Good on your for travelling. I'm an aussie living in Boston, I originally came over on a H1B visa, but those are virtually impossible to get as there's a small number for the entire world. You should look at the E3 work visa. It's an employer sponsored visa, but it's only for Australians and is considerably easier to apply for: http://canberra.usembassy.gov/e3visa.html As far as working while you're in the US on holidays, you're not allowed to work for any US companies. But you should check the USCIS.gov website about this. Be careful, because the US is pretty strict about working. Can't give you any advice for SF, but I'd be happy to show you around Boston if you're ever in the neighborhood! Good luck with everything!!