Argophilia

Αργοφιλία: For the love of the journey.

Cruising Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast In High Style

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The Black Sea from the deck of a luxury yacht is the prefect seagoing fantasy vacation for those headed to Bulgaria. Yacht adventures, whether charter or tour driven, are some of the most romantic and interesting vacation ideas you can imagine. Seeing Bulgaria’s coast from your own hotel room afloat, that is the way to travel in style.

Slovakia’s Premier Travel Expo To Kick Off

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ITF SlovakiaTour 2011 kicks off in Bratislava, Slovakia this month. From the 20th to the 23rd of January, Slovakia hosts one of Europe’s largest travel expos. Thousands of visitors are slated to attend this year’s event to see the latest travel exhibitions from industry leaders.

The Jewel of Ukraine’s Chatyr-Dag: Marble Cave

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Ukraine’s Chatyr – Dag holds untold wonders for the outdoors adventurer, but none more fascinating than Marble Cave. Only very recently discovered, this subterranean marvel is already Europe’s second most visited spelunker site. The three main chambers of Marble Cave are available for visitors to explore via guided tour. For the really adventurous professional explorer, only half the cave has been explored so far.

Russia Celebrates Christmas Eve on Three Kings’ Day

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Thursday Russian Orthodox Christians celebrated Christmas Eve with the traditional Holy Supper. All over Eastern Europe January 6th and 7th are a time to praise Christ and share with friends and family. From Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church, and the children playing in the snow, all Russia gives and received holiday wishes.

Wintertime Is Spa Time in Hungary

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Hungary has many wonderful cultural and natural wonders to entice visitors, but none more impactful than her warm spas and springs. For a Winter getaway, surely no place can be more appealing than a spa experience that is literally out of another world. Budapest’s warm spas will heal what ails you.

Grisha Ganchev and the Great Wall of Bulgaria

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Bulgaria’s Grisha Ganchev is a controversial figure to say the least. One thing is certain however, the industrialist believes in helping the people of his country climb out of the current economic crevass. A €100 million auto plant in the remote village of Bahovitsa will produce 120o jobs and 50,000 inexpensive autos for people in the Balkans.

Getting There and Carried Away Airlines

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The recent war between online travel agents and major airlines heats up still more. But for the travel consumer, how will all this soap opera posturing effect prices and value? The answer is fairly simple, prices will go up, and services will go down. The trend to cut everything from jet fuel to aspirin is in place, and only a paradigm shift can alter that. Comparison pricing is the only consumer weapon for value. Expedia, Google, American Airlines, the customer, what is best for business only the customer can say.

Russia Ready For Tourists – Bureaucrats Are Not

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The Russian Federation faces some big challenges ahead. Not the least of these is transforming the country’s travel and tourism industry to be on a par with other developed nations. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and some of his deputies seem tasked more with spurring an inept bureaucracy than tackling infrastructure problems. Roads can be built, but incompetence seems to last forever.

Georgia’s Mysterious Wonder – Svaneti Unveiled

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President Mikheil Saaklashvili of Georgia as proclaimed that Svaneti resort will rival the world’s great ski destinations, and why not. High atop the world, unaccessible except to the adventurer, this majestic place already rivals any on Earth for sheer beauty and mysticism. One people can visit here conveniently, millions will yearn to see this jewel of the Caucasus.

The Gift of Art from Romania’s Eugen Mihai

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Argophilia is proud to announce another great gift of love from one of the world’s great photographic artists, Eugen Mihai. In keeping with Argophilia Travel’s vision to show the world the best of Eastern Europe, still another extraordinary talent has contributed inestimable worth to our project. We hope you enjoy today, and in the months to come, the award winning images of on Romania’s and Europe’s great photographers.

Changing Times, Changing Lanes – Spotlight Montenegro

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Montenegro proclaimed itself the world’s first “ecological state” back in the 90’s, but only now has the message and initiative reached into the countryside and wilderness areas. A former hazardous waste dump in the country’s wildest and most beautiful area is turning over a new ecological leaf finally. Mojkovac, Montenegro wants to be an Eco-tourism hub for the region.

Is American Airlines Spinning Out of Control?

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The shakeup for air travel bookings online continues today with American Airlines’ contention that their ticket sales have never been better – even without Orbitz and Expedia. The airline neglects to point out an email marketing initiative instigated simultaneously with dumping Orbitz, and the fact that ticket sales for every airline have risen these last few days. What is the customer to make of supposedly trusted travel partners when low blows are the trend?

Ski Deals 2011 – Choosing Your Booking Agent Online

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With dozens of online booking solutions available who can you truly trust to offer you the best value? Expedia? Kayak? Today’s report on Bulgarian ski getaways reveals a little bit about how you should book your next trip. Seeing the forest for the trees is not as easy as you think.

Bulgaria-Macedonia Rail Line Closer to Reality

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A long awaited rail link between Bulgaria and Macedonia is finally on the table as the two countries evaluate the feasibility of the project. Not only will the primary countries gain valuable trade and tourism connectivity, the entire region with benefit from increased transportation and infrastructure enhancements.

JCDecaux Engages Passengers at Paris Airports

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JCDecaux and Aéroports de Paris team up to leverage advertising mediums at Paris airports. The two entities just announced a nine and a half year collaboration aimed at maximizing airport-passenger information and connectedness. Both Jean-Charles Decaux and Pierre Graff commented on the highly visible joint venture.

Are Airlines Unringing the Online Travel Bell?

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The war between online travel companies and airlines is heating up. Expedia counters American Airline’s move to dump Orbitz, as Delta begins its abandonment of smaller OTA’s. Can online travel giants win out over the service providers they actually depend on? Much depends on the customer in the end.

Eastern Europe Digital Engagement 2010 – Armenia

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From Ararat to Ani, surrounded by the Caucasus, Armenia holds touristic secrets so many will never learn of. A place of ancient and recent wonder, from her ruined Hittite archeology to post Soviet modernization, the country has so much to offer. Unfortunately the Welcome to Armenia website conveys very little of that country, and that people’s nature. Digital brands are as important as conventional ones where travel is concerned.

SnowTrax Compares Beyond Compare

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There’s a new ski trip search dynamo out there, and SnowTrax is the name it goes by. For refined ski vacation search, there may not be a better example on Earth. But, and there are always “but’s”, corporate lip service social engagement will never do for any new tech startup. On the consumer Web, there is no room for slip ups when professing social media kinship. Aside this flaw, SnowTrax has a foot in their skis for flawless ski vacations.