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
12 April 2025 / by Gareth Johnson
Can you drink in South Sudan? The short answer to this is yes, you can and in fact not only does Juba have a great bar scene, but South Sudanese in general are drinkers. This though was far from always the case with alcohol actually being banned during …
12 April 2025 / by Gareth Johnson
Indonesia is big weird and has more cultures than you’ve had hot dinners. We’re not talking about kite-flying and gamelan concerts here. We’re talking real-deal bone-cracking demon-burning corpse-digging madness. These are the festivals in Indonesia th …
12 April 2025 / by Gareth Johnson
If you’re trying to make sense of the Federal Subjects of Russia, don’t expect a straight line. Russia is less of a country and more of a controlled collapse in slow motion. It’s stitched together from the bones of Tsarist expansion and Soviet leftover …
11 April 2025 / by Gareth Johnson
The Republic of Karelia might not be the first place you think of when you imagine Russia, but it’s certainly one of its most interesting and underappreciated regions. Tucked up in the northwest corner of the country, Karelia lies on the border with Fi …
10 April 2025 / by Morgan Bourven
If you’re the kind of traveller who thinks you must have a beer to be able to say you have visited a place, welcome to the pinnacle: the Albatross bar in Tristan da Cunha. Located at the centre of the only settlement there, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, …
10 April 2025 / by Gareth Johnson
Despite holding the status as the nightlife experts of the DPRK, we have yet to write a definitive guide on the best bars in North Korea. Well, have no fear thirsty travelers, as we are about to right that wrong. Here, in order from 9 to 1, we present …
10 April 2025 / by Gareth Johnson
While East Asian beer can often be hit and miss that is not the case in the DPRK where both the craft and bottled beer tends to be pretty good, something we were to confirm when we visited Tumanggang Brewery in the Rason SEZ. This though was not actual …
10 April 2025 / by Andy Khong
Skyscrapers have always been a symbol of human ambition, engineering brilliance, and architectural mastery. Over the years, cities worldwide have competed to build the tallest and most awe-inspiring structures. As of 2025, the world’s top three tallest …
10 April 2025 / by Morgan Bourven
Visiting Tristan da Cunha, the most isolated inhabited island on Earth, is a milestone for serious travellers. Located in the South Atlantic Ocean, over 2,400 km from the nearest mainland, it’s a place where time slows down, nature rules, and community …