What is Work and Travel USA?

The whole point of Summer Work Travel USA is that students from around the world can spend their summer vacation in the United States without wrecking their wallet. A participant works for 3–4 months first, then travels the country on the money they earned. But everyone decides for themselves what matters more — earning more or seeing more; plenty of people manage both. It is an official US State Department cultural exchange program (BridgeUSA), running since 1961 under federal regulations 22 CFR Part 62, with about 105,000 students from ~200 countries taking part every year. Participation always goes through a State Department–designated sponsor organization that issues your DS-2019 form and backs you up while you are in the USA. Your job is paid exactly the same as an American's doing the same work — there is no 'exchange student rate'.