Hi Ping,
I hope you are well. I unfortunately don't know about Egypt, Dubai or Morocco because I haven't traveled there yet but I am familiar with Spain and Italy and I have traveled alone before (however now I have my loving bf to accompany me 😊. I would say safety varies from country to country so be sure to see if you can find data on these issues either through your country's State Department or Ministry (I know the US State Department's website is a good resource for safety issues and I know I checked that before I went abroad). Really good guide books like Lonely Planet also have sections in their books regarding safety issues when necessary for certain neighborhoods, cities and countries (which I love to use them). Gender can also impact safety from country to country so also check gender related issues as well.
However, in addition to taking these precautions, just make rational, responsible choices and you should be ok. For example, if you drink alcohol keep your drink close, be careful with who you befriend and allow to get close to you, choose hostels the same way you choose hotels (if that's your thing), research your hotels in regards to geographic location and safety and refrain from talking about controversial political or religious issues. I would also suggest that you learn a few phrases and words for the countries you are going to visit, just basic ones, because that will come in handy if an emergency were to occur. I know this came in handy for me actually so I feel this is one of the best pieces of advice I could give you.
Another bit of advice that will help you I feel is just be respectful. During your travels you are going to encounters customs, items and laws that are not found in your country-this is normal. I'm sure you won't agree with everything, that's fine too. However make sure that if you don't want to follow that custom that you are not going to offend anyone. So I would suggest doing research to see if the country's you want to visit have stringent customs and laws that are expected for everyone to follow.
As for your itinerary-I like it and I'm excited for you! I've been to Spain and Italy and I loved, loved loved them! Italy was exactly as I expected it and beyond. I found the people to be very friendly, charming and helpful. They wanted to share with me their city and culture with me. I went to Florence, Bologna, Parma and Venice. All four cities were fantastic, however Florence and Venice were compelling, powerful destinations for me, I want to go back and I highly recommend them for your visit. However, for my trip back to Italy I'm also interested in going to Padua, Verona, Assisi and Rome. I also met a lot of backpackers who had gone to Qinque Terre in the south-it's this gorgous picturesque village off the west coast of Italy everyone's pictures just looked amazing from there! I recommend Florence because of its historical connection to the Italian Renaissance and to the Medieval and Rennaissance Kingdom of Florence thanks to the Medicis. The art museums are incredible as well the Uffizi and l'academia della arte. You have to go it's amazing! Venice-beyond words incredible. The cool thing about Venice is that it looks pretty much the same as it did back in the 16th century-there are also incredible museums which you must see and you have to see a glass blowing demonstration in Murano like I did-that's also a nice place to buy souvenirs to send back to the parents like I did 😊 That's another tip, I hope you will send your parents post cards and lovely souvenirs it helps them feel good and its another way to share your trip with them. I know for my parents especially since I was gone for 9 months, getting little parcels from me helped them emotionally cope with me being so far away.
Spain was also fantastic! Spanish people were also very friendly (however I speak fluent Spanish and I'm also a quarter Puerto Rican so that might also explain why I love Spain and Spaniards loved me) however everyone was nice and friendly, wanted to chat and share with me their city and culture as well. I visited Granada, Valencia and Barcelona-my favorites were Granada and Valencia. Why see Granada-the historic Albazyn quarter with his historic 12th Century Moorish architecture, the fabulous Alhambra palace and its charming architecture from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Valencia, should be seen because of its great museums, it's incredible aquarium and its historic architecture. Barcelona also had incredible museums which I highly recommend the history of Barcelona Museum located in the Gothic Quarter and the Museum of Catalonian Art is one of my favorite museums ever! I actually got bored with Gaudi architecture for some reason and I found the Picasso Museum to be too small. There's also a Meso American Museum that was cool, but it too was small. I kept on comparing Barcelona to Paris because both cities look a little similar in some neighborhoods, but it seemed to not impress me as much as Granada and Valencia, which I felt were more unique. I knew people who lived in Salamanca, Madrid and Sevilla and they really loved it and were ready to go back again and again.
I've heard good things about Germany-I've only traveled through never to visit, however I've known people who have lived there and loved it.
I've heard mixed reviews about Egypt and Morocco-I've heard some people complain about how dirty it is, while others can't stop raving about the sites. Just go and enjoy yourself! You're young (and probably single) enjoy this opportunity while you have it! Good luck to you with your plans, I wish you the best!
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