Blog

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

Central Asian Beers

4 June 2020 / by Ben Crowley

Those of you who have been to any of the former Soviet Union know that they know how to drink. Of course the drink of choice is always vodka, however beer also holds a special place as well. Each of the five Central Asian ‘Stans – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzsta …

Domestic North Korean Flights

4 June 2020 / by Rowan Beard

Air Koryo, the flag carrier of North Korea is well known for their international routes between China and Russia but it’s not widely known about the domestic routes within the DPRK. Here we’ll teach you what’s on offer with domestic North Korean flight …

What language do they speak in Svalbard

3 June 2020 / by Pier Doyon

Hallo! That’s hello in Norwegian and god morgen! You guessed it, that was good morning in Norwegian. For this blog, we’ll be looking at the languages spoken in Svalbard. An iconic name that comes with the idea of being far, far away like Timbucktu only …

Banking in North Korea

2 June 2020 / by Gareth Johnson

Can you open a bank account in North Korea? Or more specifically can foreigners open a bank account in North Korea? Here is our insight into banking in North Korea These questions might seem a little bit redundant considering that North Korea is by far …

Dating Apps in Afghanistan

2 June 2020 / by Ben Crowley

Travelling to Afghanistan regularly, it’s always fascinating to see the things that first-time visitors notice. The things that get their attention, the differences they find the most shocking and the similarities they find most interesting. One thing …

Is Antarctica a country?

1 June 2020 / by John McGovern

Avid readers of the YPT blog will remember we discussed the rules for collecting countries and where Antarctica fits in. Many of you will have filled in maps on your Facebook to show the exact countries you have been to, and what’s still left, but if y …

The last Khmer Rouge State

1 June 2020 / by Gareth Johnson

The red dots represent the location of the main camps of the last Khmer rouge State Cambodia has been heavily shaped by its past, particularly the brutal rule of the Khmer Rouge which lasted between 1975 and 1979 under what was known as Democratic Kamp …

Covid-19: How will travel change

1 June 2020 / by Gareth Johnson

After another day of cancelling tours to North Korea, we are now sitting in the (new) YPT office in Cambodia, trying to plan the future, and thinking about how travel will change for us and our customers. Obviously we do not have an actual crystal ball …

Covid-19: When will international travel resume?

1 June 2020 / by Gareth Johnson

This is the one million dollar question that we are currently regularly getting asked, but sadly no one knows for sure when tourism will resume around the world, fully at least. With that being said, there is now at least some movement and some countri …