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Traveling is not limited to hotels and rented apartments. Consider how you can travel the world inexpensively, and most importantly interestingly:

🔆 couchsurfing.com - a worldwide marketplace for finding free overnight accommodations while traveling from locals

🔆 wwoof.net - World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms - farmers all over the world are willing to host guests from another country if you agree to help them with their chores. On the site you can post your profile and choose a farm anywhere in the world

🔆 farmstay.co.uk, armstayus.com - want to live on a farm but not work? You can stay at a farm you like, explore how things work (like watching a cow being milked) and enjoy other outdoor activities

🔆 monasterystays.com - Travel with a touch of spirituality. Religious institutions have long welcomed pilgrims and continue to this day. The opportunity to experience asceticism and learn the hidden routines happens for free or for a token fee

• 15 things you didn’t know about monastery stays - article with tips for those who want to live in a monastery.
• 15 monastery stays around the world - 15 best monasteries around the world

🔆 homestay.com - helpful if you want to live with a host family and socialize with locals, rather than staying in an empty and unfriendly hotel room.

🔆 findacrew.net- the service allows you to find a yacht or ship to work on a cruise that needs helpers

🔆 housecarers.com - an option to live for free while looking after someone’s home

The changes will take effect April 1, but they will not affect consular fees for visa processing.

• A foreigner will have to pay $235 instead of $220 to issue a green card;

• For large employers, the cost of filing an I-129 petition for an H-1B visa will go up: $780 instead of $460.

The H-1B is a popular work visa for highly skilled professionals. There are so many applicants that spots are drawn in a special lottery.

• The cost to enter the 2024 lottery will remain the same - 10$. But in the lottery scheduled for March 2025, the employer will already have to pay $215.

• Biometrics are now included in the final cost. For example, before April 1, an I-485 petition to register permanent residence or change status costs $1,140 without biometrics and $1,225 with biometrics, but from April 1, it costs $1,440 regardless of whether biometrics must be submitted.

All fee amounts are published on the USCIS.

The Government of Dubai has announced the Dubai Gaming Visa initiative - the introduction of long-term visas for talented people, creators and innovators in the field of electronic games.

By 2033, the program aims to create 30,000 new jobs in the gaming industry and attract $1 billion to the emirate’s economy.

The goal of the program is to make Dubai one of the top ten cities in the world in terms of game industry development, and for this purpose it is necessary to attract talented developers and designers.

The small town of Ollolai, located in the heart of Sardinia, has launched a program Work from Ollolai.

The town of less than 1300 inhabitants offers remote workers 1 or 2 bedroom apartments in local houses to live in for only €1 per month.

The program is designed to invigorate the island city and enrich the local community by sharing skills and knowledge.

You can apply for participation on the official program website.

Some airlines have started offering their passengers “mystery trips” where the destination remains unknown until the moment of landing

The concept is simple: passengers buy tickets for a flight without knowing where they are going. All they know is the date and time of departure, as well as a list of luggage packing recommendations to be prepared for any conditions. It is only after landing that passengers learn their destination, which brings an element of surprise and adventure to an ordinary journey.

Airlines assure that all flights comply with international safety standards. Passengers are provided with information in advance about the necessary documents, including visas and insurance.

I wanted to go to Miami, but landed in Manila.

On April 30, the ban on cameras inside residences will go into effect. Hosts will only be able to keep outdoor cameras, but will have to specify their location.

Until now, they could be placed in common areas (such as the living room), as long as they were visible and their presence was specified in the ad’s description.

It took them a surprisingly long time to decide on this ban. The main thing is that this ban should be enforced by the owners.
Source

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Some European airports are starting to lift the restriction on liquids in hand luggage thanks to new and improved security scanners.

✈️ The new scanners are already in use at Teesside International Airport in County Durham, UK; Schiphol in Amsterdam and Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Rome.

In recent years, the scanners have been tested at London Gatwick and Heathrow. Once the scanners are installed, the 100ml rule will be phased out over two years.

The ritual of drinking water bottles before going through pre-flight screening will soon end.

On February 4, amendments to Serbian law came into effect, under which foreigners can obtain a “single permit” allowing them to live and work in the country. The permit can be obtained through study, employment or self-employment. It is possible to apply both inside and outside Serbia, including from Russia.

Important: after 3 years of legal residence it will be possible to apply for permanent residence permit (previously it was required 5 years of legal residence on the territory of Serbia) and, having received approval, from the permanent residence permit to apply for Serbian citizenship through the naturalization procedure.

It is also possible to obtain Serbian citizenship by repatriation, by birthright (provided that his mother and/or father are Serbs) or by descent, in accordance with the terms of the law.

✅ Pros of Serbian citizenship
- Visa-free travel to 130+ countries, including the right to visa-free entry to the European Union for up to 90 days within 180 days.
- Prospects of acquiring EU citizenship after the country’s planned accession to the EU (what if!).
- access to free education in local universities and insured medicine.
- Doing business on favorable terms (government assistance, tax vacations, etc.).

❌ Minuses of a Serbian passport
- Waiver of the first passport as part of naturalization.