One question I now regularly get asked is “How do YPT plan research trips and can I join one?” Well, in answer to the first question, no two research trips are the same, and number two, yes, people can join, but under differing and specific circumstances.
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So, what is a research trip?
Basically, and despite what you might have read in the gutter press, YPT run a pretty tight ship, particularly when it comes to offering new destinations. In practice this means that we always visit a place before we offer it as a full-blown tour.
Said visit can be done in a multitude of ways depending on the place and indeed the danger level. This can be as little as a quick visit by one of our staff, an exploratory visit with a few guests, or a full-blown tour with our local partners.
They are done for different reasons. Sometimes it is simply to cement and confirm an idea we already have, while in more extreme circumstances it is to see if there is enough to do and whether we feel it is safe enough to visit.
The three different kinds of YPT research trips
The first of the three is the initial exploratory trip. This is when one of our guides heads to a country or city to see what it is like and whether we should run tours there. I have personally done this in recent years to Ambon, Morocco, and a heap of other places. Some are now destinations we run tours to, others are not.
The second, and perhaps the most interesting to people, is when we have one of our guides take along some friends and or a small group of customers and we go in guerrilla style. This is not a phrase we invented, but guerrilla tours are when you go in with only a rough plan, make things happen on the ground, and get a real feel for a country.
A great example of this from back in the day was Erbil and Kurdistan. Before it was fashionable, I went in and fixed everything under the shadow of ISIS. Another example would be Rojava.
The last type is where we have a good local partner and believe strongly in the tour, but have not personally done a research trip. In this instance we run a standard tour but at a discounted price compared to what we would later charge. A great example of this would be Sikkim last year, which is now very much a destination we include.
When research trips go good and bad
While the vast majority of our research trips have gone well and resulted in us offering the destination, this has not always been the case. Less successful or one-off trips have included a 2015 tour of the People’s Republic of Donetsk, as well as a rather strange tour of Bir Tawil, although we did later return there. Papua Overland also had its own set of issues.
Successful ones are too many to mention, but major success stories include Equatorial Guinea and Bougainville, to name just two.
How can I take part in a YPT research trip?
Another question I constantly get asked is whether people can take part in a YPT research trip. The answer is a resounding but qualified yes. While we do allow people to join research trips, you usually have to have traveled with us at least once. If the destination is more dangerous, you may also need to be vouched for.
This generally applies to what we call tier two research trips. Once things get to tier three, requirements vary depending on the destination.
And tier one trips? You pretty much need to befriend a YPT guide and or stalk him or her.
How do research trips differ from a normal tour?
This depends massively on the type of trip, the tier, and the destination. In a best-case scenario everything runs smoothly and very little changes, but in reality it is all about what happens on the ground. Some trips go swimmingly, others do not.
This means your expectations need to be very different. If we say it is a research trip, you have to roll with the punches. You are given a discount because it comes with risk.
Many people actually enjoy the added uncertainty, finding it more authentic than joining a fully polished group tour.
How can I join a YPT research trip?
Joining our research trips has become a huge topic whenever I guide tours. So how do you join one? First, you should follow our social media channels, where we announce any research trips that become available.
That said, demand has grown to the point where I am now also offering a waiting list, so those who are genuinely interested can be informed directly. If that sounds like you, email me to be added to the list. I am currently working on no fewer than five research trips for the coming year, with even more planned after that.
And that pretty much is the skinny on research trips.
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