From San Diego, you can always cross over to Tijuana, Mexico. I remember buying a cheap but good leather jacket there. Plus there's always the tequila (with and without worms!).

SF has more to it than just the GG bridge and Alcatraz prison. There's Fisherman's Wharf, a big place for seafood (famous for the huge crabs and yummy clam chowder in bread bowls); Ghirardelli Square - great for SF style shopping, chocolates and dining; shopping around Union Square; Chinatown; Japantown, North Beach ("Italian"town), the cafe and street scene is quite good around Fillmore and other areas since SF is a much friendlier city than most. SF has a much higher restaurants/resident ratio than many other cities including NYC, so there are many good restaurants. Culture-wise, I like SF since you have places like MOMA (Museum of Modern Art), and others. Outside SF proper there is the suburb of Sausalito on the other side of the GG bridge. Pretty and great place for a meal with a great view. Drive up about 60-90 minutes north of SF and you have reached Napa and Sonoma valleys, the main winegrowing region of the US, with hundreds of wineries including almost all of the top US wineries. East across the Bay from SF is Oakland and Berkeley. Those with collegial interests may visit UC Berkeley (I went once, interesting place if you have an alumni friend to take you around). South of SF along the Pacific coast is Highway 1, which hugs the coasts and is a beautiful drive all the way to Monterrey (about 1-2hours drive) where there's the famous 17-mile drive through Pebble Beach. Also south of SF but along the SF Bay coast (which is east of the Pacific coast - look at Bay area maps and you will understand) is Silicon Valley, starting from Palo Alto (home of Stanford University, many major high tech MNCs) to San Jose. There are a number of themeparks in the area. Also many shopping malls, great food (again!) and sometimes interesting high-tech fun places (I remember going to a high-end virtual reality fighter plane simulator place where you can dogfight your friends).

There are many other things I haven't listed out due to lack of time, but SF has a special place in my heart as I lived there for one and a half years


If you're talking US brands, I've always liked North Face and Columbia stuff. Good quality but can be pricey.

I would like to ask, is there any work & travel program without going through any agents?

no. you must go through those qualified agent so that you're under protection of American government. please note that this program is specially made for students all around the world and it's legal.

if you dont wanna go through agent, then you can 'jump aeroplane' instead

means, no matter what, u must pay the agent??

kinda. actually the most expensive part would be the 2 way flight ticket from malaysia to usa, which is about 4 to 5K, depending on flight agency.

the application fees that paid to the agent would be around 2 to 3K.

there are two agents as far as i know..

Out of the box and another one i forgot d...
Anymore else? Wonder which agency is cheaper...

another would be Speedwing. these 2 agents are under CIEE and GeoVisions, which are the main sponsors of this program.

there is only a small difference in the fees between those, the choices are up to you

hm...ok...thanks for the info..

any past experiences, guys?

I am not a big travel fan, but since you never been in the state, anywhere would opens your eyes. Cali will be a nice place to be. Go to NY if you are a business oriented person. In term of the airfare, it won't cost you $500 from LA to NY, maybe around $200-300 for a one way flight. Maybe you should be more concern on your living expenses.

people rely on personal transportation day in day out unless you live in metropolitan cities. It would be wise to goto NYC or LA if you don't know anyone who live locally. Its easier a place to live and able to anywhere by public transportation. But you will have to deal with pricy goods and $500 monthly rent for a room in NYC.

Can you be more specific on your field of study. It sucks but don't put too much hope in getting a job in recession. Did you obtain a valid working permit for the 4 months period?

my field of study is engineering, E&E to be precise. if you haven't notice yet, the jobs in this program actually doesnt have anything to do with student's field of study. it's actually those low-requirement jobs like housekeeping, server, sales assistant, theme park worker and stuff.

yes, recession does affect the employers that are hiring. the number of employers has reduced slightly, which means students will have lesser choice. last year was much better. regardless of the current economic, there are still plenty of jobs for student out there, especially theme parks, national parks. everyone that i know who's going has got a job offer in hand. as long as you stay positive, and not be too picky about the jobs, i'm pretty sure you'll land on a job.

as for the valid working permit for 4 months period, it'll be issued without any problem after the student has secured a job. this program is sponsored by CIEE and USA goverment(indirectly). legal work document DS-2109 is to be issued.

i'm scheduled on an interview with Hard Rock Cafe next week. so wish me luck on getting the job i wanted.

This post has been edited by yeahs4.1: Feb 14 2009, 03:52 AM

If thats the case, goto NYC. It will be easier to get a minimum wage job since the hiring never stops in NYC. Servers make good money because everyone tips according to the bill. I assumed that you are an English educated person, and your job opportunity will be greatly expand if you know Chinese. You have no worry in transportation since the public transportation provides full access in NYC.

One of my friend got an internship with Disneyland in Florida. But he ended up doing "public relation" by greeting visitors in the Bunny costume. It's dry and the heat in the summer is unbearable.

I never been to LA nor Chicago, but they should be similar to NYC. Take your pick. Good luck in your coming interview.

How much i wish i could go to NYC, but things dont always go our ways, aren't they? One of my friend got a job in NYC, as a retail assistant. good for him then.

Anyhow, the HRC that i'm applying is located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. As far as i know, it's quite a city but of course, not as big as NYC. Looking at the bright side, i'd say the cost of living in Tennessee is low compared to NYC.

oh btw, i'm chinese educated. i hope it will be an advantage for me there

In NYC yes, Gatlinburg i can't tell. Is gatlinburg a tourist spot?

hopefully you can get public transport there instead of having to walk.

you can get a job easily in NYC and have no worry about transportation. Lots of food and great culture diversity. But yea its pain in the ass when it comes to $$.

ahhahaa... whoever goes on this program from msia will surely know me

i am super famous... try to guess who am i XD

it;s quite a tourist spot as Great Smoky Mountain National Park is just a drive away.


erhmm, mind to intro? can i assume you know Vernie?

i am d guy that works for vernie lar... everywhere u go to see her will most likely see me XD

oh, then my friends should know you. you;re the helper in the roadshow event right?

and there was a rumour about a guy who earns big bucks in alaska. are you the guy?

yea... see.. i am so famous... lol

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Added on February 16, 2009, 1:59 pmhopefully not for d wrong reasons

This post has been edited by SeLrAhC: Feb 16 2009, 01:59 PM

oh wow what did you do? mind to share with us?

earn 13k usd in 4 months this is my 2nd time

1st time i didnt earn much