The thing I have been most worried about while traveling has been making sure I was not pickpocketed or having my bags stolen. This was especially important as a lot of cheap travel means traveling on overnight trains where if you sleep you, obviously, lost sight of your bags. What I learned was to pack light and always keep my bags in front of me and underneath my legs so I could feel them. In addition, I always kept my important small items, such as phone, passport, and wallet, on my body (i.e. coat pockets).
In terms of personal safety, I never had a situation where I needed to worry. A good proportion of the girls here were not allowed to travel to Eastern Europe because their parents feared the sex trade. In all honesty, I found this to be an absolutely terrible decision. Eastern Europe provided some of the safest places I have ever been to, partly because they were a lot smaller. Tourism also provides a huge portion of their economy meaning they make sure tourists are taken care of and feel safe so people will come back. Big cities like Rome, Athens, and Paris are a lot scarier, in part due to cultural reasons such as friendliness by the men, simply because big cities mean more crime. I really think you cannot spend your life in one place terrified of something that statistically is highly low to occur. Certainly research the country beforehand and do not go to places like Romania when they are having giant protests against the government, but do not stop yourself from going somewhere simply because there’s a “risk” of terrorism or because you have seen a lot of stories on Facebook.
In terms of the best local traveler secret, some cities across Europe, including Ljubljana, Brussels, Porto, Prague, and Verona, have a special guide called Use-It, meant for young adult travelers. It provides information on places to eat, shop, and see with a focus on sustainability and local products.
