Re: your mom being overly worried - just go for it. Carefully plan everything yourself, give your parents your phonenumber, promise you'll call regularly and DO IT. It's what I did with my mom, who's also overly worried, and it worked out.
Well, she's still worried, but she's now starting to realise that hey, maybe her little girl can sometimes fend for herself. :)

Be more Sirius sometimes, less Remus. ;)