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
8 January 2017 / by Alistair Riddell
Hi! My name’s Matt… I’m originally from Melbourne and one of the guides working in the Beijing office. Like all YPT’ers, I have an inexplicable obsession with all things DPRK, having just finished my degree in International Studies with a focus on DP …
6 January 2017 / by Gareth Johnson
Just around the corner from Bangkok’s neon strips of sleaze, aglow with the famous golden arches and crispy chicken colonels quietly lies one of the more unusual aspects of North Korea’s foreign policy; it’s chain of restaurants. For those who know eve …
31 December 2016 / by Gareth Johnson
Never up for shameless bandwagoning, here at YPT we’ve been just as shocked as most people at the sheer number of amazing people who have been taken away from us during 2016 – David Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen, George Michael, and then not only Carrie …
29 December 2016 / by Justin Martell
Whether you consider it a pariah state or simply misunderstood, North Korea is known for going its ‘own way,’ and the Hermit Kingdom’s fashion trends, such as the North Korean suit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnVwnEUskJk If you are travelling to N …
20 December 2016 / by Gareth Johnson
A perk to working in North Korean tourism is access to the fascinating literature of the DPRK. Rarely read by foreigners or made available online, we’d like to share some. Here is an unedited excerpt, taken from the book “Anecdotes of Kim Jong Ils Life …
19 December 2016 / by Alistair Riddell
Mealtime in North Korea, like many East Asian countries, is a communal gathering with a shared assortment of dishes. Those who have visited North Korea on a tour have had the experience, sitting around the lunch table, drinking a beer, and discuss …
6 December 2016 / by Gareth Johnson
Working in tourism in North Korea, YPT regularly answers questions about safety and security issues for when we’re visiting the country. The media paints a certain picture of the country and it is understandable that some people have questions about th …
28 November 2016 / by Gareth Johnson
Who doesn’t love a sunset or sunrise? One of life’s simplest pleasures enjoyed by everyone around the globe…and Myanmar has some of the most remarkable in the world! So here is our list of 5 of the ultimate spots to watch a sunset or sunrise in Myanm …
23 November 2016 / by Gareth Johnson
It is interesting that when one begins to type “Niland” into the search bar, the first suggestion that Google offers is “nihilism”; defined as “the rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless” and as “e …