First-person accounts, guides, ethics debates, and stories from the places most travel writing refuses to cover honestly. Written by guides who actually live in these countries.
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EDITOR’S CHOICE
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.
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.
By GARETH Johnson 17 APR 2026
How to get a whang od tattoo in 2026
Back in 2023 I wrote the quintessential guide for how to get a Whang Od tattoo, which involved driving a lot and then embarking on a hell on earth 3 hours each way (depending on fitness) hike. Well a lot has changed since then with not only a new bridge being built, but there also being perhaps the worlds least safe “cable car”…
Nauru is one of the least visited countries in the world, but its presence is far greater than the proportion it occupies on the world map. In 2026, the Republic
Goroka Airport is one of the best, least corrupt and most reliable in Papua New Guinea! This is though economies of scale and this does not mean it is perfect.
From ancient alleyways to modern waterfront elegance, Jakarta’s two Chinatowns tell a remarkable story. Most great cities have a Chinatown. Jakarta has two. One is steeped in centuries of history,
Two tourists were shot during the Baliem Valley Festival in West Papua on August 8, bringing the region’s biggest cultural festival to an early end and prompting a security operation
SHOWING 9 OF 200 ARTICLES
If you have penchant for communist history and Red Tourism then it does not get much more interesting and important than the Stalin Museum in his brith town of Gori, Georgie. Is it worth going though? To a degree that depends greatly on how important you think Stalin is! Obviously
With our first trip to Assam and Shillong now finished we can reflect on doing a whole heap of cool stuff, like seeing rhinos and visiting the wettest village on earth. We also really embraced some epic Indian cuisine, inclusive of slightly weird, but extremely good spicy Indian fusion cocktails
While we would not usually deal with subjects as frivolous as the “best bar in Gori” we do make an exception when both the locale and bar are something special. And boy do you get that with Gori, which not only has a big fortress and a cave city, but
Nestled in the heart of central Sweden lies a place where the locals proudly wave their own flag, sing their own national anthem, appoint a president, and celebrate their “independence” every summer. Welcome to the Republic of Jämtland (Republiken Jämtland) – a nation that officially doesn’t exist, yet has captured
Thinking Southeast Asia is not a typical YPT destination? Well, think again. While Southeast Asia has become a popular backpacker route over the years, there is another side of the region that is much more our style. Some of the heaviest fighting in modern history happened here just a few
There are places in Africa where nature still dictates the rhythm of life. Where the dawn is announced by the distant roar of a lion, elephants wander through ancient woodlands, and endangered rhinos graze peacefully beneath towering leadwood trees. Welcome to Hlane Royal National Park, the largest protected wildlife reserve
If you have penchant for communist history and Red Tourism then it does not get much more interesting and important than the Stalin Museum in his brith town of Gori, Georgie. Is it worth going though? To a degree that depends greatly on how important you think Stalin is! Obviously
With our first trip to Assam and Shillong now finished we can reflect on doing a whole heap of cool stuff, like seeing rhinos and visiting the wettest village on earth. We also really embraced some epic Indian cuisine, inclusive of slightly weird, but extremely good spicy Indian fusion cocktails
While we would not usually deal with subjects as frivolous as the “best bar in Gori” we do make an exception when both the locale and bar are something special. And boy do you get that with Gori, which not only has a big fortress and a cave city, but
Nestled in the heart of central Sweden lies a place where the locals proudly wave their own flag, sing their own national anthem, appoint a president, and celebrate their “independence” every summer. Welcome to the Republic of Jämtland (Republiken Jämtland) – a nation that officially doesn’t exist, yet has captured
Thinking Southeast Asia is not a typical YPT destination? Well, think again. While Southeast Asia has become a popular backpacker route over the years, there is another side of the region that is much more our style. Some of the heaviest fighting in modern history happened here just a few
There are places in Africa where nature still dictates the rhythm of life. Where the dawn is announced by the distant roar of a lion, elephants wander through ancient woodlands, and endangered rhinos graze peacefully beneath towering leadwood trees. Welcome to Hlane Royal National Park, the largest protected wildlife reserve
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EDITOR’S CHOICE
Every article on this blog is written by someone who has actually been to the place they are writing about. No armchair analysis. No speculative itineraries.
Founder • NK Guide
30 BLOGS
C0-Founder • Leading Guide
30 BLOGS
Norwegian-Vietnamese Traveller
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YPT Traveller
30 BLOGS
Founder • NK Guide
30 BLOGS
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The self-proclaimed “King of the Twin Kingdoms of Papaala and Meekamui” in Bougainville, David Peii II, who passed away in Tannu City, Bougainville, on
