Should I travel, or shouldn't I?

Next year I am studying abroad in Ghana for the fall semester and London for the Spring semester. My goal is to become a travel writer, but I don' have any experience traveling completely alone, so I thought I might take this opportunity to try it out. I have been contemplating spending the month between semesters backpacking Europe, staying mostly in hostels. There are a few problems with this plan. For one, it will be winter. What do you think about traveling in Europe during the winter. Is it worth it? Also, I don't have a lot of money, and I'm worrying about running out. How much money do you think I would spend traveling alone in Europe (Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic) for one month? Another problem is that I will be missing the Holidays. My mom suggested that perhaps she will come and spend a week with me wherever I am during Christmas. It might work, but it would take a lot more planning than I was expecting. Lastly, I'm just a bit worried about getting my visas and everything. I kind of feel like I'm just taking off more than I an chew at the moment. My main draw is that I need practice, both traveling alone and writing. I haven't really done it before and I'm anxious to do it. My only other option really will be to wait until after I graduate to travel alone. What do you think?