Through France & Spain

We would appreciate any help, guidance or advice for a couple of Pensioners who are taking off to spend the Winter in Southern Spain. We intend taking our motorhome to Calais then drive down through Reims, Dijon, Lyon, Montpellier and on to Ceret & in to Spain. We then hope to drive down to Almeria via the East coast. Although we have some experience of motorhoming in the UK we are totally inexperienced in European & Continental travel & camping. We are a little concerned with some of the horror stories we have heard in recent years concerning UK travellers being robbed while on the road abroad and wondered if there are ways of avoiding or at least minimising the likelihood of this. Any help or advice on anything relating to such a trip would ne gratefully received.