Welcome! Don't hesitate to travel independently! For my money, it's the only way to go. Not only do you get to see things you want to see and spend time as you want (shop or snooze all day if you want), you gain a wonderful sense of accomplishment as a result of planning and executing a successful trip and surviving the inevitable adventures that happen along the way.

I just have three recommendations: Research. Research. Research. Successful independent travel means you need to know more about your destination than the dependent traveller.

As far as being young and tough ... read my travelogue for some inspiration. My parents and I drove around Europe for five weeks last spring. This was their 50th wedding anniversary celebration trip. My mother has arthritis and can't walk far. They don't speak anything but English, although I can fumble along in French. But we had many adventures and would go back in a minute. There is no way an organized tour could come close to our experiences. And our trip was probably cheaper, too. [My travelogue is at http://www.travelpod.com search by user janice.]

Happy travels! Janice Toronto, ON