I'm a Brit who spent 4 months living in the US, and I made 3 crucial mistake when I moved there that I won't make again

• I lived in Pennsylvania for four months in 2016 after studying abroad.

• I wasted time on tourist activities instead of lesser known attractions.

• I made the move more worthwhile by living in a small town.

I relocated from my home in Scotland to Pennsylvania in order to take a study abroad program.

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and the UK. I took a four-month break from school in 2016 to take part in an exchange semester at Millersville University of Pennsylvania.

The exchange semester required me to move from my home in Scotland to a small town in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

There were two family vacations to Disney World in Florida when I was young. I didn't know what it would be like there. I realized I made a lot of mistakes.

If I had done more research on American household items, I might have been able to save myself some time.

The other international students and I were taken to Walmart to buy items for our dorm rooms. I was overwhelmed when an American student told me to pick out a comforter, as I had no idea what that was.

In the UK, we don't usually use comforters, but we do have sheets that cover them.

I couldn't find anything to cover the comforter that I picked out to make it softer on my skin.

I could have avoided a lot of confusion and wasted a lot of time if I had researched it. I could have taken my cover with me.

I wish I'd gotten to know the locals.

Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, DC are some of the cities I traveled to over the weekend. I visited New York four times as I was fortunate enough to have some family and friends visit me there.

The Brooklyn Bridge was one of the highlights for me.

Traveling is about seeing places that are recommended by local people. I would spend more time exploring lesser-known attractions if I could do it again.

During my time in the US, I did not do any solo travel.

I was just 20 years old when I moved to the US and had never lived away from home.

I only traveled with a group because it was more comfortable for me to be around other international students who were more familiar with the area.

I missed out on seeing places I wanted to see because I had no one with me.

I think I would have had a better experience if I had included some solo trips in my itinerary.

Choosing a small town over a big city was one way I made my time abroad easier.

According to the World Population Review, Millersville has a population of 7,181. There wasn't much to do on the university campus other than go to the dining hall, library, and a lake with picnic benches.

I get a lot of eyebrows when I tell people I studied there. People wonder why I didn't move to a big city with more things to do. It was easier to adjust to my surroundings in a small town than it was in a big city.

I quickly became friends with the people I crossed paths with every day.

Facetiming with my family and writing letters to them helped combat homesickness.

If you're moving or traveling abroad, make sure your cellphone plan includes international data roaming. Because of this, I didn't have to use Millersville's spotty internet to make a call.

Writing letters or postcards would be recommended by me. I like putting pen to paper and writing about my experiences.

The letters my grandmother kept remind me of my great time in the US.

My dorm room was decorated with items from both the US and the UK.

I battled homesickness by decorating my dorm room with pictures of my family. I put photos of my friends and family on the wall and brought a few items to display.

A tiny flag, a snow globe from New York, and some Millersville merchandise were all collected by me. I needed a physical representation of my old life in the UK and my new life in the US.

I spent a lot of time in the US college culture.

I've never been a sports fan, but I knew it was a big part of US college culture from watching TV and movies. I went to a college football game and relied on my American friends to explain the rules.

During the semester, I attended basketball, baseball, and soccer games, as well as occasionally playing soccer with my friends.

I'm glad I did it in the US as it helped me step out of my comfort zone and connect with the American students.

Mistakes I made along the way made my experience in the US wonderful.

I don't regret my decision to move abroad. If it wasn't for my short stay in the US, I wouldn't be the person I am today.

I will always treasure my time in the US, and I hope to return one day.

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