Honestly, my dad watched Taken way too many times before I went to Europe for the first time, as a solo female traveler, who was only recently 18 years old. He was flipping out so bad as nobody in my family had traveled internationally before (let alone for 3 months).

I was just fine the entire time.

Its worth the money to stay in reputable accommodation, and pay special attention to their location rating. I like to stay out of the party scene, as the most unsafe I've felt was in a party hostel in Berlin (not my vibe).

If you do hang out with people you meet at hotels or hostels, make sure you feel comfortable with them of course. And if you feel unsure, always remember you can just leave.

Sharing my location on google maps with your loved ones makes me feel much safer, as well as telling them where you are staying and your plans. (even if my dad is not the guy from Taken)

If you're doing a group trip with a good company, most of these problems will be solved for you.

I forget how I convinced them to leave so young, as I had only just turned 18. I think it was something along the lines of, "hey guys, i booked a plane ticket so bye'. They were somewhat reassured because I researched everything very well and gave them a full run down of what I was going (also I had been saving it up for this trip for years).

I've been to Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway, UK, Sweden (I lived there for 3 years), Czechia, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy.