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.
Check out and subscribe to the YPT Blog and travel magazine
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
7 June 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 …
7 June 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 …