I just got back from the States about 4 months ago. I lived and studied in Georgia (down South) and I personally would choose the East coast over the West Coast.

Like mentioned previously, the East Coast has more attractions like NYC and Washington DC. Not only that but you can travel to other places like Chicago, Boston, West Virginia, Maryland, etc fairly easy. You can use Amtrak to travel from one state to antoher pretty easily and it costs a lot less than taking a flight. Plus you get to enjoy the nice scenery during the train ride and its easier to just hop off wherever you want since you're backpacking.

I don't know specifically wat kinda tourist attractions there are but I've been to NYC, Washington DC and Boston. I am in love with NYC and Boston. Boston has some great history and a lot of Irish influence so its like you're enjoying a lil piece of Ireland. Even some of the ppl there speak with an Irish accent. =) Washington DC is kinda boring cause its all government buildings but there's a lot of museums and exhibitions you can go to if you're interested in it. I havent been to Chicago but I heard its pretty cool there while people go to West Virginia for the scenery.

On the other hand, I think the West Coast is a lil overrated. I've been to California and Las Vegas. LA is kinda boring because the main attractions in LA is Disneyland, Universal Studios, and Hollywood. Disneyland and Universal Studios is pretty fun but you can finish them in 2 days. Hollywood is overrated cause there's nothing much there but the Walk of Fame and if you're lucky, you mgiht bump into a celeb but thats about it. (oh, and you can envy the rich and famous if you go to Beverly Hills and walk around Rodeo Drive). You can also travel to San Diego but I dont really know wat is the main attraction there except for their zoo and ocean park. San Francisco is nice too but it takes a while to travel there if you don't wanna fly cause its way up north of Cali. San Fran has the whole gay pride going on (if you're interested in that) but its a pretty lively place. Their main attraction is hte Golden Gate Bridge and the famous prison (for some reason I cant remember what its called but its the one used for The Rock, the movie not the wrestler). You can also travel by bus to Las Vegas if you dont wanna fly but since you're looking to save money, I dont really see hte point of going there because everything there costs a bomb and there's nothing much to do except gamble. (There's slot machines everywhere..even in the airport). You can also go to the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River if you're looking to enjoy sceneries. =) THey're pretty breathtaking although you wouldnt want to spend the whole day there.

Um, what else is there..if you have anymore questions, just PM me and I'll try to get back to you. I've travelled quite a bit when I was in the US so I can give you some ideas on what to expect.

I lived through many many winters and the temperature is not really bad particularly in southern California. What really kills me is the time, it gets dark at 430pm and there's really not much you can do after dark in terms of travelling/sightseeing. That additional 4+ hours of daylight makes a huge difference. Oh also in places like NYC you can forget about free outdoor performances in the park, street fairs etc. Those are spring/summer events only.

So yeah I would recommend the summer program too.

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