Why is that? Because people only write about the drama.

If you actually travel to any existing country where there are small villages, you will see that strangers are always treated with great friendliness and respect. If someone walks in to break the monotony of your cow herding, your instinctive reaction will not be to kill him.

It's the same with robbery - there are a lot of stories about robbery, but in reality, human societies don't function when people steal a lot. It's not true now anywhere, and I doubt it was true back then. So robbery will likely not be a problem.

(Remember also, those who wrote history where those who rode in fine carriages, and such people likely thought a lot more about robbery than the common guy)

Warlords in the north did not have an information apparatus - you could live for a while before they would become aware of you, and even then the interest shown in you would probably be more benign than not.

Cleanliness is something you really would not be able to maintain. Imagine the process:

1. Wake up 2. Get a bucket 3. Walk a kilometer to the next well 4. Walk back holding 10 kilograms of water 5. Bath yourself with this freezing water (be careful not to catch pneumonia) 6. Somehow either invent soap or buy some expensive soap 7. Do the same, but for your clothes 8. Avoid being too close to any children or anybody who is in any way grubby, because they will instantly void your work 9. Be considered wierd for doing this everyday

Cleanliness is not that easy in a cold climate, and it's not that neccessary compared to a warm climate.

By present standards, society didn't function in most of medieval Europe, especially in 800. That's why the flourishing trade of the Roman era was replaced by subsistence farming. Banditry had replaced pax Romana.

The rich didn't ride in carriages in the period we're talking about. The roads were too bad. Carriages didn't come into widespread use till centuries later.

Pax Romana had little to do with common muggery. The Eastern Holy Roman empire, a.k.a Byzantine was still doing OK. And for that matter the barbaric peoples at it's border, like the ones I am descendant from were as the above poster described, mostly peaceful and friendly.

The fireplace chimney as it wasn't introduced before the 13th century and fire smoke is a major cause of lung ailments.

But come to think of it, you could also make tons of money. An ordinary educated person today knows way more about medicine than medieval doctors did. So your optimal career goal should probably be to become a court physician. You could become as rich as minor nobility doing this, and (most importantly) without having to take sides in power struggles.

Unfortunately, another commentor recognized that firewood would be difficult to access, and cow poo doesn't fire hot enough.

Perish the thought that anyone might think either of those more important than making money, of course...

Still, there's an argument to be made that people can be better convinced of a need if there's something they think they have to buy.