By giving you the ability to turn around in an instant, to act immediately on what intrigues you, to seize the moment, a motor vehicle empowers you to manage and exploit these inevitable wildcards. The fecundity of the unexpected,' Proudhon called it. So writes William Least Heat-Moon in Blue Highways, his critically acclaimed account of traveling around the US in a camper van. This fecundity of the unexpected assumes a much more powerful dimension in motoring tours than in train or bus tours, and he's a wise traveler who ultimately and strategically surrenders to it in both the planning and execution of a trip. It is prudent, however, to focus for a moment on the unpleasant unexpected happenings that may occur.
Crime is a prime example.
When traveling, of course, you're subject to a higher likelihood of petty crime than are the locals. Still, in many ways Europe is the safest continent in the world, and virtually no place in Europe is prohibitively dangerous for travelers. In other words, criminals go where the crowds go. Many sources advise that picking up hitchhikers in Europe is a mistake. I'm not gonna to go that far.