Young Pioneer Tours
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.
Search For A Topic Here:
Check out and subscribe to the YPT Blog and travel magazine
North Korean Ginseng – The Perfect Gift
10 June 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
North Korean ginseng is the stuff of legends, quite literally. The DPRK itself 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 …
Serbian currency: make your own money
10 June 2019 / by Joel Vostok
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
8 June 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
7 June 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 – DPRK Guide
7 June 2019 / by Rowan Beard
Introduction The International Friendship Exhibition (국제친선전람관) also known as the International Friendship Gift House, is one of the most iconic and must see sights of North Korea. The exhibition was first opened on August 26 1978 and holds over 250,000 …
How to get from Seoul to Pyongyang
5 June 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
How to get from Seoul to Pyongyang? 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 …
MAKING A NORTH KOREA DOCUMENTARY: CAN I FILM IN THE DPRK?
5 June 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 …
Mt Paektu – DPRK Guide
3 June 2019 / by Rowan Beard
Introduction to Mount Paektu Whilst Mt Paektu (also spelt Peakdu or known as Paektusan or Paekdusan to the Koreans), is sacred to both North and South Korea and considered the mythological birthplace of the Korean people, it has much a deeper and more …
Ryomyong Street
3 June 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
To say that the Pyongyang skyline has changed quite a lot over the last ten years would be quite the understatement. Previously there were much fewer cars, frequent blackouts, and not actually much in the way of a skyline. Nowadays the city is booming …
