can North Koreans leave Nor …
Chewing Betelnut in Papua New Guinea
21 September 2018 / by Pier Doyon
If you ever travel to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands or Myanmar, you might very well notice that a lot of people there have, let’s say, less than perfect dentition. This is caused by the betel nut, also known as the areca nut. The areca nut is the f …
