Cameron McGrane

8 tips to have a cheap legal working holiday in Silicon Valley

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If you are an independent technologist\artist\media hacker\entrepreneur\etc and want to experience San Francisco and the Bay Area on the ground instead of a one week gig feeling like a tourist. Here are tips to make it happen cheap!

1. Travel OFF PEAK

   Peak is May to August and any holidays i.e. Christmas, Thanks Giving are peak. For cheap flights and accommodation avoid these times.

Fact: San Francisco DOES get cold and foggy either side of Summer

2. Get a VISA (Non US Citizens)

   If you are one of the 27 Countries who participate in the VISA WAIVER Program you automatically get 90 days.
   There are other ways to stay longer including the E3 Visa which I have attained and will blog about another time.

Important! - 90 days includes travel to Canada and Mexico. Jetting off to Cancun for a week or two will not reset your Visa on re-entry.

3. Stay with locals

   Accommodation will be your biggest expense. Use a travelling host site and let people stay at your house. In turn you will find it easier when you arrive in your international destination. I am a Couchsurfing.com evangelist, I cannot recommend it enough but you can check out the other services on my couchsurfing facebook app for other suggested options.

   If riding couches gets too much the Element Hotel is cheap, clean, cool and centrally located. You can get Queensize bed with ensuite for $60 per night (and that is the high end!)

4. Get connected!

   The cheapest way is to stay off plan and buy a phone that is tri-band GSM, supports PUSH (mail), MMS, browser.

   I run a quad band I-mate SP5 running windows mobile 5.0. It cost me $250AU and is the stand out as the poor mans Iphone.

   My recommended off plan option in the U.S is AT&Ts Go Phone which comes with data options.

   The combo I use:

   • 5MB Media Pack 9.95
   • 200 MMS and TEXT $4.95

   5MB might not seem like much, but if you keep it for e-mail, twitter, browsing (images off) then you will be surprised.

   Configuring takes time and settings hard to find. Message me if you need and it will give me a reason to publish the generic AT&T settings.

5. Go Public Transport

   PT is great in SF but starts to deteriorate as you move lower towards the valley and Palo Alto.
   Either way it is by far cheapest way to get around.
   Be smart and remove the guess work by installing BART’s trip planners and real time info for your Iphone, PDA and Ipod.

6. Drive using Zip Car

   It is inevitable you will be heading to Mountain View or Palo Alto for an event and PT to these areas does not cut it.
   Register for ZipCar and within a couple of days you can being picking up a car with in minutes from a convenient location to get you there.

   Important: Internationals, bring a copy of your driving record from your home country to fast track approval

7. Get an office

   If you want to feel lonely and ineffective quickly do coffee shops for 3 months. For FREE or a modest monthly fee you can have an office space along side other talented San Francisco independents. By having your own desk and location you can build a routine, get work done and meet locals just like you. My favorite place is the HatFactory but all the co-working locations are different so find one that fits you.

8. Hit the FREE Events

   San Francisco and the Bay Area have a phenomenal amount of events all year round.
   And there is no better way to find out if you are up to par, meet people, get free food and drink and learn really cool things!
   I found the events, search and scheduling using upcoming excellent.

What is your tip for cheap legal working holidays? Where else in the world is an extra-ordinary place to setup shop?