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
Tipping in North Korea
June 12, 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
June 10, 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
North Korea 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 they paid off with Korean ginseng. Although Czechoslovakia and/or B …
Serbian currency: make your own money
June 10, 2019 / by Joel Gallagher
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
June 8, 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 …
Pyongyang Castle and 4 other national treasures of North Korea
June 7, 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 …
International Friendship Exhibition: sights of North Korea
June 7, 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
The International Friendship Exhibition, alternatively known as the ‘International Friendship Museum’, is one of the most well-known and iconic places you can visit in North Korea. Where is the International Friendship Exhibition? The Exhibition is fou …
How to get from Seoul to Pyongyang
June 5, 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
You can’t be a North Korean travel agency – or involved with Korean tourism – without providing up-to-date and on-the-pulse information about travel to the aforementioned destination. It is with this in mind that we bring you the not-so-simple guide to …
MAKING A NORTH KOREA DOCUMENTARY: CAN I FILM IN THE DPRK?
June 5, 2019 / by Justin Martell
YPT’S GUIDE TO MAKING A NORTH KOREA DOCUMENTARY Planning on making a North Korea documentary? Here’s our comprehensive guide on how to do just that! 1. Don’t try to be VICE — get creative with your North Korea documentary! In the mid-2000s, VICE publi …
Mount Paektu
June 3, 2019 / by Troy Collings
Whilst Mount Paekdu (or Paekdusan in Korean), is sacred to both North and South Korea and considered the mythological birthplace of the Korean people, it has much a deeper and more recent significance to North Koreans. To them, the mountain is not just …
