Smugglers and criminals have used this method for years; how to cross borders without a passport.

In most countries, there are usually one or more routes into the neighboring country that have no border stations. These unmanned crossing points are usually small backwater roads. Sometimes they are no more than dirt roads used by local farmers.

In Europe, such crossings abound. Recently The Economist ran a story on how one correspondent managed to sneak on such back roads into all 12 EU member countries with no passport at all.

All he did was to arm himself with the Goodyear road map of Europe. It shows all roads. Those with the symbol of a small flag on them have manned border crossings. Those without the flag are roads without surveillance or customs posts.

It is not illegal to use these border crossing points. But of course, officials of the countries involved have the right to ask for proper travel documents in the event that you are unlucky enough to be apprehended or stopped in a spot check.

The usual penalty for improper entry is simply deportation. In a typical motorist case, the driver would be asked to return to the country he came from and possibly be given police escort in that direction.

This could lead to a "domino effect" where the prior country illegally entered is informed of your situation, and they in turn send you back to your country of origin. Unpleasant incursions into the freedom of EU citizens are ever-increasing. For example, Customs and Excise authorities regularly exchange data on vehicles or persons moving through the now notionally border less Europe with their counterparts in other countries.

Even travel agents are not immune. There is an agreement between travel agents throughout Europe to report travel plans of people who they find suspicious to a free phone number. The British travel agents' association, ABTA, has sanctioned an agreement for its 700 members to become unpaid informants to HM Customs. Travelers should be wary of alerting travel agents' staff in this way if they wish to avoid being reported on the free phone.